In the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, he started as a researcher in 1998. Between 2006 and 2007 he worked as a specialized researcher in positive organizational psychology and well-being at work. Since 2007 he has been a senior researcher. Jari is also an adjunct professor (docent) at the University of Helsinki.

Jari’s current research activities are focused on positive work psychology, employee engagement, burnout, salutogenesis, and work-home interface. He has also done research on suicide prevention and care of the dying cancer patients.

Before starting his career as a researcher, he worked as an adult educator in two institutions for more than five years, running courses for unemployed, elderly, and handicapped people and voluntary workers, including professional training for children´s instructors and for youth and leisure instructors. Jari’s professional mission and dream is to contribute to boosting change towards more positive and healthy work-life practices.

Jari obtained his PhD in social psychology from the University of Helsinki in 2005 with a thesis on burnout, engagement, and a life-course life-event perspective on employee well-being.