- As part of a traditional Finnish publishing house, Otava Learning is only taking the first steps towards diversity in its work community. The company wanted an external perspective on how diversity could be developed in the community.
- The University’s UNITalent programme offers participating sponsor organisations the opportunity to network with international students of the University of Helsinki for three months.
- The students gave the company good ideas and also concrete tips for their efforts.
Diversity poses a considerable challenge to the Finnish labour market. Changing the operating culture of an organisation is not easy, but research indicates that it will positively affect its innovation and creativity. A diverse work community is also a competitive asset in terms of both attracting and retaining talent, provided that it receives attention in both recruitment and the work itself.
Faced with this challenge, Otava Learning took part in the UNITalent programme.
“As a workplace, we are a traditional Finnish publishing house where promoting diversity is not that easy. However, as a large Finnish employer, we have to evolve along with society while considering our own ways of working. The image of the Otava Group or Otava Learning as a workplace is strongly based on the Finnish language, even though we employ people whose first language is not Finnish, for example, in Swedish-language publishing and digital development,” says Publishing Editor Janna Rintamaa.
Otava Learning contemplated whether they had anything to give to international students. In the end, they decided to become a UNITalent sponsor organisation and see what could be gained from the programme.
To begin with, the company decided to listen to students’ wishes as closely as possible and make the programme serve them specifically. The goal was for both parties ultimately to benefit from the meetings. During the programme, students were introduced to the publishing house as a workplace, with international members of the work community describing career paths that took them to Finland and Otava Learning.
“At the last session, we held a workshop for students where they shared with us concrete tips on how to start making our work culture increasingly diverse. Diversity cannot be promoted without consulting people from different backgrounds and hearing their thoughts, and we feel that the UNITalent programme was one way of making these voices heard.”
The UNITalent group was also visible at the workplace, and the programme was introduced at a staff info session. The aim was to inspire interest among employees who were not otherwise involved in the programme or group.
The diversity and inclusion efforts carried out in work communities too often take place at the strategic level without ever turning into action. Participation in the UNITalent programme is a concrete act and one way of initiating change in organisations.
Otava Learning found the discussions with the group inspiring.
“For us, joining the UNITalent programme was a leap into the unknown, something we got a lot out of. Indeed, we boldly recommend participation for other companies as well, as they are unlikely to achieve similar experiences on their own.”
Diversity efforts are only just beginning in the company. The next step is considering concrete further steps. Together with another possible UNITalent group, the company could work on tried-and-tested practices. As for the international students involved in the group, they are now more familiar than before with the Finnish publishing house.
Visit the UNITalent website and contact Career Services, careerservices@helsinki.fi.