“Keep going! It will get easier next month!” – The most expensive phrases in working life serve no one

In addition to the warning signs of the work community’s health, the risks to individuals’ work ability are also recognized in time. For this purpose, one of the essential tools of Terveystalo’s occupational health is a health survey that is shown to predict* work ability risks, as well as a health examination that takes into account the nature of the work. With the help of these tools, many difficulties and risks that threaten work ability can be acknowledged early, and individual and targeted support can be offered.

In addition, Terveystalo’s medical staff use a globally unique treatment effectiveness monitoring tool, which enables the monitoring of risks to work ability and the treatment of patients with chronic illnesses on the level of both the company and individual. Starting from the beginning of 2023, Terveystalo’s new health examinations will also better take into account the special characteristics of the industries and work load factors. Targeted health examinations help to identify potential challenges to work ability early. With the help of updated examinations, health and work ability at the individual and group level can be supported and promoted in a timely manner.

When the problems of the work community or the individual are identified at an early stage, they can be fixed with the right treatment plan. This ensures that illness due to lack of treatment does not become more common or lead to premature loss of work ability on an individual level.

Occupational health benefits society, the employer and, above all, the individual

Preventing sickness absences and loss of work ability through occupational health is important for both the individual and society. In a study by Kela** on sickness absences, it was found that absences related to musculoskeletal disorders have been steadily decreasing for over a decade. Similarly, the statistics of the Finnish Centre for Pensions*** show that the number of disability pensioners has decreased over the past decade, and their share of the working-age population has decreased throughout Finland. These positive developments have been facilitated by the change in the nature of work from strongly physical work to technology-assisted work, in addition to which occupational health and its preventive measures have been a significant influence, which has helped to extend working careers and shape work in a new way, so that it is possible and meaningful to continue in working life.

Prevention of a mental health pandemic is the next big challenge for occupational health

The changed nature of work has brought with it a new challenge for maintaining work ability. Mental health problems and disorders are increasingly common, not only in Finland but also globally. Mental health-related sickness absences have been increasing for several years, and mental health diagnoses are currently the largest group of illnesses causing long-term sickness absences and permanent incapacity for work. According to Kela’s** most recent statistics, 28% of sickness allowance periods in Finland in 2021 are granted on the basis of mental disorders. In the age group of under 35-year-olds, up to 43% of the sickness allowance periods were mental health-related. Disability pensions based on mental health are emphasized in the statistics because the pensions clearly start at a younger age – worryingly, sometimes even before the actual start of the working career.

A significant challenge related to mental health is that some patients do not receive appropriate treatment in a timely manner, which makes the situation considerably more difficult. An untreated problem can cause patients severe depression or other illnesses and significantly increases the risk of developing recurrent depression that threatens the ability to work.

Healthy workplace is key

Occupational health is already well aware of the concerning situation. Terveystalo’s Healthy Workplace™ cooperation model promotes the well-being of employees and the management skills of managers. The model helps to focus on four distinctive areas that all contribute to the creation of a healthy workplace: healthy work, healthy individual, functional work community and active leadership – things that are known to increase productivity and success.

The role of occupational health is to support employers and ensure that work ability is maintained and that the worrying development of mental health problems in young age groups, which threatens both individuals and society, does not continue. Mental health and behavioral disorders increasingly cause incapacity for work in young age groups, which can be a life-long tragedy and result in exclusion from working life at a young age.

Unfortunately, mental health-related absences are only the tip of the iceberg, as minor mental health problems and burnout weaken cognitive abilities (thinking, concentration, memory) and motivation, which is reflected in a drop in productivity, especially in expert tasks. In today’s working life, supervisors need knowledge and skills in how to face and deal with the problems of coping at work, so that everyone has the opportunity to succeed in their own work without resorting to the most expensive phrases of working life. Organizations should increasingly invest in the capabilities of supervisors to combine organizational efficiency and humanity in order to create a healthier and more efficient organization.

Management and work community development, on the other hand, has a direct impact on well-being at work, work performance and maintaining work ability. Development efforts keep work meaningful and help address potential problems.

At Terveystalo, we want to help people to take care of themselves and supervisors to lead and support their employees even better than before. We want to inspire workplaces to build functional work communities. We are driven by our common desire to create healthy workplaces in Finland.

* Minna Pihlajamäki: Identifying Temporary and Permanent Work Disability Risk with Two Questionnaires in Occupational Health Services

** Study on sickness absences

*** Statistics of the Finnish Centre for Pensions on disability pensions