A study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, FIOH, indicates that it is possible to improve occupational wellbeing even during an extensive structural change by focusing on working conditions, strengthening employee competencies as well as teamwork and the training of managers and supervisors. The study was conducted in 2008-2009.Early measures and the hearing out of employee evaluations of their own working ability were among the factors that promoted wellbeing at the workplace. Employees also felt that job rotation made their work more challenging and varied as well as evened out the distribution of the workload. “As job descriptions become ever more expansive, the need to maintain and develop employee competencies is underlined,” says Professor Anneli Leppänen of the FIOH. “More and more employees felt a need to participate in further vocational training. It's positive that effective methods for developing paper manufacturing competence have already been developed and these can be utilised at the workplace after a relatively short familiarisation period.”Finnish Paper Workers' Union President Jouko Ahonen hopes that the findings of the study will be considered in the everyday practices of all paper industry workplaces. “The workload is being shouldered by a smaller number of employees than before because of the structural change. If we want these people to maintain their ability to cope at work and perform to a high standard, we will have to pay more and more attention to occupational wellbeing and working conditions,” Ahonen points out.Executive Vice President Jari Forss of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation highlights the importance of good practices. “The study demonstrated that sickness absences and experiences of occupational wellbeing could be influenced also during substantial structural changes if all involved parties share an appreciation of the matter's importance. The identified best practices should be applied across the entire industry and the most appropriate methods for each individual factory sought out. The continuous improvement of occupational wellbeing and management of sickness absences are also a substantial component in the competitiveness of the industry,” Forss says.