Excenta Ltd, a Pohjola Insurance Ltd subsidiary, conducted a survey Strategic Wellness in Finland in 2011 together with the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. Representatives of 368 companies from seven industries took part in the survey. The results show that although companies are investing more money in employee wellbeing than in 2010, their efforts aimed at extending careers have nevertheless weakened.
In 2011, employers invested EUR 2.1 billion in the development of strategic wellness. Per person, the average annual investment in wellness amounts to EUR 861, of which EUR 327 is used for training and education and EUR 293 for occupational healthcare.
"With respect to the objectives of national wellness, 2.1 billion is a rather small sum. However, it is reassuring to see that such investments have increased significantly compared to the downturn of 2010," says Guy Ahonen from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.
Wellness management has developed among small and medium enterprises
According to the survey, the key elements of wellness management, i.e. well-defined targets and corresponding indicators, are in use more frequently than before in small and medium enterprises. However, the state of wellness management has weakened slightly in large companies.
The respondents felt that human resources allocated to wellness management were inadequate. As much as 88% of the respondents claimed that they did not have enough time for developing wellness management.
"The key elements of wellness management need clarifying - we must define what we want to develop, how to accomplish the desired development and how to measure the results. The key role of human resources operations and leadership work in supporting wellness management also represents a considerable challenge for development," says Ossi Aura from Excenta.
Has interest in extending careers already dwindled?
According to this survey, more than half of the respondents estimate that active efforts aimed at extending careers are taken in four fields: improving leadership work, enhancing work conditions, development of managerial practices and competence enhancement. However, investments in these fields have reduced by almost 10% since 2010.
"As extending careers is at the moment one of society's most significant challenges, this result is alarming. Careers will not become longer unless employees have enthusiasm to continue working and have good health both physically and mentally. This requires employers to invest more and more in employees' wellness as well as in the high quality of managerial practices and leadership work," says Professor Juhani Ilmarinen.
"In order to develop this field, it is essential to gather data on national trends. We are more than willing to participate in this work," states Veli-Matti Qvintus from Pohjola Health Ltd.
For more information:
CEO Veli-Matti Qvintus, Pohjola Health Ltd, tel. +358 (0)400 685 356, veli-matti.qvintus@pohjola.fi
Scientific Director, Ossi Aura,, Excenta Ltd, tel. +358 (0)500 606 102, ossi.aura@excenta.fi
Director Guy Ahonen, Knowledge Management, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, tel. +358(0)500 477 727, guy.ahonen@ttl.fi
Emeritus Professor Juhani Ilmarinen, tel. +358(0)0400 815 511, juhani.ilmarinen@jic.fi
Excenta Ltd, wholly owned by Pohjola Insurance Ltd, is a company specialised in strategic wellbeing. Our objective is to develop employee wellbeing and provide corporate management with tools required for wellness management. Our services combine a scientific approach and goal-oriented practices. Excenta Ltd and Pohjola Health Ltd will merge in 2011, taking the name Pohjola Health Ltd.