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During the three years that lasted our project, the theme of well-being has been at the center of several events and groups that we have organized. We realized with our participants that often, the job-hunting process becomes solely focused on looking for jobs and slowly excludes social life, healthcare, relationships and family or hobbies. During our event called Kickstart, we worked with our participants on how to improve their skills and networks in order to find a job but also on their well-being. When asked questions such as “how are you? How well do you sleep? How do you take care of yourself”? at a job-hunting event, many people were quite destabilized.
But sleeping well, taking time to rest and have fun, is a crucial part of the job-hunting process, that we have encouraged our participants to pay attention to. It may seem like a waste of time, but the keyword here is balance. The more balance in each areas of your life, the best you will get out of the time you invest in your actual job hunt. Another important point is that once at work in Finland, your well-being and the work-life balance are both very important topics. In most workplaces, and in general in Finnish work culture, it is normal to be flexible on one’s working hours based on the need of their family. It is perfectly ok to be on sick leave, to leave a bit earlier one day to go to a hobby or to work from home from time to time. Many companies also offer different kind of benefits to support your well-being and encourage you to balance your life. Alongside with balance, the other important word is “efficiency”. By taking care of your own well-being, you will be more productive and ready to be active. |