The idea for the culture book was sparked last spring, when it turned out that the different descriptions of MuniFin’s working culture and practices were spread out across different documents. At first, the goal was simply to compile all the relevant documents in one place, but along the way, this work transformed into a culture handbook.
“We invited all MuniFin employees to participate in the work. The culture book is a result of the collaboration of various experts across the organisation”, says Tiina Lammi, Communications and HR Development Specialist at MuniFin.
As the head of company culture development at MuniFin, Lammi has been involved in the creation of the culture book from the start. Through a collaborative process, the MuniFin team distilled the company’s cultural cornerstones into communality and team spirit, transparency and trust, and sustainability and social significance.
“We want these three cornerstones to be our guiding principles in all our work”, Lammi says.
An important role in society brings people together
Lammi started out at MuniFin as an assistant in 2011. Her career path spans more than a decade and exemplifies the kind of employer MuniFin is and strives to be.
“MuniFin has a very strong company spirit. Even though a lot of new people have joined the company during my time here, MuniFin has been able to keep that small business feel. I’m very grateful that I’ve had the chance to take on exciting new roles. We have a real opportunity to shape our job descriptions, and that is extremely valuable for employees”, Lammi commends her employer.
“People here are used to our flat hierarchy, and everyone is easy to approach. Despite our growth in recent years, we are still very much one team and closely involved in cultural work”, notes Jukka Leppänen, Head of Customer Relations at MuniFin.
The single most important factor that unites MuniFin employees is the company’s significant role in society. MuniFin is a small community with a big impact.
“Our work touches the lives of all Finns. We finance hospitals, schools, day-care centres, affordable rental housing, public transport solutions and a whole host of other projects. We help build a more sustainable and equal Finland. For many of us, this is the most important reason for coming to work every morning”, Leppänen explains.
The culture book is by no means the end of MuniFin’s cultural work. In fact, strengthening the company’s culture is a written-down objective for 2022 across different levels of the organisation.
“Of course, hybrid work makes it more challenging for employees everywhere, also at MuniFin, to commit to their organisation and its culture. We are constantly looking for new ways to preserve and bolster our culture together with our employees”, Lammi says.
Leppänen emphasises the importance of inclusion and everyone’s responsibility in culture building.
“Companies can change their strategy and vision quickly, but it takes time to build and shape the company culture. The management alone cannot dictate or define the company culture, but it does have a particularly strong role in creating it.”