Helvar has reached an exciting milestone — 100 years! An impressive achievement that couldn’t be accomplished without our greatest asset, our people. In our 3-part blog series, we’ll be delving deeper into what it’s like to work for Helvar, hearing from our employees across a range of different teams and in different countries.
Collaboration
At Helvar, we work stronger as ONE team, as one community. Our team describe this as follows… “I feel privileged to work in the Helvar team. We have a common goal that drives for success. Things happen quickly and smoothly, and everyone has great work ethics”- Sirpa Ranta. “It’s hard to put in words what it’s like to work at Helvar but knowing that everyone has the same goal, and everyone is willing to push to get the job done means it can seem less like work and more like collaborating with friends”- Simon Fielding. “My best memories with the Helvar team have been when we have planned and executed an event, meeting or seminar well together. It’s nice to see that everyone is willing to help each other no matter how big or small the task is. The Swedish Helvar team is like a slightly dysfunctional family. We can have quite lively discussions but makeup in the end, and we can always be honest with each other. There is someone who keeps track of things and people, and someone who tells bad Dad-jokes :)” – Emely Sjöquist.
And working together doesn’t just stop in the office, us ‘Helvarians’ also take the time to collaborate outside of the office. “There are plenty of discussions over a few beers on how to improve things and share information, if not just getting to know each other more personally” – Nick Boettcher. Things are a little different with lockdown, meaning our employees haven’t had the pleasure of seeing each other face-to-face, but this hasn’t stopped us. “During the lockdown, we have done a virtual drink and chat every Friday evening with people from the Finnish, Belfast and UK sites. I’ve also been able to road cycle and do mountain biking most weekends with someone from the UK site” – Simon Fielding. “COVID-19 has had its impact, but I’m super happy we just got a nice renovation to our personnel gym in Karkkila with new equipment and exercise machines” – Sirpa Ranta.
100-Day Global Health and Wellbeing Journey
At Helvar, we are always on the lookout on what we can do to improve our team’s wellbeing. From January to April 2020, we took a few more steps in our journey towards a healthier us by participating in a global physical challenge. The Virgin Pulse Global Challenge was a 100-day physical activity journey, which started in January 2020. By rolling-out a global employee wellbeing initiative, we could unite our workforce across our offices. With an outstanding 80% participation rate, this challenge helped foster connections and teamwork. “It really revealed the competitive side of some people”, – Paolita Strandberg. Spurred on by the leader boards, people were motivated to get more steps and do more activity. It also opened up opportunities for their people to connect and chat. “People would ask how many steps have you done? It was quite good for the collaboration element as we had teams that were made up of people from all different offices globally.” – Jas Kandola.
Altogether, our team of Helvarians achieved around 150 million steps (96,000 km), equivalent to walking around the world 2.40 times. Quite a mighty effort! And despite the challenge being over, some of the good habits have continued. “During the Global Challenge at the beginning of the year, the Swedish Helvarians that participated in the Global Challenge played some padel and went on daily lunch walks together. I have since then continued with these walks as I feel that I have more energy during the afternoon if I come out and get some fresh air and some daylight, especially during these dark months in Sweden” –Emely Sjöquist.
Wellbeing
Wellbeing is ingrained in our DNA. We like to take care of our team and ensure that their wellbeing is at the heart of all we do. “Helvar provide flexibility and wellbeing initiatives to ensure that I always consider my wellbeing and put this first” – Stewart Turner. “My work is predominantly office-based, so even all the small things added for wellbeing (electric tables, silent rooms etc.) help to support me in my role. It’s great working at Helvar. The overall atmosphere is good (something I appreciate a lot) and, in my opinion, it’s one of the most important things when going through the daily workload”- Matias Sorsa.
Our people are what make the Helvar family so unique. Our approach to wellbeing is holistic. Of course, lighting that supports wellbeing in our offices is our focus, but our wellbeing initiatives go far beyond. We believe that looking after our people is essential to ensure that they feel good. After all, happier employees are more productive, and it for sure, helps us to succeed. “I appreciate all that Helvar do to improve my wellbeing. I am particularly fond of the ‘wellbeing day’ initiatives. My favourite to date has been the virtual mindfulness sessions during our virtual wellbeing week. It’s a pleasure to work for a company where the wellbeing of staff is considered so highly” – Jas Kandola. “From the first day at Helvar, I have felt welcomed by everyone into the family. This company is full to the brim with very smart and talented people from engineers to procurement to manufacturing and sales. When you look at other projects going on in the company, it’s hard not to be inspired to work that little bit harder and to think outside the box” – Simon Fielding. “When I met my team and the wider Helvar team, everyone was extremely welcoming and supportive during my induction into the business. Working at Helvar is exciting yet challenging, whilst also feeling that you contribute to the overall success of the business through your role”- Stewart Turner.
So, if you’re looking for your next challenge, why not join our amazing Helvar family?