BACKGROUND: the hospital service is an universal phenomenon that has taken importance over the last decades. Researches show that the oncology healthcare personnel frequently work with users that suffer serious organic pathologies and/or personal crisis; the emotional response to such circumstances is an aspect of their motivation to relief suffering and provide adequate attention, and may lead to a traumatic overburden as a consequence of repeatedly and painful confrontation with the human affliction and death.

METHOD: prior to the program design, several semi-structured observations and interviews were conducted in an institution to 11 administrative employees that have direct contact with patients and their families. The issues were addressed through the design of a behavior program for stress management in the service personnel.  The program content was focused on improving communication skills by using assertiveness and organization techniques for work tasks through workshops and practical activities. The goals are improving work efficiency, communication strategies, and reduce stressful situations among workers to achieve a harmonic work environment.

RESULTS: results show that there are frequent irritability situations in the personnel, apathy, job conflicts, workplace absenteeism, low motivation in employees, lack of assertiveness in the relationships with patients and relatives, communication deficiency among the personnel, and several other signs and symptoms that involve the presence of stress; thus disturbing the group’s effective psychosocial quality in the institution.

CONCLUSION: the developed program offers an important relevancy to the scientific community since the observed results might be applied to other areas, providing an useful experience to other administrative personnel groups that work with oncology patients or other chronic pathologies.