Personal assistance – work ability support material

The online course is intended for those who are currently working as employers of personal assistants or considering taking on that role. The course provides tips on how to build a smooth daily routine with your assistant and how to support your assistant’s work ability in everyday situations so that your shared daily life runs more smoothly. You will also receive practical tools to support everyday work. You will learn to identify risks related to your assistant’s work ability and how you can jointly resolve everyday challenges.

The course takes approximately 15 minutes to complete, but we recommend reserving enough time to go through the content thoroughly. You can also complete the course in sections and return to the material later.

If you click the ‘Read without signing in’ button, you can see the course contents.

Go to the online course

All eployer materials as a single PDF file

Online course Part 1: The playing field of an employer following the personal assistance employer model

Download PDF: The playing field of an employer following the personal assistance employer model

Online course Part 2: Work ability and ensuring the assistant’s work ability

Download PDF: Work ability and ensuring the assistant’s work ability

Online course Part 3: Focus on a good start to the employment relationship

Download PDF: Focus on a good start to the employment relationship

Online course part 4: Recognise workload

Download PDF: Recognise workload

Online course Part 5: Help the assistant succeed in their work

Download PDF: Help the assistant succeed in their work

Online course Part 6: Bring things up and look for solutions together

Download PDF: Bring things up and look for solutions together

Online course Part 7: Seek help with challenges 

Download PDF: Seek help with challenges

Online course Part 8: Employee’s responsibility for their own work ability
 
Download PDF: Employee’s responsibility for their own work ability

Download PDF: 'Smooth everyday life’ discussion tool

Download PDF: Orientation checklist

Download PDF: The course summary - Work Ability of a Personal Assistant

Read about personal assistance roles, tips for a smooth everyday life with your employer and information about working during retirement.

Roles in arranging personal assistance

Orientation

‘Smooth everyday life’ discussion tool

Getting the basics in order

Working during retirement

Old-age pension

Old-age pension 2026

The contents of the online course and future support material have been created in co-operation with Oima and personal assistance specialists.

News 21.12.2021: Collaboration between Varma and Oima improves services for municipalities and employers of personal assistants (in Finnish)

News 16.3.2022: The work ability risks of personal assistants can be identified sooner than before (in Finnish)

News 12.12.2024: Varma investigates the working conditions and work ability of personal assistants – data collection begins (in Finnish)

News 29.4.2025: Varma study: one third of personal assistants experience psychosocial strain at work (in Finnish)

If you would like more information about Varma as an earnings-related pension insurer for personal assistance or if you want to be involved in our work to develop services for personal assistance, contact us.

At its best, the job of personal assistant is diverse and rewarding. The work may also, however, involve risks that threaten the assistant’s work ability. These risks may be related, for instance, to work schedules, and mental and physical overload.

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company wants to improve the earnings-related pension insurance process for personal assistance and create tools to support employers and assistants. We want to be involved with other industry operators in helping assistants retain their work ability for as long as possible.