07.01.2022 | Harri and Toni agree that the best aspect of work is the freedom to work in the way they see fit. The gentleman duo agrees on many other things as well: both of their free time is centered around golf and a family dog.
Integration Architect Harri Tuononen (on the left) and Power Platform Consultant Toni Pienimäki (on the right) both state humorously that they were once men working in the paper industry. Toni graduated from Tampere University of Technology with a master's degree in paper technology and was working in Tervakoski during his studies. In addition to studying computer science, Harri worked at Stora Enso. Working in the paper industry used to differ quite a bit from the daily routines they are currently used to at Efima: "We always had lunch in the morning and the mandatory two o'clock coffee break couldn't be missed – my co-workers took care of it", Toni laughs and Harri agrees.
Working days at Efima have a different rhythm. Both men are constantly on the verge of learning and doing something new, and there are only a few ready-made answers when it comes to developing new technologies. “Sometimes, of course, it’s a little stressful when you can’t promise customers, for example, when the job is going to be complete”, Harri says, but adds that continuous learning and finding new solutions is so interesting that a little stress doesn’t hurt.
Morning runs with the dog start the day
Harri admits to be a morning person, while Toni tells that the mornings are “difficult” – however his morning routines, such as having porridge for breakfast and taking his Finnish Lapphund for a morning run, awakens Toni to a new day. Harri, in his own words, has “organized things well” so that his spouse takes the smooth-haired Collie out in the mornings, except on Mondays, and Harri himself has time to watch some morning TV before starting the day.
Morning routines at work are roughly the same say in, day out: “Teams and email are always opened first to see what lies ahead”, Toni describes and continuous by telling that he always prepares for the next day by looking at the next day’s calendar in advance in the previous evening. According to his own words, Harri jumps from one job to another, but there are routines as well.
The evenings belong to the family
Both Harri and Toni aim to keep the evenings free for their spouse and hobbies, although Harri sometimes says that he slips with e-mails, because he can see them pop up while cooking. What matters, however, is recovery and thinking about non-work issues as well.
In addition to dogs, both men spend their leisure time with their dear hobby, golf, during the summer. Harri lives with his wife in Espoo and finds suitable courses in Espoo and Kirkkonummi, while as a resident of Hämeenlinna, Toni is pampered with several nearby golf courses. The catch of golf, according to Toni, is that "if you are doing well, you want to come play again because you have such a good mood and if you are doing badly, you want to come again soon to do better."
In addition to outdoor activities with his dog, Harri swears in the name of winter hobbies: skiing and downhill skiing. Toni explores the forests by hiking and mountain biking and fishing. “Having some me time is always appreciated”, Toni says, but hurries to add that everything else is done together with his spouse.
Experiencing new things at Efima
Harri joined Efima in 2019, attracted by his friend, and Toni was approached by a headhunter in 2018. Both feel great about their decision – the best thing at work, in addition to freedom and being able to learn and develop, are the co-workers and the great company culture. Even during remote work, the connections between co-workers have been maintained, which has made working remotely more comfortable. “Now it has been refreshing to be able to visit the office as well”, Toni says. He explains that during the long remote work period he and his spouse have been working from different floors and it has turned out to be a good decision. Harri's spouse doesn't work remotely which has made it easier for him to focus on remote days.
Both men expect interesting and constantly evolving work assignments from the future – and they both knowledge that they have a responsibility to develop their own skills as well. “Fortunately, the company encourages training and learning new skills”, Toni says and Harri adds that he learns a lot through work, because at Efima new things are constantly put to test. Sometimes things go wrong, but there is no better way to learn than to learn from one's own mistakes.