We already have more than 400 professionals all over North Karelia creating experiences for 10,000 customers per day in the travel and hospitality industry. From one human being to another, with passion and care.
Welcome to our culture handbook. It describes who we are and what kind of world we want to build with our work. Our culture is changing and evolving – and by following our handbook, we can make sure we’re heading in the right direction.
Our work community includes dozens of teams and units throughout North Karelia, all of which employ professionals in a wide range of tasks. So our community includes a lot of different people and tasks, but this is how some of us have described our work:
Our vision is to provide warm hospitality
and appreciation in all encounters.
We have identified the need for change,
and even if it doesn’t happen overnight, the work is underway.
Happy and cheerful people contribute to our journey:
We offer a safe and diverse working environment for engaging with work according to every work task and everyone’s own personalities and comfort zones. You will be supported by top teams and managers. This industry requires putting yourself out there – so dive in, we’ll catch you!
We provide extensive opportunities to build a career path without having to change employers. You can move from one position to another, change units and try different work tasks. Our work can also be flexible if your life situation changes. We invest in the long-term well-being of our personnel, whether it is through employee benefits, coping with work or the functionality of our teams.
Good news: With the right attitude, you can learn everything! In our industry, the passion for working with people is often more important than education.
The work experience we offer is a great foundation for future working life. Customer service skills provide a good foundation for many professions where you work with people.
We welcome veterans of the industry with open arms: professionals keep our wheels turning and have the responsibility of setting an example for future generations.
Our work tasks can be tailored to the needs of the employee. With us, you can continue even further along your career path – or, if you want a more stable position, we can provide that, too.
Are you interested in changing the rhythm of your life and moving to North Karelia? We will be happy to welcome you! We have units right in the centre of Joensuu, as well as places like the national landscapes of Koli and Nurmes on the shore of Lake Pielinen. According to comments from people who moved here, our living environment offers benefits such as being close to nature and a smoother and easier everyday life, even when the work is busy.
We think it’s important for our employees to be able to settle in and become part of the community – so if necessary, we’ll help you with getting to know the area, finding accommodation or a new home, as well as helping the whole family settle in.
Dear students and pensioners, working with us is an interesting opportunity!
Here are some reasons why:
– with the right number of working hours for you
and we help our older friends find jobs, too
such as through shared events
North Karelia Cooperative is the largest private employer in our region – just as the S Group is the largest in the country. Find out more about our shared benefits here.
Our units are divided into small teams, even though we are the largest employer in North Karelia. Therefore, our employees do not have to be cogs in a large machine, but get to be part of small and dynamic teams with clear goals.
This is an example of a career path we can provide
Our operations are based on the ethical and operational principles of cooperative activities. As an employer, we take good care of our personnel. The vision of our travel and hospitality community is providing a culture of appreciation – it’s about small actions and open and respectful encounters with each other.
Common good
Our extensive services have a positive impact on people’s lives directly and indirectly, whether that’s for our employees, customers, partners or other parties whose activities we support.
Competitiveness
Financial success guarantees that we can develop our work and at the same time our entire province in a bold, inclusive and sustainable way. The tourism and catering industry is the top of our country here in the east!
Value-based consumption is becoming increasingly important. As a consumer cooperative and a large operator, we have an important role and responsibility in helping our customers and employees make sustainable choices. We listen to our customers’ wishes and seek and develop new ways in which to take them into account in all our units.
Our responsible actions include:
In our community, everyone does meaningful work. This is important to us. Meaningfulness lays the foundation for the sense of purpose and productivity of our work, as well as engaging our employees and attracting newcomers to our industry.
It is good to understand what kind of leadership culture we create in our daily work and how we encounter each other. This culture map shows how we feel about leadership.
“I had come from Hyvinkää to spend a holiday in Koli with a friend when I heard that the hotel might have a job opening. I fell in love with the place, and I half-jokingly said I might move from Hyvinkää to North Karelia and start working here. Three months later, I found myself carrying moving boxes to a new home in the middle of Koli’s most beautiful autumn colours.” Linda Jyväsjärvi, Shift manager, Grill It
“In addition to the lively and cheerful humour in our kitchen, variety is the spice of this work. In Koli, that variety can be seen in the events we hold throughout the year. Seeing the results of your work and working together with everyone feels great every time. I’m sure it’ll feel just as exciting when new hotel opens its doors for the first time.” Jari Heikkinen, Chef, Grill It
“I love watching the seasons change in Koli. Every morning when I come to work on the morning shift, the scenery is completely unique. Morning shifts are my favourites: you get to watch the hotel wake up together with nature, and look forward to what the new day will bring.” Jenni Timonen, Reception service manager, Sokos Hotel Koli
We talk a lot about putting ourselves out there – but what does it really mean?
Answer: it depends on the person. For someone, offering a small surprise to a wedding couple might be a big personal effort, while for someone else, it might mean taking the leap of transferring to a new unit to work as a restaurant manager.
We know that putting yourself out there takes courage. It is said that 20 seconds of courage is enough to make a difference. That’s why it’s important to choose the twenty-second moments in your life that will help you develop and where you are supported by the right people. So dive in – we’ll catch you!
Take the plunge and send us an application! We want people from different backgrounds to apply, because we know diversity is an asset. With us, you can work in many different fields, and we can schedule you for just the right number of hours to suit your needs. Check out the currently open positions of the Northern Karelia Cooperative Society – note that you can also submit an open application at the bottom of the list.
Check out the open positions and submit an open application here.