The following are a few perspectives that are worth exploring. These relate to consultancy and managerial work in particular and are therefore relevant to the majority of TEK members.
Do technology professionals have clear targets for their work?
According to our 2021 labour market survey, the majority of respondents felt that they had a clear idea of the objectives of their work. However, more than one in four disagreed. Moreover, 26 per cent of respondents admitted not having a clear idea of their targets. More clarity is needed across all organisational levels: according to the same annual labour market survey, what would improve the respondents’ wellbeing at work the most was having clearer targets and goals.
Are managers doing their job effectively?
In the 2019 labour market survey, managers were given the highest scores for their fair treatment of subordinates, ability to make reasoned decisions and willingness to listen to their subordinates’ ideas. More than 70 per cent of respondents agreed with these statements. The area where managers needed to improve the most was giving feedback: less than half of the respondents felt that they were getting enough feedback from their supervisor.
Is good performance being rewarded?
The latest labour market survey from 2025 focused especially on pay knowledge, the incentiveness of pay and pay transparency. The majority of respondents, around three in four, felt motivated by their pay package. However, only just over half of the respondents felt that their employer rewarded people for good performance. Of the respondents who were entitled to performance bonuses, 40 per cent considered their personal incentive scheme only somewhat or not at all motivating, and 64 per cent felt that they had little influence on their bonuses.
Are professionals given the space and time they need to do research, educate themselves and innovate?
The 2022 labour market survey focused on learning. The majority of respondents stated that they educate themselves systematically. However, almost 60 per cent of the respondents felt that they did not have enough time to study or keep up to date with the latest developments in their industry otherwise. Respondents were already calling for more time to be creative and innovative, do research and educate themselves at work ten years ago in the 2015 labour market survey.
Are people happy and healthy at work?
According to Akava Works’ Working Conditions Survey, almost 40 per cent of highly educated salaried employees consider their risk of burnout to be high or somewhat high, and one in five respondents said that they recover from work poorly or somewhat poorly. The figures for TEK members were slightly better, but respondents who estimated their risk of burnout to be high or somewhat high still accounted for 27 per cent. TEK members identified multitasking and having to rush or tight deadlines as the biggest causes of stress at work. The next most significant causes of stress were excessive workload and disruptive interruptions. TEK’s own labour market survey found in 2021 that what TEK members consider to be the biggest causes of stress at work are its fragmented nature and constant disruptions, which are typical of information-intensive work.
Instead of just looking at working hours and pay, more attention clearly needs to be given to how work is performed and managed in practice.
Tuunia Keränen works as a researcher at TEK and studies the salaries and working life of TEK members. TEK’s labour market survey is an extensive annual survey taken by between approximately 9,000 and 10,000 people.
A column is an article in which the writer expresses their personal view or perspective on their chosen subject. The TEK-lehti also includes columns written by individuals who are not employed by Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland TEK.
