Most of the care work managers who respond to the Tehy survey (1,262 respondents) have considered changing careers. The desire to change careers is highest among first-line managers, such as nurse managers and assistant nurse managers: of the 939 first-line managers who responded to the survey, 81% have thought about changing careers.
The most common reasons for career change plans are the constant adaptation to changing resources such as absences and personnel transfers, better pay elsewhere and constant time pressure.
Of the care work managers who responded to the survey, 63% report that the wellbeing services county reform has increased the amount of administrative work. This perception is especially common among first-line managers.
According to Tehy President Millariikka Rytkönen, first-line managers are now being subjected to an unreasonable amount of pressure due to the wellbeing services counties’ needing to cut costs and the extent to which wards and units have increased in size over the past year.
– Just last week, HUS dropped a co-operation procedure bombshell affecting a total of 28,000 employees. Constant co-operation negotiations, cost-cutting and larger units – these result in an unreasonable amount of work that affects people’s coping and desire to continue working in the sector, Rytkönen says.
Abolition of adult education allowance panned
The act abolishing the adult education allowance entered into force at the beginning of June. Health and social care professionals were the largest user group of the adult education allowance (page in Finnish). In 2022, the adult education allowance helped 6,364 people to switch from another sector to the healthcare and social welfare sector and 3,572 people to pursue further education in the healthcare and social welfare sector.
The abolition of the adult education allowance is severely criticised by care work managers, with 91% of the care work managers who responded to the survey viewing the abolition negatively. In their opinion, abolishing the allowance will hinder the career advancement of health and social care professionals and employee availability in the sector.
Too many hierarchical structures, not enough decision-making power
First-line managers rate their capacity to manage care work to be poorer than middle managers and top strategic managers, with almost half of the first-line managers who responded to the survey (47%) being fairly or very dissatisfied with the management structure of their organisation.
Problems with management structure include too many levels of hierarchy, which first-line managers, in particular, find excessive. This can easily lead to slow decision-making and inflexible operations.
According to the survey, care work managers are able to influence the development and even the management of care work, but their decision-making power is rather limited.
– Care work managers are responsible for the practical management of the greatest resource in the healthcare and social welfare sector, meaning care staff. They should definitely have more autonomous decision-making power over operations, finances and personnel, says Director of Public Relations and Development Kirsi Sillanpää from Tehy.
According to Sillanpää, all of the above have an impact on patient care and on the cost-effective and appropriate use of resources.
– Care work managers who serve as first-line managers must be provided with the means to carry out their work effectively. They play a crucial role in the attraction and retention of care staff, Sillanpää emphasises.
One positive finding of the survey is that care work managers now receive more support for their work from their colleagues, for example.
Commissioned by Tehy, Aula Research carried out a survey of care work managers who are members of Tehy during the period of 24 January–15 February 2024. The purpose of the survey was to collect information on career change plans, the competence provided by education and training in the healthcare and social welfare sector, the impacts of the wellbeing services county reform and the abolition of the adult education allowance, among other things. In addition to this, the survey was aimed at examining the views of care work managers concerning their position in organisations.
The survey received responses from a total of 1,262 care work managers, with the response rate being 26%. Of the respondents, 74% reported working in the public sector, 22% reported working in the private sector and 4% reported working in the third sector.
Tehy conducts surveys of care work managers on a regular basis. The previous survey (page in Finnish) was conducted in 2022.
Enquiries:
Tehy President Millariikka Rytkönen, requests for interview through Special Advisor Mila Huovinen, [email protected], tel. +358 400 540 005
Tehy Director of Public Relations and Development Kirsi Sillanpää, [email protected], tel. +358 40 820 7848