Software company Alfame’s office is located in the Jääkausi section of Werstas in ElectroCity. When the Turku office was being established, the choice was the city’s largest coworking space due to its convenience. How is Alfame’s staff considered and involved in the workplace? And what does hacking mean in the company’s work culture?
The Turku office is led by Sales Director Kimmo Kavander, who has years of background and experience in the operator and ICT sectors. Kavander leads Alfame’s sales and marketing team, tasked with strengthening the company’s market position in both the corporate and public sectors.
“I joined Alfame in August 2022, which is when the idea of establishing an office in Turku also began. It was easy to come to Werstas: I feel that here we are in the right place in the heart of Turku’s business life,” says Kavander.
Alfame’s core operations are software development and the associated automation and improvement of data flow in business operations and various processes. Alfame has a strong foothold in the public sector, with a good example of these clients being Keha, the Development and Administration Centre for ELY Centres and TE Offices. Large companies such as Ponsse and Canon are also clients of Alfame.
Hacking as a common thread
Software companies have an open corporate culture where, at best, entirely new partnerships and collaborations emerge: competitor companies are also boldly seen as enablers of new initiatives. Hacking and the company’s values influence Alfame’s background: they are discussed extensively with clients who appreciate transparency, and through that, trust in the client relationship is built.
“Alfame has recently undergone a brand renewal, and there is still plenty of work to do in implementing it. We started boldly telling people what the hacking that underlies everything Alfame does means and how it is visible in the company’s operations both internally and towards clients. Marketing must be able to genuinely help sales,” says Alfame’s Marketing and Communications Manager Niko Rinta.
“Hacking is self-development and learning new things, and this is invested in heavily at Alfame.”
“For us, hacking is a positive force that drives our work culture forward. Hacking is self-development and learning new things, and this is invested in heavily at Alfame,” praises Kavander.
Learn new things and share them with others
Alfame staff are encouraged to train and tell others about their learning. Employees make good use of this opportunity, as it is meaningful activity for them. Work is done together, and at the heart of everything is moving forward and winning together. There is no need to fear mistakes, because they are also learning opportunities. Alfame invests carefully in induction and in how people are welcomed into the work community.
“We get bonuses for self-development, for example, when you study or develop yourself, through that you learn new things and share them with colleagues. This way of operating is quite exceptional, and we are proud of it. It also creates a sense of community, and people gain important presentation experience. Our work culture also includes joint 'compliment coffee' sessions for staff: everyone gets to thank their colleagues for a job well done,” says Kavander.
Events and community
Werstas has a ready-made work environment with services, which was also Alfame’s justification for choosing the location of the office. It is important for companies to be able to focus only on their own core activities while, among other things, cleaning, internet connections, coffee, and tea are included in the service package. In addition, the coworking work environment offers good frameworks for community, and events are organized in the area that foster this.
“When we opened the Werstas office, a player in the same industry in this area reached out, and we went to lunch to catch up. You can always find company for a coffee break here, and who knows, perhaps in the future we will also find new business partners from this area,” concludes Kavander.