The staff of Haltu Oy, a software development company based in Tampere, visit Aulanko Lakeside of Peace and Privacy every year. Production Director Jesse Juvonen says that it has become a custom to hold a joint remote working day at the end of the year, followed by a Christmas party in the villa's saunas and enjoying the warmth of the hot tub and jacuzzi.
“The intention of the founders of Haltu was to create a workplace and atmosphere where people feel comfortable. Shared events throughout the working year support this, especially because some of our people work almost entirely remotely,” says Jesse Juvonen.
The recent pandemic has changed the working practices of businesses dramatically, because before COVID, even at Haltu, people mainly worked in the office. According to Juvonen, the company still encourages people to work in the office, but some employees prefer to work mainly remotely because of their life situation.
“It’s easy for a remote worker to fall off the wagon when they can’t join in the coffee table and water cooler conversations with the office staff,” says Juvonen.
Haltu has a relatively young workforce, with the average age of its employees currently around 30. That’s why it’s easy to find things to do together; in addition to the Christmas party at Aulanko, Haltu also arranges an annual Laskiainen / Shrove Tuesday party and board game nights.
“Aulanko Lakeside is the perfect villa for a Christmas party for our group of 22 people. Of course, doing things together also includes cooking meals together,” notes Jesse Juvonen.