“I’m glad that we now have workplace language principles that steer the way we think and act in the same direction. We know that even highly competent people find it challenging to enter the workforce in Finland while their working language skills are still developing. We want to create opportunities to find employment and become a part of society. As the largest employer in Finland, we have a chance to make a difference here,” says HR Director Petri Lumijärvi.
Language principles take everyone in the workplace into account
The City’s workplaces are at different stages of multilingualism and multiculturality. Different languages and cultures are a part of everyday life in some workplaces, while others do not have as much experience yet with colleagues who speak a different language. The workplace language principles apply to everyone: language learners, those who already speak the working language well, and those whose working language is also their first language.
The City’s workplace language principles are as follows:
- We value all languages. First languages are an important part of each of our identities and serve as a basis for learning new things.
- People can come to work at the City of Helsinki even if their Finnish-language or Swedish-language skills are still developing. Everyone must do their best to learn the language that is required for carrying out their job, as part of their work. The language skills that are required to carry out the work depend on the responsibilities of the job. We support our employees’ acquisition of the required language skills. We also understand that learning a new language takes time.
- The use of clear Finnish and Swedish in everyday work supports learning and increases everyone’s participation. We should all be able to use clear language to communicate with our colleagues, customers and clients. Every City of Helsinki employee should learn to use clear language skills. Sometimes the use of clear language is not enough, and the use of selkokieli (easy Finnish), lätt språk (easy Swedish) and/or plain English is required.
- When a team includes colleagues who speak different languages, its members should jointly discuss and agree on how the different languages are used in the workplace. The possibility of using different languages varies, depending on the specific team and job responsibilities.
United by a common language
Based on the workplace language principles, the City is further developing support for learning the working language. In the coming years, the City will offer new forms of support for both language learners as well as workplaces. The aim is to promote the career development and integration of employees at the same time.
“When people speak a common language at the workplace, it’s easier to feel that you are a part of the group and succeed and develop in your work. We want to make sure that everyone is happy working with the City regardless of their background and that we are an attractive employer for future talents, too. We need all of our professionals in order to provide services both now and in the future,” Petri Lumijärvi says.
