It’s easy to list stress factors in work life. Among TEK members, the most common sources of strain are time pressure, work spilling into leisure time, and uncertainty.
"These findings are confirmed by both Akava Works and TEK’s own research," says TEK's career coach Maisa Holm.
Reducing this trio of burdens is at the heart of TEK’s wellbeing services.
TEK provides its members with wellbeing-themed events, coaching and exercises. Full members have access to quick conversational support for coping and challenging situations via the Auntie service. For Finnish speaking students, mental wellbeing exercises and a podcast are combined into the MielenTEKoja package.
TEK has long offered its members support and skills related to wellbeing. The official launch of wellbeing services came with the service vision project in 2020.
"Wellbeing and events emerged as key themes for members, and we began investing in them. Wellbeing-themed events currently receive better feedback than events on average," says TEK's event coordinator Arja Lindfors.
Everyone is welcome
The theme of wellbeing can encompass nearly anything – from breathing exercises to cholesterol medication. According to Holm and Lindfors, the theme manifests in many ways at TEK too.
"Career coaching, for example, involves building a career path that suits the individual and strengthening self-awareness. Sometimes there’s a sense of being pushed out of one’s current job or a difficult conversation with a supervisor ahead," Holm describes.
"Salary advice gives confidence for salary negotiations, lawyers offer support in going through termination of employment, and collective agreements bring benefits like the 7.5-hour workday," Lindfors adds.
The actual wellbeing services focus on skills that help with time pressure, time management challenges, and strengthening resilience – psychological adaptability and coping capacity.
"TEK positions itself primarily on the preventive side and does not compete with occupational health or public services. All members are welcome to use our services – whether they already recognize stress factors or simply want to learn and expand their skills proactively," Holm says.
"I think that managing one’s own wellbeing will become a part of our members’ skillset, alongside their professional expertise and other competencies," Holm continues.
Read more about TEK's wellbeing services
If you wish to practice in Finnish, check out, for example, Voimavaravahvistamo