The study focused on the socially significant health and social services sector, which employs over 400,000 people and faces challenges related to chronic labor shortages and employee mobility. Participants included employees working in health and social services as well as in rescue services. The project examined career shocks, their role in attachment to organizations and career paths, and the ways, needs, and expectations related to handling career shocks in this sector. Career shocks refer to unexpected or otherwise significant events or periods encountered during a career that prompt individuals to fundamentally reconsider the future direction of their careers. Career shocks and the experiences related to their consequences can be either negative or positive.
The aim of this study was to generate knowledge about the types of career shocks experienced in the health and social services sector and how these experiences affect the well-being, career trajectories, and organizational and occupational commitment of those working in this sector. By taking into account experiences related to career shocks and the individual- and organization-level ways of dealing with them, the study contributed to a broader understanding of how employees in this sector are attached to organizations and career paths within the health and social services sector.
The study was based on data collected from professionals of the health and social services sector through:
The longitudinal survey provided information on the sources, prevalence, timing, and short- and long-term effects of career shocks on the careers of the professionals in this sector. The organizational survey, in turn, addressed questions concerning what kinds of career shock experiences were associated with the transition to wellbeing services counties, how career shocks were connected to organizational attachment, how they were addressed in organizations, and what was expected from the handling of career shocks in the organizations.
In the intervention study on the career discussion model, interview and survey data were used to examine how tripartite (employee–supervisor–coach) career discussions function in handling career shocks. The model included two tripartite career discussion sessions: the first focused on building a shared understanding of the employee’s career shock, and the second on developing a joint action plan for dealing with or adapting to the career shock. The study investigated how the model was experienced, what outcomes it had for handling career shocks and organizational commitment, and which factors influenced these outcomes.
The project was led by Professor Taru Feldt, and the intervention component was headed by University Lecturer Johanna Rantanen. The research was funded by the Finnish Work Environment Fund (project number 240093). Research on the topic continues in the ToFuCa project (project number: 376990) funded by the Academy of Finland.
