Finnish work deserves respect

You have probably noticed that the debate on working life is heavily focused on negativity. It feels like all the good things that working life offers us are drowning in a discourse that focuses on problems. We at Finnish Work have set out to change the discourse on working life, because work and working life are a significant part of people’s lives and wellbeing.

Jokke is a true professional in customer experience development, future research and market research. His strength is his ability to analyse future opportunities that can be utilised in developing competitive advantage, strengthening brands and strategic decision-making.

Finnish Work (Suomalainen työ ry) is a non-profit association whose mission is to make sure that Finnish work and the good it generates do not go unnoticed.

We believe that all kinds of work that builds Finland have value. Our goal is to build the best Finnish work in the world together with our nearly 10,000 member companies. We manage the Key Flag, Design from Finland and Social Enterprise labels and act as a voice promoting the expertise of Finnish work and  work positivity.

Work offers us financial security, interactions with other people, the chance to learn new things and, ideally, meaning in our lives. In addition, everyone who is employed has a direct positive impact on our country’s economy and success.

It is encouraging that glimmers of hope can already be seen in the public debate about changing the story of working life to a more positive one. Recently, experts have been concerned that we are becoming trapped in a pessimistic discourse about working life, the consequences of which may overshadow any good news about economic development.

When we talk about work positivity, we do not deny the problems of work and working life, such as rushing, stress, exhaustion and the worryingincrease in absenteeism due to mental health reasons. However, we believe that building hope and a positive discourse can build a better future for all of us.

Developing a positive working life story

In order for true change to occur and the work-related story to become more positive, it is good to understand what kind of ingredients we can use to build a positive working life story. We have set out to identify these ingredients in our working life index study, in the first phase of which we asked representatives of our member companies two things:

• What are you proud of in Finnish working life?
• What should change so that Finnish working life is experienced more positively and talked about in a more positive tone?

The survey attracted nearly 500 respondents representing management, middle management and employees. Sources of pride in Finnish working life included entrepreneurship, the desire to develop, responsibility, good working conditions, common rules and keeping promises. The respondents who represented employees emphasised good working conditions and common rules.

The strengths of Finnish working life clearly lie in the fact that we trust each other and want to build a better working life together. In addition, we are willing to learn and develop ourselves in order to succeed in the future. One respondent summarised pride in Finnish work as follows:

“I am proud of the fact that in Finnish working life we have a high level of expertise and a desire to constantly develop, individually and together, to meet changing needs.

Organisations employ versatile experts – people who can do many things. We are an efficient people who make things happen. We set the bar high – for ourselves and for others. We want to be proud of our work and also because we do our work carefully. I am not surprised that Finns and Finnish work have a good reputation in many ways.”

In order for working life to be experienced more positively, respondents believe that the way we talk about work and the factors that influence it should change in Finnish working life, while also strengthening the appreciation of each work contribution and entrepreneurship in general.

In addition, they hoped for ways to prevent burnout and improve wellbeing. Those in leadership positions were concerned about the division within society and the profitability of work. Above all, the responses emphasised a call for a positive working life discourse, as one of the respondents summarised very succinctly:

“More joy in the workplace and a more relaxed approach to work, a change in attitude. The media, experts and researchers highlight shortcomings and challenges, even though at the same time a lot of good has happened.

We should highlight good things from different fields, even small changes that have been made. Young people are intimidated by the difficulties of working life before they even have a chance to try working.”

Building together the world’s best working life

Our goal is to change the conversation about work so that those of us in the workforce recognise all the good things that work offers us and are able to pass this experience on to young people entering the workforce.

Ideally, we can create a working life that future generations look forward to joining. How about you, are you going to change the current working life story in a more positive direction? Can we create a working life where we can laugh freely and rejoice together in all the good things that work offers us?