“We want to have challenges and feel trusted at work”

Emil Hautapakka, 24, has been working as a special-education teacher for pupils on the autism spectrum for a little over one year.

“I like working with people and enjoy my work. There may be challenging situations, but I try to stay calm and resolve issues one by one. A positive and open mindset helps me cope and keep up the energy,” says Hautapakka.

“My friend told me about a vacant job as a special-education teaching assistant. That was my first contact with the job and sparked my interest in the field.”

My supervisors, i.e. the Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster, are also always available.

The work of a teacher, especially in special education, involves a lot of responsibility and active contacts with the children’s parents, representatives of the wellbeing services county, and other such parties. Hautapakka works in close cooperation with the other special-education teacher and the four teaching assistants of the class. They share tasks and resolve challenges together.

“Weekly meetings with the adults working in my class, as well as school-wide teachers’ meetings are places where we can discuss issues and share success stories. My supervisors, i.e. the Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster, are also always available,” Hautapakka says.

Activity and courage help you find work

Roosa Haataja, 23, is the Managing Director of the Kainuu horse racing track. This is her second year in this position. The track’s main event arranged early this summer attracted an audience of 2,000 people plus 60 employees and 150 horses.

Haataja has a long work history: she has worked in various positions and companies since she was 14, for example as a salesperson, invoice inspector and sales manager.

After primary school, she completed a degree in a business college, followed by a Bachelor’s degree in equestrian business administration at Häme University of Applied Sciences.

“I first started working at the race track as a volunteer. When the Managing Director’s position became vacant, I put in my papers and was selected from among five candidates. My degree in the industry quite certainly helped in this,” Haataja says.

Positive feedback from seasoned colleagues warms my heart.

“My work is pleasantly diverse. I have already suceeded well, for example by increasing participation in our main event. Positive feedback from seasoned colleagues warms my heart.”

Haataja has also noticed that you can’t please everyone. Sometimes, seasoned trotting veterans give the young Managing Director tough criticism.

“I hear many different wishes, and I can’t implement them all. I am kind and empathetic, but also tough, which sometimes helps in this task,” she says with a laugh.

Career course helps highly educated immigrants

Hananeh Bayat, 33, works on IT projects at Design Centre Muova in Vaasa. In her native country Iran, she completed a degree in IT engineering. She moved from Iran due to her husband’s work, first to Malaysia. When Hananeh was 26, the couple moved to Finland, as her husband started working as a doctoral researcher in the University of Oulu .

Hananeh diligently studied Finnish and took courses in business administration at a university of applied sciences. For a while, the couple lived in Kuopio, when the husband worked at the University of Eastern Finland. From there, they moved to Vaasa, as the husband started working for Wärtsilä.

Hananeh started looking for work, but three years passed without finding anything.

“It feels like foreigners are not trusted. I even learned the Finnish language, but I still couldn’t find a job anywhere at first,” she says.

I could also work remotely, but I prefer to go and work among people so I can learn Finnish even better.

Finally, a career course arranged by the local TE Office helped her out. It was a course is intended for highly educated people with immigrant backgrounds who have at least basic skills in Finnish. Through the course, a job opportunity arose, and Bayat eagerly grabbed it.

“I went to Muova personally, introduced myself and showed my resumé, and they said I could start working next week. Now I have a fixed-term job for six months,” Bayat says happily.

“I could also work remotely, but I prefer to go and work among people so I can learn Finnish even better,” Bayat says.

Outlined tasks, trust and support – what good work is made of

Most young adults are doing well at work. However, approximately 20 per cent have an increased risk of burnout, and nearly 7 per cent are already suffering from probable burnout. These figures can be found in a study conducted by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health on the wellbeing at work among employees aged 23 to 34.

“Many young adults experience boredom at work because they may lack meaningful challenges and stimuli, for example. On average, young employees are more prone to boredom than older employees,” says researcher Jie Li.

Boredom can be related to unclear role definitions or unnecessary bureaucracy.

Bayat, Hautapakka and Haataja all feel comfortable in their current workplaces. They get to express their abilities and face enough challenges. This may be one reason why they are committed and enthusiastic.

According to Jie Li, boredom can also be related to unclear role definitions or unnecessary bureaucracy.

“Everything that prevents you from doing the actual work that you have come to do can cause feelings of boredom,” he says.

The employee must be given trust and responsibility and, of course, support as well, but in the right way.

