The Mental Health at Work Programme has shifted the focus from merely discussing mental health to actively improving workplace well-being. Over the past two years, thousands of Finnish workplaces have used the Mental Health Toolkit to foster a healthier work environment and enhance work ability. The success of these tools lies in their practical application in daily management and operations.
According to a media release from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health on April 14, 2025, over 2,600 Finnish work communities and occupational health units have participated in training and events designed to support well-being and mental health. These free initiatives, offered by the Institute, have been overwhelmingly successful, with 98% of participants planning to apply the lessons learned in their workplaces.
During the same period, the Mental Health Toolkit’s free digital tools and materials were accessed approximately 128,000 times. Among these, the “How are you doing?” well-being test was the most popular, used to assess work-related stressors and improve supervisory practices. The toolkit also helps evaluate organizational recovery methods.
Sara Lindström, Project Manager of the Mental Health Toolkit at the Institute, emphasized the importance of taking action rather than just talking about mental health crises. “We are focusing on work communities, not just individuals,” she said.
Positive developments were also observed in Finnish workplace well-being. According to the “How is Finland doing?” study, the decline in well-being at work stopped in late 2024, coinciding with a halt in the long-term rise of mental health-related sickness absences. This improvement is attributed to various societal measures, although economic cycles have also influenced work absences.
However, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health noted that time for workplace development is often limited. Many managers have heavy workloads, leaving little time for well-being initiatives. The Mental Health Toolkit provides practical, accessible tools that can be easily integrated into daily operations. For instance, a large specialist company used the Recovery Calculator to find solutions to recovery challenges and gained insight into the strengths of their work community.
Pauliina Mattila-Holappa, Director of the project at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, explained, “Mental well-being is part of work ability, and supporting it should be integrated into daily management.”
The Mental Health Toolkit aims to encourage preventive development at the work community level, a concept that is still uncommon in work ability management. Sara Lindström stressed that changes in work organization must be achieved through mutual agreement, and digital tools like the Mental Health Toolkit offer valuable support.
The toolkit also enables collaboration with occupational health and safety professionals, broadening its impact in promoting workplace well-being. Salla Toppinen-Tanner, Director at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, shared that the project’s extension will continue to expand this perspective.
The Mental Health Toolkit is part of Finland’s Mental Health at Work Programme and is funded by the Sustainable Growth Programme through the EU’s recovery tool (Next Generation EU). The project, which ran from January 2023 to December 2024, will continue until April 2026.
For more information, visit the project page: Mental Health Toolkit.
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