The City of Joensuu and Mehiläinen — cooperation brings results

The City of Joensuu is a multi-sector employer with approximately 2,600 employees working in areas ranging from early childhood education and schools to culture, administration, sports and youth services, as well as urban environment services. The wide range of sectors also places special demands on the management of work ability; the operating models must be viable for various day-to-day tasks and professional groups.

"Our key figures show that we have succeeded. Sickness-related absences are at a good level and job satisfaction is quite high," says Mari Pitkänen, HR Director of the City of Joensuu.

Effective occupational health care cooperation plays a key role in the city's success. The City of Joensuu has been a customer of Mehiläinen Working Life Services since 2023. The cooperation is described as efficient and natural.

According to Occupational Wellbeing Manager Minna Piiroinen, the concept has been built on a long-term basis — and the results speak for themselves.

"Our cooperation works genuinely well in day-to-day activities. Our wishes and guidelines have truly been listened to. We are in close contact with Mehiläinen’s representatives — in practice, on a weekly basis. It is easy to get in touch, and matters can be resolved quickly together," says Piiroinen.

Trust is also reflected in the fact that the agreed operating models are implemented in practice. Workplace surveys and work ability processes progress according to plan, and the information they produce supports supervisors in their daily work.

"The workplace surveys are unambiguous and the reports are easy to use. We have also received positive feedback on them from the supervisors on the field. We can trust that the agreed matters will be taken care of."

One tangible example of effective cooperation is the alternative work model, which has become an established part of everyday activities. It allows the employee’s work ability to be examined flexibly at an appointment if a factor temporarily restricting work ability arises.

"During the medical check-up, we systematically consider whether the employee is completely unable to work or whether they could work part-time. This has helped us keep sickness-related absences at a low level.

In practice, this means, for example, lightening the workload or temporarily modifying work tasks." In early childhood education, for example, physically demanding work can be replaced by administrative tasks until the employee recovers to full work ability.

Digital services support the whole. Mehiläinen Digital Clinic, in particular, has received praise from employees for its speed and ease of use.

"If you have a minor health issue, you can find help quickly, and digital services have been adopted as a natural part of everyday life. Appointment booking also works efficiently through digital channels," says Minna Piiroinen.

Availability is one of the key success factors. The customer satisfaction of the City of Joensuu’s personnel with Mehiläinen’s Working Life Services is at a top level: the NPS figure describing satisfaction is as high as 96 (2026).

"It is important that the service is available when needed. This is directly reflected in the employeeexperience," says HR Director Mari Pitkänen.

The cooperation also emphasises proactivity and knowledge-based management. The Kompassi tools support work ability and help identify situations that require early support.

"If absences start to accumulate, we can react quickly. Together, we consider whether targeted measures are needed and how we can support the work community in the best possible way."

As a public organisation, cost efficiency and effectiveness are also important to the City of Joensuu. Costs are monitored closely and allocated as effectively as possible according to where the needs arise.

According to Occupational Wellbeing Manager Minna Piiroinen, the core of cooperation is continuous development.

"The job is never done. We monitor phenomena and react when necessary. Since the beginning, our cooperation has focused on developing things together — and we want to continue in the same way in the future.

Reference published 5/2026.