A remote work contract is a perfect fit for Saila in regard to her personal character and her family
Saila Honkanen, who lives in Oulu, has worked at Pinja since 2021 in the Digital Commerce team as a Software Support Specialist. Since 2023, she has taken on the role of Junior Software Developer.
- I still work on our support tickets, but I complete developer orientation as much as the support tickets give way. The amount of work always depends on the number of contacts and tickets from clients. I’m not sure yet whether I’ll move completely into development at some point, but this situation suits me well right now. I like the fact that I can do what I do best, and develop my career in the direction I want, Saila says.
All in all, the working hours are very flexible at Pinja. Whenever there are errands, such as dentist visits, there have been no problems arranging them. In the past, my daughter also had hobbies, and the flexible working hours helped me to get around.
Saila works on a 100% remote contract, which she prefers. She mainly works during normal office hours from 8am to 4pm, but if there are, for example, special errands, Saila may go out during the day and sometimes work a little longer.
She considers these arrangements to be just right for her, both because of her character and her family. Saila’s family includes herself and a 10-year-old daughter who attends the fourth grade.
- All in all, the working hours are very flexible at Pinja. Whenever there are errands, such as dentist visits, there have been no problems arranging them. In the past, my daughter also had hobbies, and the flexible working hours helped me to get around, Saila says.
Pinja is Saila’s first permanent job, and she has been happy with it. She is part of Pinja’s digital commerce team, which consists of around 30 people.
- We have a great team spirit, and it is pleasant to start off each day. You can always ask if you have any questions, and there are no stupid questions, she says.
The best thing about parenthood for Saila is that you get to watch your child develop and grow – especially their personality. Part of the package is that sometimes you have to worry about them.
- But she is still growing up to be a smart person, Saila says with a warm smile.
Flexible working hours help Olli’s family of six deal with special everyday situations
Lahti-based Lead Customer Service Manager Olli Savolainen is an experienced remote worker. He started working at the remote workstation upstairs in his home well before the Coronavirus, more than six years ago. In his job, he manages projects and customer relationships in Pinja’s product information management and Digital Commerce team.
Olli’s family of six includes his wife and children aged 1, 4, 6 and 8. For Olli, the best thing about parenting is the immediacy of children, and the fact that children love their parents unconditionally.
- Our work and childcare arrangements are quite exceptional in the sense that we have a family day care provider at home. In addition to our children, she also takes care of children of other families in our home. We live in a reasonably large detached house, which allows for this kind of arrangement. My office is upstairs, but I see the children during the working day, for example during lunch, Olli says.
Flexible working hours and adaptable working arrangements are valuable for Olli’s family, especially in all the special situations that arise in everyday life, such as when the school starts in fall, when children are ill, or when going to the dentist. Olli’s wife is a midwife by profession, so her working hours are not limited to normal office hours. As his wife returns from parental leave to work in full swing, the value of Olli’s flexible working arrangements increases even more.
- Whenever I have to adjust the calendar in some way, I am able to do so. There has never been the feeling that I always have to be the one to get involved in everything. Planning my calendar has been very free at Pinja, and both the team and the long-time clients have been very understanding when changes come up.
Olli, a previous youth worker, who has also gained experience as a sales person in online retail, thinks that his working community and its spirit are generally good. He also appreciates that different needs are taken into account.
- Of course, there are also things that I have to take care of, and which others cannot fully cover for me. I have been able to handle situations quite well, even if a child has been ill and there has been something critical to take care of. I may have had a child present at the work desk during that time, and although these are of course exceptional situations, they are OK at Pinja. And because the employer and the supervisors give me flexibility, I like to be flexible from time to time, Olli says.
What would your child say if we asked what you do for a living?
Saila & her 10-year-old daughter:
- She would probably say “Mummy codes”.
Olli & his 6-year-old daughter:
- Maybe our daughter Tyyne would say “Daddy works remotely”. Digital commerce as a concept is perhaps still a little difficult to understand...
Jesse & his 2-year-old son:
- He would probably say “Daddy’s using the computer”. For him, working and using the computer are still synonymous – even though I don’t really work at home!
Emmi & her 5-year-old son:
- Our son always plays mummy and mummy’s work. He would probably say “Mum is in meetings, typing on the computer and talking to colleagues”.
