In the social and health care sector, reputation has a particularly strong impact on trust
T-Media’s annual Reputation&Trust of the social and health care sector examined the public’s perceptions and views of organizations in the sector. The survey reveals that reputation has a particularly significant impact on organizations in the social and health care sector.
The reputation of organizations in the health and social services sector has a greater-than-average impact on public trust in those organizations. Reputation&Trust reveals that, among the health and social services companies surveyed, a one-unit change in reputation is followed by a 1.25-unit change in stakeholder support. For organizations operating in Finland, the corresponding figure is 1.15 on average.
The study found that cost competitiveness among social and health care organizations was the key factor explaining stakeholder support. The next most important factors predicting public trust were employer image and corporate responsibility.
“The social and health care sector is labor-intensive, which means that the diverse workforce in the sector is the one actually delivering the services. For this reason, employer branding is of great importance in the social and health care sector. Responsibility, on the other hand, is a megatrend whose impact on trust is evident in our research across all industries,” says Riku Ruokolahti, Development Director at T-Media.
From reputation management to managing expectations – Tays enhanced its reputation during the COVID-19 pandemic
Tampere University Hospital (Tays) was the second most highly regarded organization in the survey, following Coxa Hospital for Joint Replacement. Tays has managed to improve its reputation during the COVID-19 pandemic: in 2019, Tays’ reputation score was 3.58, while the 2021 result was 3.78.
“The fact that our reputation as an employer has improved during the pandemic is particularly gratifying for us. People trust Finnish specialized healthcare,” says Elina Kinnunen, Director of Communications at Tays.
“The pandemic has led to an increase in face-to-face and communicative leadership and interaction. In the past, direct communication with public hospitals was difficult without a referral. However, this has changed, partly as a result of social media, and we now interact directly with people.”
Kinnunen notes that responsibility has become more important during the pandemic.
“Responsibility is the cornerstone on which we build, and the way an organization acts in uncomfortable situations reflects its level of responsibility. This is evident in the fact that we have been the first to address uncomfortable topics ourselves. We must set the agenda ourselves, and we must take personal responsibility for crises.”
Kinnunen believes that the focus is shifting from reputation management to expectation management. An organization must understand the expectations of its stakeholders.
“We can’t just chase after a good reputation. We have to stay ahead of the curve and know what’s expected of us. Reputation management must be strategic, proactive, and interactive.”
Mehiläinen rose from a satisfactory level to become a reputable company
Mehiläinen, a private provider of social and health care services, succeeded in improving its reputation from a satisfactory level to a good level. Mehiläinen raised its reputation from a moderate level (3.35) in 2020 to a good level (3.57) in 2021.
“Reputation and trust can only be built through action. Everything stems from our core mission to promote better health and well-being. The past year has been particularly active for us in terms of our work related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the development of digital services, international growth, and strengthening public partnerships,” says Karolus Viitala, Chief Marketing Officer at Mehiläinen.
“Mehiläinen’s rise in reputation has been remarkable. I am proud that the results of our systematic work are now evident.”
This is how we conducted the study
The aim of the social and health care sector survey was to assess the reputation of selected companies and organizations operating in Finland among the general public.
Organizations were evaluated using T-Media’s Reputation&Trust, in which an organization’s reputation score is calculated as the average of eight different categories. The areas are corporate governance, finance, leadership, innovation, interaction, products & services, workplace, and responsibility. The study used a five-point rating scale (1–5).
Data for the survey was collected via an online questionnaire in March–April 2021. A total of 4,513 Finns participated in the survey. The results have been compared to the corresponding reputation survey from the previous year, in which a total of 3,498 Finns participated in the spring of 2020. The survey’s target group consisted of Finns aged 15–65 nationwide (excluding the Åland Islands). The sample was weighted to be representative of the population by gender, age, and region of residence.
For more information:
Riku Ruokolahti, Director of Development
+358 400 512 200
riku.ruokolahti@reptrust-staging.fi-p.seravo.com
Text: Tuuli Pohjola
