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In a small work community, communication is easy, says Juhana Rouhiainen.
”In our industry, work comes out of the blue, as water damage, for example, happens without warning. Messages need to be transferred quickly within the company so that we can get help there quickly.
For quick communication, we use the phone and Whatsapp, where we have three groups: a management group, a general group and an orders group, where our secretary records orders and where employees sign off on work.
We handle more formal matters, such as holiday scheduling and absences, by email. Our Christmas-party voting was also done by email.
Our office has three open-plan office lounges where you can work, but remote working is also allowed. Half of our working time is spent in the field doing mapping, drying and measuring, and the other half is spent in the office or elsewhere.
We haven’t needed an intranet, and I don’t think we will need one right away. We have 12 people in our work community, so our communication is straightforward. We get on well with each other, and there is no hierarchy or bureaucracy.
There are no big challenges in communication and interaction – except the occasional misunderstandings. We can disagree and speak our minds quite frankly.
We hold meetings with partners after working hours and meet face-to-face. During the pandemic, we held meetings via Teams, but there is definitely better interaction when you meet people in-person. I always prefer to have face-to-face negotiations, because behind a screen, gestures and non-verbal communication are limited.
We also hold weekly meetings with the whole community, if there is a need. Not nearly every week. Staff call and ask for advice if there is any confusion or questions about anything. We message each other on Whatsapp, for example, ”I’m coming to the office, let’s go through something together”.
Schools are shared workplaces with employees from several employers. People at Havukoski School are constantly thinking about how to develop safety and ensure that messages are transferred effectively even in dangerous situations.
Improving occupational safety at a shared workplace requires cooperation, clear operating models and continuous monitoring.
Improving safety requires continuous risk assessment and effective communication. Monitoring by occupational safety and health authorities has revealed significant shortcomings in occupational safety and health at shared workplaces.
At the Meyer Turku shipyard, approximately 80 per cent of the production of cruise ships is subcontracted. Matti Tuimala, Safety Manager at the shipyard, explains how safety is ensured at the huge shared workplace.
