Lonely People
work for us.
And for you.
That is why we created the Work to Belong Certificate. It is awarded to companies and organisations that commit to reducing and preventing loneliness in their workplace communities. Join us in positively overcoming loneliness.
Loneliness Concerns Every Work Community
In Finland, one in three people suffer from loneliness. Where there are people, there is loneliness. It not only has an impact on private life, but it affects people at work aswell.
Clearly, people are experiencing loneliness in workplaces throughout the country. Its impact is felt in the well-being of employees, in workplace culture, in efficiency and, finally, also on the bottom line. It is in the interest of employees and of businesses that we work together to reduce loneliness at work. That is why we created the Work to Belong programme and certificate. The programme helps identify and alleviate loneliness in the workplace and its destructive impact on health and wellbeing.
Ask us anything:
Silva Saulio
Program Lead
silva.saulio@helsinkimissio.fi
puh. 09 2312 0317, 043 201 3192
Aku-Pekka Laakso
Workplace Specialist, Loneliness Work, Work to Belong
aku-pekka.laakso@helsinkimissio.fi
Loneliness in the Workplace 2022 Survey
The Loneliness in the Workplace 2022 (Työelämän yksinäisyys 2022) survey shows that one in four Finns experiences loneliness in their workplace community. Social exclusion is experienced by one in six Finns, but experiences of exclusion are more common among people under 30.
HelsinkiMissio’s Loneliness in the Workplace survey charts loneliness in the Finnish workforce. The survey describes loneliness as a multidimensional phenomenon and considers that workplaces and ways of doing work differ. The survey is part of the Work to Belong concept and can be used both by those who work to alleviate loneliness as well as by anyone who is interested in workplace matters.
A Certificate to Reduce Loneliness
Welcome to building a work culture where no one feels on their own. The Work to Belong Certificate is awarded to companies and organisations that commit to reducing and preventing loneliness in their workplace communities.
A workplace that applies for certification must employ tools, methods, and assessment to avoid or reduce loneliness at all levels of their working community. Certification is a signal to employees as well as to people outside the company that the workplace genuinely takes care of its employees
There is a cost charged for the programme.
The Certification Process
- A work community joins the Work to Belong programme
- The situation at the outset is mapped through a personnel survey
- Goals are set and a plan is made
- Implementation of tools and procedures suitable for the work community
- Inspection of operations and verification of certification is done annually
“In today’s world, a culture of being resilient is strong and many problems can easily isolate people. Through our collaborations, such as the Work to Belong programme, we have also found that help is available and that it is possible to ease the distress of loneliness.”
– Virpi Valtonen, CSR Specialist, Alko
Work to Belong Partners
Work to Belong is HelsinkiMissio’s programme to reduce loneliness within working communities. HelsinkiMissio has been working to alleviate loneliness since 1883. Our main Work to Belong Partners are Alko, OP Helsinki and Sanoma.