Tempo advocates cultural diversity at workplaces
In a previous news story, we wrote about the Tempo project and the business course that promotes migrant entrepreneurship in Southwest Finland. However, Tempo is equally involved with other facets of bolstering employment growth as well. The project is actively engaged with helping local companies discover the benefits of cultural diversity.
One of the concrete ways this is achieved is through events designed for networking and recruitment. On 3 March 2020, the Tempo project co-organized Talent Boost Breakfast, an event aimed at companies interested in hiring international talent.
The event, which was held at Joki – Visitor and Innovation Center, included a panel discussion featuring three representatives from Finnish companies. Mariia Bieskova (the Operations and Privacy Manager of Benete Oy), Tuija Kantoluoto (CEO of FoodHR), and Tuuli Suominen (Head of People Operations of Silo.AI) engaged in active discussion about the advantages of cultural diversity in the workplace.
The panelists also discussed how their companies harmonize an assemblage of languages and cultural habits to achieve first-rate results in their line of work.
A wealth of underutilized professionals
It is estimated that there are over 1200 highly educated, yet unemployed migrants in the Turku area. Furthermore, each year approximately 3000 international students graduate from Finnish educational institutions.
”Although the Turku area is currently thriving economically, there is a growing demand in local companies for highly educated professionals”, said Minna Karhu, the Marketing Director of Turku Science Park Ltd.
There are obvious benefits to keeping educated people in the area, utilizing their skills and knowledge to simultaneously boost local developments, economic and otherwise. Several international studies indicate that a high level of diversity, be it related to age, gender, or cultural background, is a factor which increases company profitability. Cultural diversity in particular has helped businesses achieve above-average results.
Tempo helps both employees and companies
The employees have an increasing need for suitable talent, while migrants, especially members of the younger generation, often struggle with finding work in Finland, despite good credentials.
Tempo project manager Jenny Honka states that the Talent Boost Breakfast is an excellent way to bring employers together with skilled, unemployed migrants.
”In Tempo, we work to lower the threshold of creating diverse workplace communities. The purpose of events like these is to educate our partners on the benefits that cultural diversity can bring to companies”, Jenny says.
Another integral part of the Tempo project is to support migrants with settling into their new locations and positions. The project strives to improve the migrants’ commitment to the local region and workplaces. This also necessitates that there are companies smart enough to employ people from various cultural backgrounds.
News and further information
If you have questions about Tempo, please contact:
Project manager Jenny Honka (jenny.honka@humak.fi / +358 400 349 243).
- The Tempo project home page (in Finnish)
- The Tempo Project Promotes Migrant Employment (a news story)
Photos: Emilia Reponen.
The Talent Turku Breakfast event is part of the national Talent Boost program, and is organized by Turku Science Park Ltd, World Trade Center Turku, Turku Chamber of Commerce, Humak University of Applied Sciences, Federation of Finnish Enterprises and Business Finland. The event is partly funded by the European Social Fund (ESF).
