Investing in staff wellbeing as a foundation of services
Good leadership improves staff coping and wellbeing, as well as attractiveness as a workplace. Absences due to inability to work cost billions, and therefore it is not only fair, but also sensible, to invest in staff wellbeing. We are committed to achieving significant reductions in staff absences due to illness in municipalities and wellbeing services counties.
Employees must be encouraged to perform well in their job and improve productivity by doing things such as reducing absences due to illness, and this encouragement can take the form of ensuring good results are also reflected in employee pay, for example. We do not accept workers in female-dominated industries being subjected to an eternal race to the bottom when it comes to pay.
All municipalities and wellbeing services counties in Finland must improve their staff’s options for involvement in preparing and making decisions on matters that affect employees. One model that works well could be, for example, a staff committee where matters concerning staff are processed and decided on.
Each employee must be able to take at least three continuing professional development (CPD) days a year. Employees’ access to CPD, additional training and specialisation training will improve the quality of care and treatment in the social welfare and healthcare sector, as well as client and patient safety, to name just a few benefits. Identification of skills acquired through work and an individual’s career path must be invested in in both municipalities and wellbeing services counties.
Means to combat employee fatigue and accidents must be sought actively, in order to help employees remain in work. When challenges are faced with ability to work, the individual’s remaining ability to work should be utilised alongside work trials and substitute work, while also focusing on finding suitable work. This is not just right in human terms, it also makes financial sense.
We are committed to promoting employment benefits that support occupational wellbeing in all municipalities and wellbeing services counties, such as culture and exercise benefits or various remuneration practices.
Municipalities and wellbeing services counties must not outsource their employer responsibilities, instead, they must ensure that good employer policy is adhered to in procurements and their own companies.
- Employee wellbeing, motivation and productivity are to be maintained with good leadership and employment benefits.
- Employees are to be rewarded for good performance and improved productivity through means such as an employee fund.
- Employees’ opportunities to be involved in preparing and making decisions on matters that affect them are to be increased through means such as a staff committee.
- Each employee to be able to take at least three continuing professional development days a year.
- Work trials and substitute work are to be used when challenges to do with ability to work are faced, alongside making efforts to find suitable work.
- A good employer policy is to be implemented in municipalities’ and wellbeing services counties’ companies and by their subcontractors.