Finnish building technology specialist and service company Aro Systems Oy moved to the Ultimes Business Garden hub in Pitäjänmäki in November 2019. The modern, bright premises are approximately 750 square meters in size, and Aro has 50 employees there, working across 44 workstations.
“Moving our Helsinki office to new premises in Ultimes Business Garden was an excellent decision on the part of our company. The space solution reflects our way of doing things: offering everyone an excellent environment to work in. During planning, we paid particular attention to functionality, ergonomics and comfort,” explains Aro Systems CFO Noora Aro-Tuominen.
Highlighting Aro Systems’ company culture
“We wanted carefree and easy-to-use business premises and services. We now get our lobby, post reception, conference and meal services from Business Garden. These weren’t available in our previous premises,” Noora Aro-Tuominen tells.
Aro Systems designed the space from the bottom up to meet the company’s needs. As a building technology company, it is important that Aro Systems’ own premises reflect the modern building technology. The company tracks the usage of different spaces in detail. Additionally, it is conducting its own pilot study on air quality and provides its own installers with technology training in the premises.
According to Aro Systems, the premises help in building a strong employer brand in the eyes of its own staff, partners and job applicants.
“All the improvements are based on our strategy, and our business premises reflect our values. The focus is on Aro’s way of doing things. We put emphasis on leadership, managerial duties and teamwork. We created a number of places within our premises where teams can quickly come together on an ad hoc basis. At the same time, we reduced the number of dedicated conference rooms, as most meetings can be held in the open areas. The acoustics in these spaces makes open teamwork possible.”
A hybrid solution with everyday functionality
In the autumn of 2020, things had changed in many ways from the time of the move. At Aro Systems, staff work at the office, in customers’ premises and remotely. Teams have been able to decide independently on the days they work remotely or at the office.
“Though we have increased the amount of work that’s done remotely, we have also been able to create a functional hybrid solution at our office thanks to the open spaces,” Head of HR Maarit Rantala said in December 2020.
Everyday work at the office has been reshaped with measures such as placing limits on the number of people that are allowed in the same conference space at one time and closing some of the mobile stations. Hand sanitizer and masks are also always available. By providing appropriate guidelines and changing work practices, a safe work environment has been ensured for those who cannot work remotely. Installers have continued to work at construction sites and maintenance properties, and project managers have also continued their work at construction sites.
“If we didn’t have this space solution, we would likely need to manage the division of remote and office work in a much more centralised way. Right now, teams can make decisions about their work independently, and, as I understand, we have been able to split ourselves between remote work and office work perfectly,” Rantala adds.
*Article written in autumn 2019 and updated in late 2020.
