Finavia employees who enjoy their work ensure a smooth airport experience

Posted: 29 February 2024 | International Airport Review | No comments yet

“We believe that employees who have a high level of job satisfaction and who continuously develop their competence ensure a smooth and safe airport experience for everyone. This is why we work to promote the well-being of our personnel in the long term,” says Eeva Kokki, Finavia’s Head of Well-Being at Work and Occupational Health and Safety.

“The responses to our twice-yearly employee survey show that Finavia employees feel that their employer values them and gives them an opportunity to develop their skills and influence the operations of the entire work community.”

Finavia supports hobbies and physical activity

Physical and mental well-being is particularly important for coping at work. For this reason, Finavia encourages its employees to be physically active and have hobbies. Employees are provided with comprehensive sports and cultural benefits and a company bike benefit. In addition, Finavia organises many activities for its personnel.

“Disc golf, photography, tennis and golf clubs, among others, have been very popular. In addition to these, Liiku ry, which focuses on offering Finavia employees opportunities to be physically active, organises annual winter and summer events lasting several days, as well as plenty of other exercise. Last year, for example, I was involved in organising salsa classes for those who were interested.”

Low-threshold counselling for every Finavia employee

In addition to offering a wide range of occupational health services, Finavia also takes the mental well-being of employees into account in management.

“We ensure that supervisors are familiar with our early support model and that they have the tools to intervene in possible problem situations. We want Finavia employees to have a low threshold for discussing difficult topics with their supervisor.”

The different duties and working hours of Finavia employees have also been taken into account in supporting well-being.

“We recognise the challenges of shift work, for example, in terms of combining work and family life. With the help of shift planning, we aim to make the situation easier for the employee. We also offer longer holidays than the Annual Holidays Act requires, among other things. This gives employees more opportunities to rest and spend time with their loved ones. Finavia employees can also spend part of their holiday in one of Finavia’s holiday homes for its employees.”

Employees continue to learn new things throughout their careers

Finavia also actively supports the professional development of its personnel. Investments have been made in employee induction, and there are many different training programmes available.

“Regular training and exercises are part of many of our positions. For example, training is arranged annually for rescue workers to keep their skills up to date. In addition, our personnel have the opportunity to spend up to 10 paid days on additional work-related training.”

The company wants to retain skilled employees, and they are encouraged to apply for transfers within the company if they wish to do so. Employment relationships at Finavia are often very long.

“Once you get a job at Finavia, it’s hard to leave after that. And that’s very understandable as this is a fascinating work environment – a small community that operates round the clock. When you work here, the whole world feels within reach.”