Skip to main content

A trust-based way of working creates wellbeing

Work independent of time and place has already been a normal and familiar practice for us for ages – throughout the centuries, we have become accustomed to working flexibly due to the nature of our work. This tradition has helped us shift to and away from full-time remote work during the coronavirus pandemic. However, now is a good time to stop and think about working practices. 

Johanna Snellman.
Photo:
National Land Survey of Finland

The remote work recommendation has ended, and we have also started to work in accordance with our model of activity-based work in multiple locations at the National Land Survey of Finland (NLS). At the same time, we all stopped to review and update our shared framework.

Job satisfaction high among the personnel

Activity-based work in multiple locations has been an excellent success at the NLS. It has had a positive impact on our productivity, strengthened trust, and improved the personnel’s job satisfaction and wellbeing. In this year’s personnel survey, job satisfaction increased to an average of 4.0 (on a scale from 0 to 5), and the possibility to combine work and private life received an average score of 4.52. 

As a rule, activity-based work in multiple locations is ‘the crown jewel’ of the NLS organisational culture, which is to be polished and cherished rather than changed drastically. The framework for activity-based work in multiple locations will remain relatively unchanged, while its texts were slightly re-written to focus on the present and future. 

Work environments will diversify in the future

What adds a new perspective to activity-based work in multiple locations is that physical, social and digital work environments will form a more coherent whole, enabling even more flexible and productive working. Physical work environments have diversified, and this trend will continue.

We are building our digital work environment through our extensive development programme. It helps us ensure that we have modern tools for working and for communicating with others.

Focus on maintaining the sense of community

Before the coronavirus pandemic, we already noticed that special attention must be paid to maintaining and strengthening the sense of community in activity-based work in multiple locations. To maintain trust and enable a shared understanding, we also need in-person meetings. Our work is strongly linked to the work of others, and responsibility for everyone’s own work means responsibility towards the work community. Furthermore, we cannot forget our customers in our model of activity-based work in multiple locations. In addition to our own activities, it is important to consider how our customers’ operations will change. 

As indicated by its name, the NLS framework for activity-based work in multiple locations offers a flexible framework for working and for agreeing its details. Concrete solutions are made as close to daily activities as possible. Currently, units and teams are considering how this work can be arranged appropriately from the perspective of our goals. The result will be an even better model of activity-based work in multiple locations and flexible work.  

 

Johanna Snellman
Director of human resources

_______________________________________________________________________________________

In the National Land Survey of Finland blog, different authors discuss various matters topical to the National Land Survey of Finland.

NLS
Sustainability

Kommentit

Blogs