SATO Corporation Launches Kesäoivallus Competition for Employee Innovation

This summer, SATO Corporation, a leading provider of sustainable rental housing in Finland, launched the Kesäoivallus competition, inviting its summer workers to identify ways to improve day-to-day operations and customer experience. The initiative, which ran for the first time, generated 20 development ideas, several of which are already being implemented.

The Kesäoivallus campaign aimed to harness the fresh perspective of seasonal workers, encouraging them to focus on optimizing day-to-day work practices. During the competition, 20 areas for improvement were identified. Among these, Leonard Sannemann's idea to automate the recurring information gathering for Service Managers stood out. His proposal, which significantly reduced manual work and improved documentation consistency, was selected as the winning entry and has since been piloted and implemented.

Sannemann, a Service Manager in Helsinki, explained, "I noticed that I had to gather the same information from different places almost every week. I thought there had to be an easier way to do this. A small change can save a great deal of working time across SATO." The first pilot version of his solution has already been made available to Service Managers, with positive feedback.

Miikka Karjaluoto, SATO's Development Director, who led the campaign, commented, "We received the practical observations we were hoping for: suggestions on how we can work smarter. It is particularly great that the ideas did not remain just competition entries but have already been taken forward in different parts of the organization."

SATO Corporation employs over 40 summer workers annually in various departments across the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Turku, and Tampere. The company aims to provide young people with valuable work experience, allowing them to take on responsibilities and contribute to the development of their work. Many summer job applicants have gone on to build longer careers at SATO.

Karjaluoto emphasized, "Summer workers often notice things that those with longer tenure in the organization may have become accustomed to. This fresh perspective is invaluable in continuous improvement efforts."

Applications for next year's summer jobs will open in early 2027, offering young professionals another opportunity to gain experience and contribute to the sustainable rental housing sector.

SATO Corporation, established in 1941, owns approximately 27,500 rental homes in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Tampere, and Turku. The company focuses on providing an excellent customer experience and promoting sustainable development in urban areas.