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Trust and cooperation make Aste Helsinki one of the best places to work in Finland

Aste has some of the most satisfied employees in Finland, according to research. This is reflected in the Great Place to Work certificate and the ranking in the Best Workplaces in Finland 2025 list. Aste’s corporate culture is particularly praised for the equality between its employees and its trust-based management.
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Sinisävyinen kuvitus, jossa Great Place to Work -logo yhdistettynä Aste Helsingin tunnukseen.

“We have long felt that Aste is a good place to work for our staff. The staff surveys have always come back with good results and the general feeling has been positive from the start. The GPTW certificate makes our satisfaction visible to others,” says Eva Liukkonen, Business Manager for Marketing Services at Aste Helsinki, explaining the reasons for applying for the Great Place To Work survey.

Best Workplaces in Finland 2025 is a list of the best employers in the country published by Great Place To Work Finland. The first step to get on the list is to achieve over 70% employee satisfaction and the Great Place to Work certificate.

Satisfaction is measured through the Trust Index™ employee survey and by assessing the company’s culture and employee experience using the For All™ model. The idea behind the For All™ model created by Great Place To Work is that a good workplace is good for all employees – regardless of background, personality or status.

Aste is the 7th best place to work in Finland

The list of Finland’s best employers was published for the 23rd time, and Aste has been at the top of the list since its first certification. This year, Aste was the 7th best place to work in the category of Medium-sized Enterprises.

This year, VALA, Suomen Yrittäjäopisto Oy and Snowhotel Family made up the top three in the medium-sized companies category. In the large companies category, the top spot went to Svea Finland, a financial services company. In total, 50 of Finland’s best employers made the list.

The staff survey was conducted by Astee in February 2025, with a response rate of over 80 per cent and a confidence index of 87 per cent. The trust index is the main measure of company culture in the survey and is obtained by comparing the number of positive responses to all the responses in the HR survey.

93% of Aste Helsinki employees say the company as a whole is a really good place to work. In a typical Finnish company, the corresponding figure is 38%.

Learn more: Check out Aste’s Great Place To Work company profile

Culture is something you have to do – how is this reflected in the day-to-day life of Aste?

So Aste has proven to be a great place to work. But why? How does the certified corporate culture translate into everyday life?

“When I started at Aste, I immediately noticed a genuine culture of caring. For example, I was asked every day how I was doing. Even today, every day it’s nice to come to work, see my colleagues and hear how they are doing,” says Mari Kesänen, Business Manager of Media Services at Aste Helsinki.

Good team spirit, confidence in your own work and transparency are also a supportive basis for efficiency, a “good work ethic”.

“We’re always thinking about how to do things as simply and smartly as possible. It makes the work more meaningful and creates a positive attitude. The employees at Aste always genuinely want to do their best,” Eva continues.

Both business managers also highlight Aste’s unique product manager model. It not only allows employees to feel that their work is meaningful, but also allows them to directly influence it.

“The Product Manager model is not tied to any particular role or title, but brings all employees together around common goals,” Eva explains.

Learn more: Aste’s unique product manager model – 5 benefits
Learn more: Six facts about Aste employees

Mika Laitinen, Eva Liukkonen and Mari Kesänen at the Aste Circus Summer Party in May 2023 (Photo: Tiia Öhman)
Aste employees in the office. In the open answers to the survey, particular emphasis was placed on seeing colleagues as pursuing the same goal, not as competitors (Photo: Anu Kuikka)

Happy product managers

The product managers themselves are of the same opinion. In a good working community, you can concentrate on your work in peace.

“I think it says a lot that right now the biggest concern of the staff seems to be where and when to hold the Aste summer party,” says one of the product managers.

The feedback from the staff survey emphasises trust and appreciation: people are pretty much free to do their own work wherever and whenever they want, because management trusts its employees.

“One lovely hot day, I ran away to swim at the Stadika in the middle of the workday. My work situation made it possible, and my manager encouraged me to enjoy the summer,” recalls a product manager.

Freedom engages and makes you do your best. The desire to be trusted is also reflected in the open-ended responses to the GPTW survey:

“Flexible working hours and the confidence that work will get done on time is very motivating and suits me perfectly.”

People with the same goal, not competitors

In addition to freedom, Aste employees seem to have a special appreciation for each other and for the fact that everyone can be themselves in the workplace. As stated in one open response, colleagues are seen as pursuing the same goal, not as competitors.

“People are very active and full of ideas. Their attitude, skills and helpfulness make Aste a very good place to work.”

The annual Aste Summer Party has seen a wide variety of themes. Last year’s “Circus Party” took place at the Theatre Museum (Photo: Tiia Öhman)

The main objective is satisfaction and well-being at work

Aste’s employees’ satisfaction is already so good that there is little room for improvement for next year’s GPTW survey. Instead of looking for areas for improvement, Aste is now focusing on maintaining the results and how best practice is shared between teams.

Eva and Mari also have a shared vision for the future:

“The world and working life are constantly changing. We want to be part of the change, like Aste, with curiosity, an active service attitude and new ways of working. We want to take change one step at a time, and here too we rely on our own efforts. Our overriding goal is to maintain satisfaction and promote well-being at work.”

The main objective is satisfaction and well-being at work

Aste employees’ satisfaction is already so good that there is little room for improvement for next year’s GPTW survey. Instead of looking for areas for improvement, the focus at Aste is now on maintaining the results and how best practice is shared between teams.

Eva and Mari also share a common vision for the future:

“The world and working life are constantly changing. We want to be part of the change, like Aste, with curiosity, an active service attitude and a search for new ways of working. We want to take change one step at a time, and here too we rely on our own efforts. Our overriding goal is to maintain satisfaction and promote well-being at work.”

Aste’s Winter Day in March 2025 included solving various problem-solving tasks together, painting pictures as a team and running on a forest track in the excitement of a colour ball game. (Photo: Anu Kuikka)

TOP 3 – Why Aste is one of the best places to work in Finland

  1. People: “There are already almost 140 very different personalities among us, but they are all united by the ability to be enthusiastic and to work together.” – Mari
  2. Trust, transparency: “We trust each other and our expertise, and that’s why our clients trust us. We trust our clients, and therefore trust us, and we don’t tie our clients to us, but we build systems and processes in collaboration with them. Customer satisfaction and customer retention have remained high anyway.” – Eva
  3. Collaboration: ‘Employees are responsible for their own tasks and projects, but have the support of the whole organisation and the help of colleagues to succeed. Trust gives people the courage to innovate and try new ways of working. This in turn increases job satisfaction and motivation.” – Eva and Mari

Text: Minttu Käenmäki, Aste Helsinki

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