Employee engagement is emphasised in the development of Finland’s best work environments. Two winners were awarded in the physical work environment category: Gofore and Docrates. Gofore’s winning project was the relocation of its headquarters in Tampere to the new, red-brick GO21 office complex.
The facilities, completed in 2023, were implemented in collaboration with Jatke, Ahlström, and Suunnittelemo. The spaces enable hybrid work, multi-location work, adaptability, and interactions between teams, customers, and the broader community. The victory in the competition was influenced by the adaptability and flexibility of the spaces, as well as the continuous development model in use.
Mikko Östring, Rakli’s Director of Real Estate Affairs, explains the background of the winning selection in Rakli’s press release:
“Work environments and their use are undergoing significant changes as hybrid work evolves. With this competition, we want to spur the development of Finnish working life and work environments by sharing the best practices from both small and large work environment initiatives.”
Gofore’s HQ workspaces strengthening the work community stood out from fellow competitors
Gofore’s Head of Workplace Development, Leanna Haarni, is pleased with the recognition received. Haarni attributes the success in the competition primarily to the long-term and multifaceted work that has been done at Gofore for the work community’s work practices and workspaces.
“At Gofore, work environments and office spaces are developed based on feedback collected from employees through a continuous model. How and where our people work is continuously assessed through surveys and workshops, for example. Through interactive research, we have succeeded in forming employee profiles such as office nest builders, hybrid workers, mobile nomads, and independent remote workers, and have tried to consider their different needs in the development of physical workspaces,” Haarni explains.
Smooth work experience, everyday aesthetics, and brain ergonomics
In addition to smooth work, when planning and creating the HQ workspaces, Gofore wanted to invest in enabling encounters between people. Examples of this are the various break rooms at the Tampere headquarters, the café on the ground floor, and the meeting and sauna facilities on the upper floors with rooftop terraces.
“I also want to highlight brain ergonomics, which is reflected in our space design: special attention has been paid to the acoustic conditions, soundproofing, lighting, and ventilation of the spaces. There are plenty of retreat spaces, and the color scheme of the spaces has been kept calm,” Haarni summarizes.
Rakli Workplace Awards – The chair of the jury, Mikaela Öberg, states in Rakli’s press release:
“The competition entries demonstrate that impactful, employee-engaging, and inclusive implementations are being made in work environments. In organizations, the work environment is seen as an essential part of the well-being of both employees and customers, and there is a desire to invest in it in a versatile way.”
Rakli Workplace Awards Competition
- The competition is organized annually by the Finnish Association of Building Owners and Construction Clients Rakli ry.
- The goal is to identify and share the best implementations of comprehensive work environment development.
- The competition was held for the sixth time this year, with 24 entries participating. The competition was previously known as the Work Environment Act of the Year.
- The jury included Mikaela Öberg from Varma, Peggie Rothe from Leesman, Matti Vartiainen from Aalto University, Sami Laine from University Pharmacy, and Susanna Aula from the Finnish Association of Building Owners and Construction Clients Rakli ry
Gofore HQ in Tampere (photo credit: Vepsäläinen)
