While many across Finland were opening presents, tucking into turnip casseroles or arguing over the remote control this Christmas, some people were working the wards, driving the trams and answering the emergency calls.
Irregular hours are on the rise in Finland. Statistics Finland estimates that nearly 20 percent of workers now carry out some form of night work, for example, on a regular basis.
Although working at Christmas is becoming more common across the board, irregular hours are especially prevalent in the healthcare, transport and services industries.
Raluca Mihalache-Lehto works as a registered nurse in Kuopio University Hospital, and told Yle News that the hardest aspect of working at Christmas is being away from family.
"When I was growing up in Romania, Christmas was a very important time because it was all about family. We are a very family-oriented society and I will miss my family very much this Christmas," she said.
In addition to being a difficult time to work from a personal perspective, Mihalache-Lehto noted that it can also be a challenging time professionally — as hospitals tend to run on a skeleton staff over Christmas Eve and Day so that as many workers as possible can have some time off.
"It can be stressful because if you have a very difficult case, sometimes it's only you and it can be difficult to find a doctor, as there might be so few on duty," she explained, adding that because of this it's essential for people who work over Christmas to ensure that they also get sufficient rest.
This was a view echoed by Hanna Jokinen of the Finnish Union of Practical Nurses (abbreviated as SuPer in Finnish).
She told Yle News that all workers — and nurses especially — must also take care of themselves too.
"Don't work too much or take too long shifts," she advised. "If your boss tries to force you to work extra hours and you are too tired, or you just don't want to, then speak up. Ensuring a safe and healthy work environment is always your boss's responsibility."
Jokinen is a practical nurse as well as a union rep, and has been on duty over the festive season. In her experience, working over Christmas can be challenging in certain respects but also extremely rewarding in others.
She explained that she mostly works with elderly patients, who can find Christmas to be an especially difficult time as they remember times with late spouses or lost relatives.
"I often give hugs if my patients enjoy them and usually that's a big thing for them. Healthcare workers can be the only people to give hugs or touch elderly people for long periods of time, so holding a hand can be a very emotional experience. Christmas has its own special feeling," Jokinen said.
"It was fun and different"
While Raluca Mihalache-Lehto and Hanna Jokinen were taking care of patients this Christmas, Paavo Mäntylä was monitoring tram traffic.
Mäntylä works as a traffic controller for the City of Tampere's tram network, and was responsible for ensuring that the service runs smoothly and efficiently over the festive season — albeit on a reduced schedule.
"My primary function is to make sure that trams run on schedule and make sure that the power grid is in order and working properly. We also have close co-operation with tram maintenance and track maintenance daily," Mäntylä told Yle News.
Mäntylä initially worked as a tram driver on the city's newly-installed network, before he was promoted to his current role earlier this year, and he was also on duty steering a tram around the city's streets on Christmas Eve last year.
"It was fun and different to drive the tram in an almost empty city. It's fun to work on Christmas, it is a little bit different and quiet. And I had Christmas day off so I had time to meet my family and friends then," he said.
He added that one of his main motivations for working over Christmas is that, as he does not have children, it gives his colleagues a chance to spend the time with their own little ones. Although there is work to be done, Mäntylä noted that they still managed to bring some Christmas spirit into the workplace too.
"We have a Christmas tree in our control centre and some other decorations too. We had glögi and gingerbread and we listened to some Christmas songs," he said.
Beware of burnout
Keeping up a good atmosphere when working over Christmas is an essential part of the experience, as being on duty during the festive season can have knock-on effects on the physical and mental health of workers.
Being away from loved ones can further accentuate these issues, and even lead to burnout.
"Occupational burnout is a persistent problem in Finnish work life, and many people who experience burnout as well as their supervisors and colleagues report that they have not recognised the symptoms in time," the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health's Research Professor Jari Hakanen said.
The increasing prevalence of burnout has prompted the institute to test a new model, developed in Belgium, which aims to identify and prevent occupational burnout. The method scales the four symptoms that are considered to be signs of occupational burnout: chronic fatigue, mental distancing from work, impairment of cognitive function and disruption of emotional control.
Aki Eriksson, a lawyer with the Occupational Health and Safety division of Finland's nationwide Avi agencies, told Yle News that employees working during the Christmas holidays should be mindful of not doing too much — and asking for help if needed, including from local Avi agencies themselves.
"It is important to get adequate rest and recovery time. If you feel that you are burdened at work, you should discuss the matter with your employer as early as possible," Eriksson said.
He added that workers should always be aware of their rights too.
"There are many provisions in collective agreements about working on public holidays. Each employee should check their own collective agreement at www.finlex.fi," he advised.
Further information is also available from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's website https://www.tyosuojelu.fi/web/en.
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