A work coach guiding the situations of change of Isku employees

Isku is a Finnish family-owned company which operates internationally and has approximately 600 employees. Isku has offered its customers interior design and furniture solutions for more than 90 years. In order to provide its employees with more support in working, Isku decided to start cooperation with Mehiläinen’s work coach seven years ago.

The work coach supports the employees and supervisors in different situations of change and helps them find new solutions for work-related challenges and problems. The role of a work coach in occupational health care could be described as the pilot of employees. At the practical level, work coaches support and guide the employees, for example, in vocational rehabilitation, career coaching, lack of motivation and drafting applications. If necessary, the work coaches can also help with income-related problems by guiding the completion of applications and the use of social security benefits. Employees often seek the services of a work coach when, for example, they have challenges with their health or motivation in terms of coping at work or they need support in income-related issues.

“There were many things that I didn’t know and, together with Sari [Sari Temonen, Isku’s designated work coach], we have taken care of them,” says Hannele Keminen, supervisor at Isku.

Cooperation between Isku and Mehiläinen has been seamless and straightforward due to the clear goals specified by Isku in its occupational health action plan. Work coaching plays a key role, especially in preventive operations.

“I have to say that we would be in problems without Sari. She is irreplaceable in our cooperation and we think that it is extremely important that our occupational health partner can offer us a work coach,” says Minna Piipponen, HR Manager at Isku.

Reference published 5/2022