Early support model in Finland: conversation and template

    Editorial update 26.10.2026

    Editorial: StartHealth (general employer guide, medical review pending)

    An early support model is a shared workplace procedure for discussing difficulties with work promptly and agreeing practical support. Finland's varhaisen tuen malli is not a diagnostic tool or automatic disciplinary process: its purpose is to find work adjustments and involve occupational health when necessary.

    Early support or early intervention?

    An early intervention model, varhaisen puuttumisen malli, may describe the same process. Support emphasises cooperation: the manager explains observations about work and listens rather than assigning blame. Separate obligations concerning inappropriate conduct or immediate safety risks still apply.

    For a 5–50-person knowledge-work company, the model should be easy to find and understand. Discuss it with employees and occupational health. Name an alternative contact role for situations where the manager is involved in the problem or needs support themselves.

    Triggers belong in company policy

    The employee, manager or occupational health can initiate support through the agreed process. Relevant observations might include persistent overtime, delayed assignments, unclear responsibilities or an employee's own report of excessive workload. Do not infer illness, motivation or private circumstances from an observation.

    Any thresholds based on absence days or episodes and the monitoring period are workplace policy choices, not universal legal limits. Crossing a threshold prompts a conversation; it does not prove misconduct. Do not delay help merely because a numerical threshold has not yet been reached. A consistent process supports fairness while allowing the actual situation to be heard.

    A supportive conversation and review

    Book a private time and explain that the purpose is to discuss how work is going. Describe an observation without interpreting it: for example, several project deadlines have overlapped. Ask for the employee's perspective and what could change at work. The employee need not disclose a diagnosis or treatment history to their manager.

    Choose a feasible action, such as clearer priorities, protected concentration time or better-defined responsibilities. Agree an owner and review date. Refer health-related assessment to occupational health through the agreed route. Managers do not decide treatment or medical need for sick leave.

    At review, check whether the action happened, helped and affected colleagues' workloads. Continue, change or end the trial accordingly. When several parties are needed to reconcile health and job demands, arrange a work ability meeting. Shared notes contain necessary work arrangements, not health information in a team project tool.

    Sickness absence: company triggers versus 30/90-day procedures

    Workplace discussion triggers are separate from statutory procedures for prolonged absence. The employer must notify occupational health no later than when sickness absence has lasted one month, or 30 days. This is not calculated from 30 paid sickness allowance days. Agree secure reporting and monitoring of accumulated absences with occupational health.

    The Kela 90-day statement is occupational health's assessment of remaining work ability and possibilities for continuing work. It is needed before 90 sickness allowance days have accumulated, not simply on the 90th calendar day of absence. Employee, employer and occupational health should explore options early; check the specific benefit procedure with Kela.

    Agree notification and evidence requirements separately. Self-certification depends on employer policy and the applicable collective agreement, or TES. There is no universal statutory self-certification day allowance. Working while ill is not the aim of early support; work modification and sickness absence are different things.

    Copyable early support model template

    This illustrative company-level template is not an official form or an individual employee's meeting record. Complete it with employees and occupational health. It has no fields for employee names, absence histories or health information.

    # Early support model — company procedure
- Company / operating unit: ____
- Approval date and version: ____
- Procedure owner role: ____
- Next policy review date: ____

## Purpose and availability
- Objective for manageable work: ____
- Publication and induction arrangements: ____
- Available languages: ____

## Contact routes and triggers
- How employees request support: ____
- Work-related triggers for a manager's conversation: ____
- Company absence trigger and monitoring period: ____
- Alternative contact role: ____
- Link to separate absence and certificate instructions: ____

## Conversation and work arrangements
- Invitation and private discussion procedure: ____
- Work adjustment options to investigate: ____
- Decision responsibilities and review arrangements: ____
- Occupational health referral process: ____
- Role responsible for preparing work ability meetings: ____

## Privacy and continuity
- Storage procedure for work-arrangement notes: ____
- Responsibility for access, necessity and retention reviews: ____
- Separate lawful health-information handling instructions: ____
- Responsibility for monitoring and making 30-day notifications: ____
- Cooperation procedure for the 90-day statement: ____
- Evaluating the model with employees: ____

    Do not fill in the absence trigger by copying another company's number without considering its suitability. Check the applicable collective agreement and agree the process with occupational health. The owner keeps instructions current as the company grows.

    Looking for experiences: a conversation, not an interrogation

    In a well-prepared conversation, the employee knows the topic beforehand and can explain their perspective. Disagreement about an observation does not justify demanding health information. If the purpose is unclear, request clarification before the meeting.

    Illustrative example

    An employee in a small design team says interruptions prevent concentrated work. The employee and manager agree two protected work periods each week and identify who handles urgent contacts. They schedule a review in a month. This is not a real customer experience or a promise of results: another job may require another solution.

    Downloadable company-process template: Early support policy template

    Agree a shared company process for requesting support, discussing how work is going and following up agreed work arrangements. Adapt the blank template with employees and occupational health. This is a policy, not an individual conversation record.

    Template version 2026-10-26. Blank company-process preparation template, not an individual employee case form. Do not enter names, diagnoses, medication, absence history or identifiable case details. Use the employer’s approved secure process for real employee cases. This template does not store or submit information. Editorial process aid, not individual medical or legal advice; medical review pending.

    To use the template, agree the responsible role, complete fields describing company procedures and confirm unresolved arrangements with occupational health. Do not fill it with a real employee’s case details.

    Approval and ownership

    • Company / unit.
    • Company version and approval process.
    • Process owner ROLE.
    • Backup contact channel and responsible role.

    Requesting support and triggers

    • How employees request support.
    • Work-related conversation triggers.
    • Company-specific conversation thresholds and monitoring period — not a universal legal threshold (leave blank until agreed).

    Conversation and work changes

    • Conversation steps: purpose, observation, listening, work options, agreed actions.
    • Work adjustment options and decision authority.
    • When occupational health expertise is involved.
    • Role responsible for referral or a meeting.
    • Follow-up method for actions.

    Communication and secure handling

    • Policy communication and onboarding.
    • Roles responsible for secure handling of actual records.
    • Procedure for reviewing access and retention.
    • Company-chosen policy review date or annual review — a company choice, not a universal annual legal rule.

    Fictitious example: A fictitious growth company agrees that interruptions at work can be discussed without reaching an absence threshold. Its protocol identifies who can clarify priorities and how work arrangements are followed up. This example promises no outcome.

    Who adapts the early support policy?

    The employer agrees practices with employees and occupational health and assigns a role responsible for the policy.

    Is a fixed absence count a universal conversation threshold?

    No. A company-specific trigger and monitoring period are agreed in the workplace policy; they are not a universal legal threshold.

    Is this an individual employee memo?

    No. It is a blank company-procedure template. Handle real employee cases through the approved secure process.

    This is an original StartHealth editorial aid, not a reproduction of a TTL form. The process is informed by TTL guidance, checked 26 October 2026. Suomenkielinen pohja ja opas.

    Next step

    Complete the company template and check whether a new employee can find it. Read about work ability management and work ability meetings. Check cooperation boundaries in services before purchasing.

    Sources

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