Support and tools for developing work ability management

Realia Group specialises in property management and provides real estate management, property and commercial property brokerage and residential leasing services. The Group comprises Realia Management, Realia Isännöinti, Huoneistokeskus and Huom! in Finland, Hestia in Sweden and Norway.

− Over 1,000 experts work in the Group in Finland. People who work in Realia Services include property managers, bookkeepers as well as letting and customer service agents. “Estate agents work in Huoneistokeskus and Huom!, while management, which includes HR, marketing and communications as well as financial management, is located in Realia Group” describes Realia Group’s Work Ability HR Expert Katja Granholm.

Katja Granholm has worked as Work Ability HR Expert for Realia Group for four years. Figure: Realia Group.

New perspectives and tools from the Super-expert in Work Ability Management training programme

Granholm is expanding her knowledge in Elo’s Super-expert in Work Ability Management training programme, aimed at the HR of large client companies, which began in spring 2021. Three web meetings have been held so far, which have all focused on one theme at a time.

− The training has been very useful so far, I have met many colleagues from other companies, which has provided different perspectives on work ability. We have shared expertise with each other and worked on projects together, which has provided new perspectives and tips on how to do things better. “Knowledgeable experts have also spoken in the meetings” Granholm says.

The first intermediate task in the Super-expert in Work Ability Management training was filling in the Survey concerning the current status of work ability management tool in Elo’s Online Service. Realia Group’s HR Director and HR business partners were also part of updating the survey.

− The tool was easy to use and we completed the survey together with Elo’s Development Manager in Work Ability Management. We have written things down and discussed how to proceed. “We will be able to monitor matters and the implementation of measures moving forward when we go through them” Granholm states.

During a training session in September, Elo’s Consultant Physician Tanja Rokkanen spoke about occupational health care co-operation. Occupational health care co-operation works well in Realia Group, but the training provided tips on the way it could be developed and how the occupational health care action plan could be updated.

− Elo’s Consultant Physician offered very good tips and perspectives on the development of occupational health care co-operation, which I wouldn’t have thought of myself. I realised that we have a lot of room for improvement in our occupational health care action plan to include something more concrete. During the workshops, I also had the opportunity to ask other participants about the way they work together with occupational health care. We have well-functioning occupational health care co-operation, meeting and steering committee practices. “We hold meetings on a regular basis, but we still need to think about the content so we can focus on the challenges that concern us in particular and come up with solutions in a more concrete manner” Granholm explains.

Development of Work Ability Management continues systematically with Elo’s support

We are currently planning a new work ability management training programme for supervisors in Realia Group. The purpose of the training programme is to improve supervisors’ ability to implement work ability support systematically into daily management.

− The most common reason for sick leave absence in the Group is burnout, the amount of which has increased especially over the past couple of years. Our goal is to reduce the number of such absences by improving the supervisor’s abilities through the early support model and discussion. We want to make an employee who has faced work ability-related challenges feel like we care about them by having the supervisor raise the subject early on. By doing this, we ensure that our employees retain their work ability and stay in working life for longer. This means we do not have to recruit new staff or pay out work disability pensions. “We also save in earnings-related pension contributions in the end” Granholm points out.

In developing Realia Group’s work ability management, we make use of the expertise of Elo’s Development Manager in Work Ability Management and the employment pension company’s wide range of tools. The work ability management tools can be found in Elo’s Online Service, where all electronic services can be found in one place.

− We have a wonderful contact person at Elo, who we work with closely. They inform us of new tools and help and encourage us to use them. We use the electronic tools in Elo’s Online Service, such as the Survey concerning the current status of work ability management, and design a work ability indicator together with one of Elo’s experts. Everything is done electronically through Elo’s Online Service, such as additional information provided by the employer for and employee’s pension and rehabilitation application, which speeds up the process. We also make use of Work Ability Management handbook for supervisors and our supervisors participate in Elo’s free webinars actively. “When supervisors come across new situations, we tell them what kinds of tools they have at their disposal” Granholm says.