Well-being in the rescue service sector (HYPE)
Objectives
The goal of the project is to strengthen the professional skills of rescue service management and supervisors in managing their own well-being at work and that of the work community, and in particular in improving the management of psychosocial workload.
- Provide an overview of the management of well-being at work in rescue services: what is in order and what could be improved.
- Identify key psychosocial workload and job resource factors and deepen rescue services’ understanding of their connection to work ability.
- Pilot the suitability of the well-being at work management indicator for promoting work ability.
- Develop and pilot research-based training for well-being at work management for rescue service leaders, management and supervisors.
Data and methods
- Existing statistics on the experiences of rescue service employees in ten different wellbeing services counties regarding their work ability, psychological stress and workload and job resource factors (N=1,798, response rate 45)
- Survey on well-being at work management for rescue service departments' work units
- Interviews with management representatives, supervisors and employees
- Training on well-being at work management for rescue services leaders, management and supervisors: service design workshop, a series of three workshops and assessment via surveys and an assessment workshop.
- The piloted well-being at work management indicator is based on the previously developed work ability management indicator, interviews and analyses of statistical data.
Participant information sheets (in Finnish):
Results and impact
Supporting well-being at work in rescue services has been beneficial in terms of physical work ability. However, one in three rescue service employees have reduced work ability and psychological stress is common.
The HYPE project aims to highlight the psychological stress factors of rescue services. We offer ways to mitigate psychological stress factors and integrate psychological stress factors and job resources into the management of well-being at work in rescue services alongside supporting physical work ability.
We produce qualitative and quantitative research data, which we put into practice by implementing a series of workshops for rescue services supervisors to develop well-being at work management skills.
Based on the survey and the series of workshops, together with the steering group and the supervisors participating in the training, we will produce Well-being in Rescue Services recommendations for promoting well-being at work management in rescue services.
The HYPE project supports the management of well-being at work in rescue services and thereby also affects occupational safety and occupational health in the sector.
Contact us
Eveliina Korkiakangas
Projektipäällikkö, erikoistutkija
Research team
Funding
The Finnish Work Environment Fund and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
