Jari Hakanen

Background

About Jari Hakanen

I obtained my PhD in social psychology in the University of Helsinki in 2005 with a thesis on burnout, engegement, and a life-course life-event perspective on employee well-being. In the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health I started as a researcher in 1998, then 2006-2007 as a specialized researcher in positive organizational psychology and well-being at work, and from 2007 as a senior researcher. I'm also an adjunct professor ("docent") in the University of Helsinki. My current research activities are focused on positive work psychology, employee engagement, burnout, salutogenesis, and work-home interface. I have also done research on suicide prevention and care of the dying cancer patients. Before starting my career as a researcher I worked as an adult educator in two institutions for more than five years running courses, e.g, for umployed, eldlerly, and handicapped people and voluntary workers, and professional training, e.g, for children´s instructors and youth and leisure instructors. My professional mission/dream is to contribute to boost change towards more positive and healthy work-life practices. Specialties: Current research specialties: positive work psychology, employee engagement, burnout, salutogenesis, research methods Previous reseach specialties: dying in hospitals, suicide prevention