Is being a supervisor a priority — or just something done on top of other tasks?
A lot is expected of supervisors these days: results, presence, support, and the ability to recognize the signs of burnout early on. At the same time, their own time and well-being are under increasing strain, so Terveystalo’s organizational psychologists Kaisa Poutanen and Eveliina Holmgren pose a pertinent question: is being a supervisor a genuine priority, or just one responsibility among many?
Mental health challenges are a key cause of reduced work capacity and sick leave in the Finnish workplace. However, their increasing prevalence does not mean that line management has failed. On the contrary, we argue that line management has developed significantly over the past few decades. Workplaces are doing a lot of systematic work to support mental well-being. Line managers are being trained, work ability management is being developed, and there is active collaboration with occupational health services.
Yet burnout, anxiety, and stress have increased. As many as 80% of respondents to Terveystalo’s Healthy Work Life Barometer feel that Finnish working life is more fast-paced and stressful than ever before. This reflects, above all, changes in work and growing societal demands, not a decline in the quality of leadership. There are high expectations placed on supervisors, and managing their own well-being at work has become a key priority.
Supervisors play a key role in identifying early signs of work ability issues and providing support. At the same time, it is a fact that supervisors’ time is in high demand. Operational responsibilities, large teams, and changes take up time. Without sufficient resources and time to think, work easily becomes reactive. Active, early support for well-being at work does not happen as a side task; it requires conscious prioritization.
That is why it is worth asking whether supervisory work is truly a choice for which we see good reason to carve out time and create the conditions for success, even if that time comes at the expense of other tasks?
Strengthening leadership should be a strategic choice. In practice, this means setting priorities, reorganizing time management, and sometimes even giving up other things. At the same time, the responsibility for workplace well-being does not rest solely with leaders. Mental well-being is built within a system: in teams that function well enough, in organizational structures, and in smooth day-to-day collaboration between people. It is important to take this holistic view into account when preventing mental strain.
Positive developments are visible. According to the latest data, the rise in mental health-related absences has begun to level off (Näin Suomi voi 3/2026). This trend reinforces the idea that the measures taken and the improved work of supervisors are already bearing fruit.
Kaisa Poutanen and Eveliina Holmgren are organisational psychologists at Terveystalo, who work on organisational wellbeing and leadership development.
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