Helsinki Times

Changes in the workplace affect mental health for years

Successful organisational change requires interaction.

ORGANISATIONAL changes at the workplace may affect employees’ mental health for many years. According to a study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, this is especially the case if the employee feels that the change is negative.

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Working in English

In Finland, and particularly in the Helsinki region, it is more and more common to hear English spoken in workplaces – we hear it in bars and restaurants, IT companies and even construction sites. So is it possible to find work here if you don’t speak Finnish or Swedish?

AMID demands for internationalisation, English is muscling into the Finnish labour market and is recognised, not only as the administrative language of many a company, but also as a language of general communication. No longer exclusively the language of multinational, or otherwise internationally oriented corporations and universities, English is increasingly used also on construction sites and in restaurants, shipyards and hotels.

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Video killed the recruiting star

The video CV can be a window to your personality.

Video CV is the buzzword in today’s labour market. It transforms the standard one-dimensional application to an individualised showcase for skills, personality and motivation. However, to genuinely impress, you may need more than the standard web-cam and a paper CV to read from.

According to Paula Narkiniemi, communications and marketing manager of JustRecruitMe, the video CV is first and foremost an opportunity to introduce yourself. “And it is certainly the future - although not for every field.”

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Make yourself heard

Whether it’s your CV that needs updating in a new language, a website interface for the new vintage car club or the launch of a multi-national company’s world-wide marketing campaign, the importance of getting your message across accurately in a different language cannot be underestimated.

THE business of translation services is a growing one in Finland. Finnish companies are producing increasing amounts of literature for clients across the globe in a huge range of different languages, and they have to get their message across accurately.

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Public sector staff healthier than others

Contrary to popular belief, Monday is not the most popular day for calling in sick to get a day off work.

THE STATE of public-sector employees’ health has picked up in recent years. According to a study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, the amount of sick days has been dropping steadily for some years now. Still at the beginning of the millennium absences from work due to illness were on the increase, but since 2008 the curve has started to decline rapidly.

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The jobs of the future

The jobs of the future won’t be in factories producing flying cars. Instead, think hospitals.

FOR students thinking about their education and future job prospects, they should probably forget working on cold fusion or manufacturing wondrous gadgets. Most likely, Finland’s future job market will be dominated by services.

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Cutting through the red tape

ON FIRST arriving in Finland the maze of bureaucracy can sometimes seem like it is meant to make life difficult. Tricky as things may seem, this is not the case. People sometimes joke in Finland that you almost need to fill out a form to cross the road, but as you spend more time in the country you can only admire the efficiency, in most cases, of the system.

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It’s easy to give a little time

VOLUNTEER work is generally viewed as work or time spent doing activities intended to promote good causes or improve human quality of life. The work is done without monetary reward and without material benefit, save, in some circumstances, food and shelter.

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The future of education

FINLAND’S biggest event aimed at education and training professionals will take place this Friday and Saturday. The programme, which has the theme ‘The Future of Education’, comprises over 150 seminar speeches and includes 272 service exhibitors.

This year the main stage is being given to new teaching solutions where students are encouraged to learn more and at their own pace. Other main aspects of the exhibition include the role of technology in learning, and the space in which it takes place. Also, themes such as multiculturalism, early education, and interaction between home and school will be addressed.

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SAK demands politicians’ word on future pensions

Finland’s largest confederation of trade unions suggests ways to help people stay at work longer that wouldn’t require the retirement age to be raised.

Pensions should be funded and working careers lengthened with more attention paid to the needs of young workers. This is how the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) sees the issue. Implementing these recommendations would solve a problem that is slowly but surely becoming the responsibility of younger age groups.

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