Hundreds of summer workers and trainees are working at Tokmanni – “Our customers across Finland will meet happy, hard-working and customer service-oriented young people as usual this summer”
Tokmanni Press release 2 July 2020 at 4:10 p.m. (23 June 2020 in Finnish)
Despite the coronavirus situation, Tokmanni is employing hundreds of summer workers and Tutustu työelämään ja tienaa (“Get to know working life and earn”) summer trainees across Finland this summer. Tokmanni wants to teach young people about working life and provide positive experiences, thus helping them to gain independence.
Tokmanni is pleased that, as one of the biggest retail sector operators in Finland, it can help take responsibility for the employment of young people and provide guidance in the rules of the world of work, also during the exceptional circumstances this summer.
“It is really important for us to be able to employ hundreds of young people and familiarise them with the world of work and the diverse working tasks in the retail sector. This year it feels like a particularly good achievement, as due to the coronavirus situation we, like many other companies, have been wondering whether we would be able to offer any summer jobs at all. In the end, we have been able to offer jobs not only to a large number of young people at our warehouse and at many stores, but also to a few people at our office,” says Sirpa Huuskonen, Tokmanni's HR Director.
Participants of the summer traineeship scheme are young people who turn 14 years of age or are no older than 17 years of age this year. There are also young people both under and over the age of 18 among Tokmanni's summer workers.
A large number of the young people working at Tokmanni started working between May and June. Summer work experience usually lasts from two weeks to three months. The summer trainee scheme, however, lasts two weeks. Summer trainees work at stores and summer workers at stores or the warehouse.
“Summer is a busy time for a general discount retailer. At Tokmanni, the young people will be able to genuinely participate in various daily tasks. Our warehouse is now a hive of activity as we are receiving, unloading, collecting, and forwarding summer and autumn products to stores and directly to customers. The work tasks at our stores often include checkout work, stacking shelves and customer service,” Huuskonen says.
Customers notice when employees have received proper orientation
As usual, Tokmanni is participating in the Responsible Summer Job campaign and is committed to the campaign’s Principles of a Responsible Summer Job, which help to ensure a positive experience for both the summer worker and the employer.
“We believe in providing proper orientation and guidance and in fair treatment. We want to offer a pleasant, varied and inclusive workplace where employees can be themselves, feel important and have equal opportunities to succeed in working life,” says Huuskonen.
“We welcome our new summer workers with, among other things, a free bucket containing a variety of products and orientation materials.”
“Customers notice when employees have received proper orientation,” Huuskonen says.
“We are confident that our customers across Finland will meet happy, hard-working and customer service-oriented young people at our stores again this summer.”
Visit the website to find out how the young people are getting on at Tokmanni
Tokmanni wants to tell others what it is like to work in the retail sector and at Finland’s largest general discount retailer. You can find out what it is like to work at Tokmanni by, for example, visiting the website www.tokmanni.fi/kesatyo and watching the videos (in Finnish) there. Just like last summer, a few keen summer trainees and workers will share their experiences of their summer job this year on the Tokmannin Tarinat ("Tokmanni Stories") website (in Finnish). Content will also be shared over the summer on Tokmanni’s social media channels and all contributors will be rewarded with a little surprise.
“The retail sector is the largest employer in the Finnish economy and also employs the highest number of young people. A summer job is an excellent way for young people to gain important knowledge and experiences for making education and career choices. It is really great that together with the young people we can share information and concrete examples of working at Tokmanni and in the retail sector,” says Huuskonen.
The principles of a responsible summer job
1. A good application experience
Applying for a summer job is one of the most exciting experiences of the year for a young person. A responsible employer will update the applicant on how the application process is progressing and will also inform the applicants who haven’t been selected for the job.
2. Meaningful work
Through a summer job a young person will get their first experience in a work environment and learn about various fields and professions. A meaningful summer job corresponds to the skills of the employee and is sufficiently demanding. The duties, the responsibilities, the authorisations and the expectations are carefully defined. A responsible employer gives a positive image of working life, which encourages students to finish their studies and to become employed sooner.
3. Introduction and guidance
The employer will appoint someone to be responsible for letting the employee know about the rules and customs at the place of employment. With a well-planned introduction and good guidance, the summer worker will quickly get acquainted with the work at hand and will learn and develop on the job. Giving feedback is an important part of the guidance.
4. Fairness and equality
The young employee will be treated equally with the other employees and will be considered a full member of the working community. Supporting the summer worker is a task for everyone at the place of employment and if possible, they will be offered the same working environment and the same tools as the other employees.
5. Reasonable pay
The summer worker will be paid a reasonable salary according to the requirements of the job and the employee’s skills.
6. Written contract and testimonial
A responsible employer will always draw up a written contract with the employee. When the working relationship ends, the employee will get a proper testimonial, even if they do not remember to ask for one. The employer will give the young person feedback of the work done and encourage them to share their own opinions.
TOKMANNI
For further information, please contact:
Sirpa Huuskonen
HR Director
Tel. +358 20 728 6520
sirpa.huuskonen(at)tokmanni.fi
Maarit Mikkonen
Head of IR and Communications
Tel. +358 40 562 2282
maarit.mikkonen(at)tokmanni.fi
Tokmanni is Finland’s leading discount retailer chain. Some 3,700 Tokmanni employees make customers’ everyday life and special occasions easier by offering a versatile and up-to-date assortment of Finnish and international brand-name products and other high-quality products at prices that are always affordable. With nearly 200 stores around Finland and an online store, Tokmanni is always close to its customers. Tokmanni’s revenue in 2019 amounted to EUR 944.3 million. Tokmanni’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
