A human-centric workplace is built on trust and autonomy

“Our employees are at the heart of their own work. Our processes and structures are built to stay out of the way and give our experts the freedom to make decisions independently,” explains People Operations Director Sami “Lappis” Lappeteläinen.

“For us, human-centricity means that employee autonomy is protected in every way. A person is not a resource, but the subject of their own work.”

Listening and community at the heart of everyday life

Senior People Partner Janne Järvinen emphasises that at Nitor, employee experience is measured, and feedback is actively listened to.

“We stay closely attuned to our employees in many ways. One of our own innovations, which has attracted interest from other companies as well, is the homefront survey. Going beyond traditional wellbeing surveys, it also gathers feedback from employees’ close ones.”

Every employee also has the opportunity for a personal sparring partner. Kamu support model discussions (Kamu means ”buddy” in Finnish) are held as often as needed, sometimes even monthly, depending on individual needs. In addition to work-related topics, these discussions address broader aspects of wellbeing, reflecting Nitor’s commitment to a holistic approach.

“The employee–client relationship is also important to us, as many of our consultants work as part of the client’s team. We believe that clients should feel they have a real person working with them, not just a machine producing code. That’s why, in recruitment, we emphasise interpersonal skills and the ability to handle challenging situations. We’re proud of every Nitorian – not just for their technical skills, but for how they interact with others,” Lappis adds.

Minimal hierarchy – support, not suppression

At Nitor, leadership is deliberately decentralised. According to Lappis and Janne, the IT sector has always had a certain, lightly anarchistic aversion to top-down management.

“We don’t rely on a single manager to handle everything. Support comes from many directions, and hierarchies are kept as flat as possible. The aim is to support, not to stifle,” Lappis describes.

At Nitor, work is done not only at the office but also at client sites and, of course, remotely. Here too, autonomy is emphasised, and the right balance is found through open discussion.

“We don’t approach remote work with strict rules, but look at things from the perspective of the individual and the community. In consultancy, personal presence is important: trust with the client is often best built face-to-face. That’s why we openly discuss the value of both remote and in-person work and accommodate different preferences,” Janne explains. 

A sustainable work pace leaves room for learning

Human-centricity is also reflected in the rhythm of working life. At Nitor, sustainable work pace is a frequent topic and something we actively work towards.

“For us, a sustainable work pace means, for example, that everyone receives paid holidays from day one, and that we take a long-term perspective on careers. We want to be a place where you can imagine staying for a decade or more,” says Janne.

“It’s human nature to want to develop and learn. We aim to enable this, for example, by offering Nitor Core time – an opportunity to use part of your working hours for personal development projects. People need to be able to look back and see how they’ve grown and developed,” Lappis adds.

At Nitor, the elements of a human-centric workplace are nurtured and developed every day, not least because well-being people are a prerequisite for a successful business.

The HumanPower 25 competition was held for the third time this year. Nitor was recognised as the third most human-centric workplace of the year at the HumanPower 25 competition.

What if work was designed around you, not the other way around? Read more about Nitor as a workplace.