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From the margins to the mainstream

The Finnish National Workplace Development Programme was launched at the beginning of 1996 as part of the programme of Prime Minister Lipponen’s first Government, and will continue from 2000 onwards under the programme of the second Lipponen Government. The aim of the programme is to improve efficiency and the quality of working life by promoting staff know-how and innovation-supporting modes of operation at Finnish workplaces. This aim also encompasses improvement of employability and the ability to cope at work, and further developing expertise on workplace development in Finland.

Nearly 500 workplaces took part in the first stage of the programme (1996-99). Key targets of the development projects have included the establishment of work teams and empowering methods of management, multiskilling of employees, building up partnership-based networking between companies, and improvement of the social atmosphere at workplaces. The learning organization is an umbrella concept for many of the projects.

The results of the projects in the first stage are encouraging in many ways. According to the views of managment and employees involved in the projects, most projects have achieved real improvements in efficiency, established team-based work organization and boosted the participation of employees in workplace development. The key stakeholders in the programme, principally the labour market organizations, R&D institutes and public authorities, also seem satisfied with the results achieved so far. A recent survey showed that more than 90% of respondents considered the programme to be necessary and also considered that publicly funded workplace development programmes will be necessary in the future, too.

Finnish working life faces a number of structural and other problems which will persist in the immediate future. These include a high level of structural unemployment, an ageing workforce, problems with working stamina, a falling labour supply, and demands for higher productivity and quality and flexibility in the workplace. These problems, or challenges, cannot be successfully faced using traditional technology policy or training and rehabilitation for the workforce alone.

The Finnish Government has made a commitment to increase investment in workplace development in the new programme period (2000-2003). Finland is at present in a favourable position, in the sense that programme-based workplace development enjoys a high legitimacy and tripartite cooperation is solidly based. Used wisely, this may prove a source of competitive advantage, and it may also promote a change in working life which could have widespread beneficial effects, not least from the point of view of the workforce.

As a member of the European Union, Finland pursues close cooperation with other European countries in the field of workplace development. Finland also aims to be an active member of the new European Work Organization Network (EWON) initiated by DG V, which, it is hoped, will become an important forum for mutual learning in search of workplace innovations and better working life for people throughout Europe.

Tuomo Alasoini
Head of Unit
Ministry of Labour