As an expert by experience, Hautapakka advises that when a young person starts in a new job, it should be clearly explained what is required and expected of them. A task outline helps them get off to a good start.

“In practice, the outline is a concrete set of criteria that clearly shows what needs to be done and what the desired outcome is. It defines your role and task, and also illustrates the purpose and meaning of your work,” Hautapakka explains.

He emphasises that the employee should be trusted and given enough freedom to work in a way they find to be the best. Lack of trust and constant hovering over one’s shoulder will quickly kill work motivation.

“Micromanagement is an effective way to kill a young person’s motivation. The employee must be given trust and responsibility and, of course, support as well, but in the right way.”

In the orientation training, it is important to learn exactly what needs to be done at what time and who can be asked for help if necessary.

Bayat also emphasises the importance of clear orientation training when a young employee joins the company and also when the new employee is not a native Finnish speaker. She understands and speaks Finnish quite well already, but she still hopes that her supervisors and colleagues spoke in plain language.

“It is often difficult to understand dialects and spoken language. If people at the workplace speak quickly and swallow the endings of words, immigrant employees fall out of the discussions,” Bayat notes.

In a new workplace, it helps to meet friendly, smiling people who are welcoming and interested in the newcomer.

“In the orientation training, it is important to learn exactly what needs to be done at what time and who can be asked for help if necessary. Managers and colleagues should remember that everyone has sometimes been at a workplace for the first time,” says Bayat.

Haataja did not get much support or guidance for her work as the horse racing track’s Managing Director, because her predecessor had already retired. She has had to learn the job herself in practice.

“Fortunately, I have a fearless attitude towards challenges – just get to work and try things out!”

Career dreams – do you even dare to think about them?

According to researcher Jie Li, workplaces should highlight career continuity. Young adults experience slightly more work- and career-related anxiety than their older colleagues, perhaps partly because their entire future is obscured.

“A young person may wonder what will happen to them when the fixed-term job ends. Workplaces should support career dreams and discuss them with the employee,” Li recommends.

If a young person notices that the workplace takes care of them, they can become a motivated employee for such an employer.

He also reminds us of the power of reciprocity in employee engagement.

“If a young person notices that the workplace takes care of them, they can become a motivated employee for such an employer,” Li thinks.

One way to support development at work is to provide the new employee with additional knowledge and opportunities to develop their skills.

“During the orientation training, you could mention courses and training modules that are needed to advance in the work,” Bayat suggests.

Disappointment must also be dealt with

Surveys of young people’s wellbeing at work indicate that young people want their work to be meaningful, offer opportunities for success and support values that are important to them.

“However, wishes may not always come true, and this can deteriorate wellbeing at work,” Li says.

Haataja has, unfortunately, noticed that many people in her age are dismissing basic work and hoping to find a shortcut to a high positions and a large salaries. She believes that even though you only learn the job in the workplace, the mindset towards work comes from home. Haataja herself has found her best jobs by volunteering for free.

“As a volunteer, I’ve been able to show my work and diligence, and free work has paid off by resulting in paid work,” Haataja says.

Work brings rhythm to your days and keeps the brain alert.

There have also been disappointments, and those have also had to be dealt with.

“The world is harsh, so you have to learn to deal with setbacks – there is no shortcut to success,” Haataja says.

For Hautapaikka, work is an important part of life.

“Work brings rhythm to your days and keeps the brain alert. Responsibilities and duties create a backbone for the entire life. Money is nice to have, but you shouldn’t just blindly run after it. It is better to look for work that corresponds to your values and feels important to you.”

He points out that the employer also takes a risk when hiring a new employee. You should strive to be worth their trust. He gives peer advice to young employees:

“In a new workplace, do your job as well as possible and show that it was worth it for the employer to take the risk with hiring you. It can lead to more good things to do in life – for example, new, fun and challenging work.”

 

Generation Z – tips for employers

1. Be friendly and welcome the new employee.
2. Clearly express what you expect from the employee. Provide a task outline.
3. Provide orientation training using unambiguous terms and clear, ordinary language. Avoid difficult terms and professional jargon.
4. Help, advise and support. Remember that you have also been a newcomer once.
5. Trust the young employee: don’t micromanage!

 

Generation Z – tips for peers

1. Seek work actively. Volunteering is one way to show off your skills.
2. Agree to start from the bottom and advance your career at a steady pace – all work is valuable.
3. Be worthy of your employer’s trust.
4. Dare to take on challenges, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
5. Don’t be discouraged by failure – failing is part of life, and work as well.