Let's all get together at the Partner Day

Once a year, we organize Partner Days, to which we invite all Vertia surveyors from across Finland. The purpose of the event is to receive training and catch up with each other, spend the evening together, and enjoy the ”good life” with music, good food, and drinks. Partner Days is a two-day event.

At our Partner Days, we’ve had speakers and trainers from both within and outside the industry. Last year, we held Partner Days at Suuri Huvila in Hämeenlinna, and Jari Junkkari from Intotalo came to talk about the different personality types around us (DISC, natural behavioral styles). Training topics have also included various industry-related subjects, such as issues related to concrete curing and building airtightness. We also ask what people want to hear about and organize the day accordingly.

Saw Sharpening Days

We hold saw sharpening days every three months. We also ask our staff for suggestions and requests regarding the topics for these training sessions. For example, we’ve had Johanna Tikkanen from the Concrete Association speak about concrete and how it behaves under different conditions.

In May, we held a two-hour online workshop. The theme was "unspoken conversations":

What would be necessary or just nice to talk about, but conversations that haven’t happened simply because we don’t meet at the office due to remote work recommendations? In other words, the topic could be anything. The topics were probably mostly work-related, but there were also topics unrelated to work or just casual coffee-break conversations where there wasn’t even a specific topic to begin with.

Breakfast Briefings

Breakfast briefings are a relatively new thing for us. We managed to hold one breakfast briefing before the recommendation to work remotely and the onset of the pandemic. Once we can meet again, we’ll hold breakfast briefings and sawing days at Kuutio, which is near the office. It has a convenient auditorium and everything needed for lectures and open-space sessions.

Open-space principles

1. The right people are there
2. Whatever happens, happens
3. When it starts, that's the right moment
4. Once it's over, it's over

In the Open Space, anyone can propose a topic they’d like to discuss. Anyone who’s interested can join the discussion.

In a nutshell, that’s how we share and receive information. These meetings are also important for other reasons, since we mainly work alone. Information also flows through platforms like Slack, the instant messaging app, but especially now during the pandemic, we’ve noticed that even small, casual conversations are important. It fosters a sense of togetherness, and talking is important in general. Things that might seem challenging aren’t always such a big deal when you share them with someone else. If we’re lucky, our after-work get-togethers will start up again once a month starting in August. What could be nicer than meeting up with a great group of people for a drink after work?.

Are you interested in working at Vertia? Check out our job openings or submit an open application.

Topi Jokinen

Topi is Vertia’s "infrastructure builder," whose goal is to create the conditions for people to work together. Topi is also happy to help other organizations create a self-directed work culture. He spends most of his free time with his family and composing music.