Induction training should teach new professional drivers to focus on work ability right from the start
A new Fact Sheet published by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) encourages employers to make new workers aware of the importance of maintaining their work ability right from the beginning of their careers. The Young Driver can! project has produced a Fact Sheet that uses four “work ability truck carriages” as a guide for induction training, which depict the main demands of transport work as well as the factors that cause strain and affect resources. All the different aspects of work ability and the factors affecting them are taken into account – from the driver’s need for independence to changes in legislation.
The aim of the Fact Sheet is to draw attention in induction training to the things that affect a driver’s work ability, so that the driver can be aware of them and act in a way that promotes his health and work ability. Maintaining work ability depends not only on the driver’s own choices, attitude and approach to work, but also on the transport company’s culture, rules and good practices. A healthy driver who is fit for and proud of his work is seen as a success by clients and the organization itself.
”It is worth going through the factors that affect work ability with a new driver via his work tasks. In this way the driver obtains a realistic picture of the demands of the work from the very beginning and of the importance of these factors for his work ability. When the maintenance of one’s work ability becomes part of one’s work, it is easier to manage,” says Eva Tuominen, Senior Specialist at FIOH.
What motivates a young professional driver?
The Fact Sheet offers guidance and solutions for induction training. For many beginners, as well as experienced professional drivers, independence and the feeling of freedom, for example, are important sources of motivation.
”In order to feel motivated and happy in their work, a beginner needs positive experiences at the beginning of their career and also time to develop in a safe climate,” says the leader of the project, Senior Specialist Anne Salmi from FIOH.
Because drivers are alone on the road much of the time, it is important that a new driver can easily contact either his supervisor or a more experienced co-worker. Thus there has to be the right amount of independence and freedom at the beginning.
”If guidance is too overbearing, independence and the feeling of freedom, possibly a driver’s most important sources of motivation, may wither, and their career choice may start to feel wrong. Insufficient guidance, on the other hand, may mean that the driver completely misses out on initial support, and professional growth slows down,” adds Salmi.
The Fact Sheet inspires the induction trainer and the employer to think about the factors that affect work ability, such as who is to provide the new driver with support, and how the company encourages its employees to live a healthy lifestyle.
The Young Driver Can! is a two-year project funded by the European Social Fund.
Further information
Eva Tuominen, Senior Specialist, FIOH, tel. +358 400 770 314, eva.tuominen[at]ttl.fi
Anne Salmi, Senior Specialist, FIOH, tel. +358 43 824 1342, anne.salmi[at]ttl.fi
See the Fact Sheet on Work ability-promoting induction training for professional drivers at www.ttl.fi/en/research/research_projects/alert_behind_the_wheel/Documents/Fact_sheet_Young_Driver_Can.pdf
Printed versions of the Fact Sheet can be ordered free of charge by contacting anne.salmi[at]ttl.fi
Further information on the different aspects of work ability: www.ttl.fi/en/health/wai/multidimensional_work_ability_model
Test your organization’s level of well-being at work on the Young Driver Can! website’s fun, non-scientific quiz: www.ttl.fi/en/research/research_projects/alert_behind_the_wheel
The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health researches, develops and specializes in well-being at work. It promotes occupational health and safety and the well-being of workers. It is an independent institution under public law, working under the administrative sector of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. It has six regional offices, and its headquarters are in Helsinki. It employs about 750 people.