Jesse rides his bike to work, and sometimes challenges colleagues at the Jujitsu mat
Jesse Ikola from Vaasa works as a Project Manager at Pinja, as a supervisor of 10 persons and the office coordinator of the Vaasa office. He started in 2016 as an application developer and consultant, until the scope of his role expanded as staff increased.
Jesse says that he mainly works at the office because it’s a nice place to work, and there’s a lot of peace and quiet. At home, on the other hand, there’s a lot going on, for all the right reasons: Jesse and his wife also have a two-year-old son and three cats. By the end of 2023, the family is also looking forward to welcoming a new baby.
- Working at the office suits me perfectly, working from home all the time just wouldn’t work for me. On the other hand, I can also work remotely if my wife has her own things to do, Jesse says.
Jesse says that he is practically free to schedule his own work, with only client meetings setting some limits. And the long-term nature of the client relationships makes it easy to agree on matters and schedules at a low threshold.
- I live so close to the office that I usually cycle to work. If I sometimes have to take care of my own errands during the day and my hour bank slips into the red, I can easily make up for it by finishing a document or answering emails in the evening. In any case, it’s great to have the freedom to choose between office and home. These are really important things in everyday life, Jesse says.
Another important advantage of the flexible working hours, which can be adapted to the situation, is that it allows Jesse to regularly practice Jujitsu, a martial art he loves.
- We often practice in the evening, and it depends on the day if I have time for it. Flexible working hours mean that I can schedule my practices for the morning if necessary, and we actually have our own little Jujitsu mat in the office. There are a couple of other Jujitsu enthusiasts at work, so sometimes we wake up an hour earlier than normal, do our morning practice together, shower and grab a coffee. It’s a good start to the day, Jesse says.
Parenthood has also shaped his daily rhythm, as Jesse says that he used to be an evening person and worked in the evenings. Now that the child wakes up at 6am, the rhythm has understandably changed. But in return, I have received something much more valuable.
- It’s been great to see my own kid starting to show a clear sense of humor. When he was just learning to talk, he would sometimes accidentally say something funny, but now he clearly picks up on what we’re saying and throws something funny back, Jesse says.Working remotely allowed Emmi to return to work at a time that suited her
Emmi Pöyhönen, a member of Pinja’s Service Desk CRM team, works in the Service Desk providing ValueFrame support to clients, and also working internally as a service manager. She says that she has found a combination that suits her, where she can solve customer problems, work on databases, and also do administrative tasks. Emmi started working at Pinja in 2021 as a trainee, and then got a permanent position.
In addition to herself, Emmi’s family includes her husband and two sons, the eldest of whom is almost 5 years old and the youngest 8 months.
- My family and I live in Kuopio, and I work on a 100% remote contract. It’s been an absolutely great solution for us and one of the key factors in my being able to return to work so quickly from maternity leave. My husband and I have always made decisions as equally as possible, and because I don’t feel I’m the most traditional housewife, I went back to work on my own free will when our youngest child was about six months old. My husband, who works in a daycare center, took parental leave to look after the children, and he is clearly better suited to a routine with the children, Emmi says.
Emmi likes to start her working day early, around 7-8am, and finish earlier in the afternoon. In April, the family also took advantage of the remote working opportunity by travelling to Ylläs for a month, from where Emmi could manage her working days just as she did at home in Kuopio.
Emmi, who previously worked in the social and health sector, and has a degree in physiotherapy and a Master of Sports Medicine, spent a year on maternity leave with her older son at home. During her maternity leave, she decided to train in a new field, and graduated as an IT engineer in 2022. Emmi, who worked her way up to a permanent position at Pinja through an internship, says that she enjoys her job very much.
- I can’t think of anything bad to say. It’s been wonderful to be able to train with Pinja, and I have already had the chance to experience the opportunities for the progress we can have. I was made permanent before I went on maternity leave, and when I later expressed my desire to come back, I was encouraged and allowed a softer return to work at 80% of my working hours. And I was not only welcomed as an extra resource, but also as a colleague. I have gained more responsibility through my job as a Service Manager, Emmi says.
In Emmi’s family, flexible working hours and the possibility to work remotely bring more time into everyday life. She says that the family gets almost two hours more time together in the day when they don’t have to worry about commuting, traffic jams and daycare stops.
- I think that the best thing about parenting is seeing the joy and happiness of our children. Above all, they are genuine and don’t hide anything, Emmi says.
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