Notice for the Kunta10 participants

THE KUNTA10-STUDY IN A NUTSHELL

The Kunta10 study aims to determine the changes taking place in the work of staff in the municipal sector as well as their impact on the health and well-being of the staff. The participating municipalities include Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Turku, Raisio, Naantali, Oulu, Nokia, Valkeakoski and Virrat.

This questionnaire is sent to all permanent or long-term temporary employees working for the participating municipalities. Participation in the study is voluntary. The response rate for previous questionnaires has been on average 65–70 per cent. A large number of respondents makes it possible for us to obtain a truthful and accurate picture of the personnel’s well-being, the state of work life in the municipalities and all the factors involved. If you do not wish to participate in the study, ignore the questionnaire or notify the researchers of your refusal.

The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) will collect all the research data. The research data will be handled securely and reported in an anonymized way so that the responses cannot be linked to individual respondents. The information you submit will be handled securely and with the utmost confidentiality.

Results are utilized in municipalities in many ways

Key results are communicated to all participating municipalities and their staff late in the year 2024 onwards. All work communities in which at least 10 people responded will receive a summary of their own results. The summary also includes the results of previous surveys, so it will be possible to follow the development of well-being and work life. Work units with 5-9 survey respondents receive a summary about their placing relative to other work units. Exact results are not reported to work units smaller than 10 respondents.

In the municipalities, the study results are used for improving personnel well-being and working life within the participating organizations. Moreover, the study is important for the development of the entire municipal sector. After the survey, we will be better equipped to assess the changes in municipal work and working life and their impact on personnel well-being and health.

Results are used for scientific research purposes

The survey results are used in scientific research. Studies have found several work-related factors which can protect the health of employees. Such factors include, for example, fair management practices, opportunities to influence one’s work, working time and decision-making related to one’s work, as well as the social capital at the workplace.

For scientific purposes, the research team may later follow the health of people participating in this study. Such follow-up will be based on national health, pension, accident, and mortality registers maintained by the Finnish Centre for Pensions, Keva, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Workers’ Compensation Centre and Statistics Finland. To follow the health of the participants, the researchers may also use KELA registers on medicine use, entitlement to special reimbursements, sickness absence, and rehabilitation. Data that may be retrieved from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency include address, date of moving abroad and mother tongue. Data related to the employment and working time will be monitored using employers’ employment registers.

At the end of the survey, we ask for your consent to linking register data with survey data. The consent can be withdrawn anytime by notifying researchers tai FIOH’s data protection officer (tsv [at] ttl.fi). The description of data privacy and data protection policy for this study is available at https://www.ttl.fi/tietosuoja/hankkeiden-ja-tutkimusten-tietosuoja/tietosuojailmoitus-kuntasektorin-henkiloston-seurantatutkimus-fps (in Finnish only).

The study is a multidisciplinary and international study. The study involves medical, psychological, sociological, and epidemiological experts from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, and several domestic and foreign research institutes and universities. In recent years, the results generated by the project have been reported both in publications aimed for the public and in scientific journals. Funding for the research project comes primarily from the Academy of Finland, the Finnish Work Environment Fund, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, and the participating municipalities.

• Jenni Ervasti, PhD, Chief Researcher, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (Työterveyslaitos), jenni.ervasti [at] ttl.fi (jenni[dot]ervasti[at]ttl[dot]fi)