How to prevent overheating in working life - A recent survey shows that 80% of Finns feel the pace of working life has accelerated

The intensification of work and the acceleration of the pace of work have been the most significant changes in working life since the 1980s, according to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. This is due both to the development of information technologies and to the fact that the nature of work is becoming more data-intensive.

– The demands of work have increased, the pace of work has accelerated and changes in the environment, regulation and technologies have increased the workload of many, both at individual and collective levels. The results of the survey revealed that respondents perceive not only the rush and fragmentation of work, but also poor management and working atmosphere as key killers of human efficiency. If the means of managing work are not commensurate with the demands of the job, an imbalance is created, which contributes to an unfavourable psychological burden," says Sahimaa.

The solution: a sustainable pace

One of the solutions to overcapacity and the need to maintain human efficiency is the concept of sustainable pacing. Sustainable pacing means organising work and doing it at a pace that can be sustained over the long term. The underlying idea is that organisations can create a healthy working environment in which employees and the business can thrive in the long term.

– It is alarming to note that only 16% of survey respondents feel that working life is humanly efficient and sustainable. We need to find ways to address this at an organisational level, so that we succeed in increasing the well-being of a large number of people, rather than individual-centred solutions. It all starts with good management, where the objectives of work and the conditions for success are aligned. Those organisations that are able to combine humanity and business efficiency will win the competition in the market - and the competition for the best talent," says Heikkilä.

Towards a humanely effective workplace

The Humanely Effective Working Life survey is part of a year-long development journey in which Terveystalo's organisational psychologists have helped 12 Finnish organisations to develop their own organisational performance to be more humanly effective and sustainable.

– We focused on developing the functioning of management teams, pre-employee work and organisational cultures. In order to be successful, it has been essential to have a proper situation analysis with each of them before taking action. Development work always requires a lot of time and commitment, so it is important that this time is spent on things that can be changed to make real and tangible progress," says Sahimaa.

– Another essential factor behind the impressive results was that the companies' management was genuinely committed and invested in the cooperation," adds Heikkilä.

Each organisation's journey has been different, but one common tangible result has been an increase in quality dialogue within organisations.

Biisoni, Nordea Life, Scania Finland, City of Oulu, Eurofins Expert Services, Sos Lapsikylä, UNICEF Finland, Kempower, LIWLIG Finland, Keva, Rantalainen and Drama Queen have participated in the project.