New tools help develop work ability management and recovery in the social welfare and health care sector

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health media release 10 April 2024

For a long time, there has been a stressful situation in the social welfare and health care sector, particularly related to reform of the sector, labour shortages and work piling up due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two tools newly published by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health are intended for the development of management that is supportive of work ability and improving recovery. The work ability management overview survey and the social welfare and health care sector recovery calculator are part of the Mental Health Toolkit, which is available to workplaces free of charge.

Find out the current situation of work ability management and identify development targets

Work ability management includes measures to promote and maintain the work ability of personnel, to promote the fluency and success of work, and to support extending work careers.

The work ability management overview survey can provide an overview of the current situation at your workplace or unit. The survey requires at least ten responses in order to form a situational picture. Respondents may include, for example, HR management and occupational safety and health personnel and supervisors. The questions focus on areas such as knowledge-based management, work ability management operational models, co-operation and organizational culture. The tool provides a report on the situation of work ability management and means for developing different areas.

“Work ability management is a way to hold on to competent employees and attract new ones. Even in the midst of the changes and the rush of the social welfare and health care sector, it is important to strive to take proactive measures at the level of work communities and not to end up only reacting on the individual level,” says Senior Specialist Irmeli Pehkonen from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

The survey is intended for large and medium-sized workplaces or units. It can also be used in other industrial sectors in addition to the social welfare and health care sector. A version of the tool intended for small workplaces will be released later this year.

The social welfare and health care sector recovery calculator is an assessment tool for units

Only a little over one in three employees of the wellbeing services counties recover well from the stress caused by their working days. According to the Mitä kuuluu? (“How are you?”) survey, recovery is particularly challenging for young people. 

The social welfare and health care sector recovery calculator helps to ensure that the practices of units and departments in the social welfare and health care sector promote recovery and the ability to cope at work. The calculator provides immediate feedback on the current situation and method cards to support development. The methods are related to factors such as recovery during the working day, opportunities to influence working hours, shift planning and ethical burden.

“The idea of a recovery calculator tailored for the social welfare and health care sector originally arose from the need to support the work ability of people working in the sector during the aftercare period of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Research Professor Mikko Härmä from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

Responding to the questions of the calculator takes about half an hour. In addition, you should set aside time to acquaint yourself with the feedback and discuss it with the personnel.

“It is important to involve employees in the planning and implementation of new practices that support recovery. Even good ideas and models will not prosper unless people can have their say about them,” Härmä says.

Learn more 

• Work ability management overview survey
• Social welfare and health care sector recovery calculator
• The tools’ publication webinar will be available on Yle Areena until 10 May (in Finnish)
• Mitä kuuluu hyvinvointialueiden työhyvinvoinnille 2023 report

Mental Health Toolkit project

• The Mental Health Toolkit is a bundle of free-of-charge tools and materials that allow workplaces and work communities to build a humane work culture that supports mental well-being.
• You can receive free support for deploying the tools (in Finnish) during 2024.
• The Mental Health Toolkit project is part of Finland's Sustainable Growth Programme.

Additional information

• Irmeli Pehkonen, Senior Specialist, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, irmeli.pehkonen@ttl.fi, tel. +358 40 708 3784
• Mikko Härmä, Research Professor, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, mikko.harma@ttl.fi, tel. +358 40 544 2750