An Expert Organization Examined the Cornerstones of Their Occupational Well-Being

Firstbeat Lifestyle Assessment illustrated that recovery plays an important role in developing the coping mechanisms for staff members. In order to have an effect on one’s work load, it must be recognized. All 15 of TPA Andersson Ltd’s (Real Estate Management) employees took part in the Lifestyle Assessment with enthusiasm.

“Being in good condition does not guarantee well-being. A person is a psycho-physiological unit. We provided our personnel with Lifestyle Assessments as we wanted to monitor their well-being in a comprehensive way. In addition, we wanted to provide them with something new instead of fitness tests”, notes CEO Tarja Andersson (right in the pictures).

Lifestyle Assessment measures heart rate variability for three days in everyday life. The physiological reactions are then transformed into understandable and actionable feedback.

One of the values of TPA Andersson is to take care of the employees’ well-being. Working in an expert organization in the real estate/construction industry is very independent, responsible and occasionally hectic and stressful. Travelling days are quite common.

“In an expert organization well-being is not only on the company’s responsibility but the individuals’, too. Therefore it is important to understand what your own well-being consists of”, Nina Poikonen (left in the pictures), Project Manager, continues.

Understanding the Components of IndividualWell-Being

In addition to observing individual stress and recovery levels, the employees also gained tips on for example how to choose the right amount and intensity of exercise. The importance of night time recovery was highlighted at the measurement results, and many employees set goals to improve both the time and quality of sleep.

“The feedback was a real eye-opener. These issues are often hard to recognize by myself. The results suggested that my recovery was poor, even though I was sure I was doing just fine.  After the analysis I have learned to recognize when I get stressed and therefore slow down a bit”, Andersson says.

Nina Poikonen says she knew she was not sleeping enough but that she was delighted to learn that the quality of her sleep was good, including high levels of recovery.

“We are aware that exercising is important but what I did not know was that training when you are stressed does not develop you and can even be harmful. It was also nice to notice that my working days actually include recovering moments”, Poikonen explains.

“Changes cannot happen immediately but the Lifestyle Assessment feedback remains in our minds and guides us in decision making”, Andersson points out.

What Is Well-Being in This Organization?

Firstbeat and Terveystalo (Finland’s largest corporate healthcare provider) provided TPA Andersson’s staff with feedback during an occupational well-being event of the company. The individual reports illustrate which situations are causing stress or recovery for an individual. The company management gains comprehensive information on the well-being of the staff via anonymous group reporting.

“There was an active discussion about the action points of their company at the feedback session. Occupational well-being can include different things in different working communities”, notes Satu Tuominen, Wellness Specialist at Firstbeat Technologies.

An occupational physiotherapist, occupational psychologist and occupational nurse were involved in the project from Terveystalo. Occupational healthcare supports lifestyle changes and helps in choosing the right professional in case one is needed. Lifestyle Assessment data is also saved at the occupational healthcare systems in order to be utilized in follow-up operations.

“At TPA Andersson, we have extremely high working motivation. The company management also encourages the employees to spend quality time with their families and hobbies. Lifestyle Assessment revealed strong commitment to work but also, on the other hand, overload. We have been planning the actions points for the targets of development with the occupational psychologist”, says Hilkka Aalto, Occupational Nurse at Terveystalo.

TPA Andersson is planning on a follow-up measurement in the near future. It enables observing the effects of the changes and possibly setting future goals.

Recognizing Stress and Recovery Factors

Tarja Andersson was delighted to notice that the situation in the company was good. Even during the darkest and the busiest time of the year the staff was doing fine.

“I thought there would be a lot of those whose recovery suffers from being busy with both work and families. It turned out I was the one who needed more recovering moments the most. The length of my sleep was sufficient but the quality of sleep was poor”, Andersson notes.

Stress management requires recognizing the stress factors as well as the recovery enhancing resources. Individual operations are planned to affect them both.

“Open conversation in the feedback session helps in understanding the individual meaning of recovery. In addition, many positive surprises and recovery supporting issues were brought up. In my opinion that is the key benefit of Lifestyle Assessment”, Satu Tuominen ends.