Responsibility, learning, and community: working at YTK during the summer

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• YTK

YTK offers young people the opportunity to take on responsible expert roles while still in school. Seasonal workers are united by their enthusiasm for learning new things, diverse job responsibilities, and a work community that involves new employees right from the start.

“It has been surprising how many different situations you encounter when processing daily allowance applications and how many different factors can affect eligibility for the daily allowance. The variety of cases and the responsibility of the role make the work truly interesting and rewarding,” says Siiri Vaahersalo.

She is studying law at the University of Turku and started as a seasonal employee at YTK in May.

This summer, there are a total of about 30 seasonal workers. Ten of them are completely new, and the others have continued from previous summers as part-time hourly workers.

“It’s been great to see how people-oriented the work is here. I immediately got the impression of a warm, customer-focused, and development-oriented environment,” says Anna Viitanen, who is studying social sciences at the University of Turku and also started at YTK this summer.

We are genuinely committed to onboarding

The duties associated with unemployment benefits require a relatively lengthy onboarding process, and skills are acquired primarily through hands-on work.

“Our seasonal employees are mainly college students for whom the job provides a valuable practical perspective on topics they’ve studied in theory. For many, YTK is their first job in their field, and they may end up staying with us for several years,” says HR Director Anne Pihlava.

Processing daily allowance claims requires precision and versatile skills. That is why high-quality onboarding is important.

“I dare say that comprehensive onboarding is one of our points of pride,” Pihlava continues.

Summer employees have also noticed this.

“I had a good first impression even before starting work, but my expectations have been exceeded right from the start. There’s a really warm, caring, and relaxed atmosphere here, and it’s easy to ask for help,” says Siiri Vaahersalo.

Summer employees are part of the work community

At YTK, summer employees are viewed as equal members of the work community from day one.

“Summer workers participate in training, community activities, and various work groups just like other employees,” says Anne Pihlava.

Summer workers also join the management team for coffee breaks. During these discussions, the young people get to share their experiences of working life and YTK as a workplace.

“We want to offer every young person an inspiring work community that supports their personal development. Many have also found friendships here that will last well into the future.”

The positive work atmosphere is also evident in the fact that many end up applying to YTK based on recommendations from friends.

“I decided to apply for a job when a friend recommended the place. I also knew people from my student association who praised the work atmosphere and the job description,” says Siiri Vaahersalo.

Anna Viitanen also heard good things about YTK from a fellow student.

“What appealed to me in particular was that the team spirit was highly praised and that the work can be done well alongside my studies.”

So, what are you looking forward to this summer, Siiri and Anna?

“Learning new things, deepening my expertise, and getting into a work routine. Outside of work, I’m looking forward to warm summer days, spending the summer in Turku, and the World Cup!” says Siiri.

“In addition to good weather, time at the cottage, and festivals, I’m looking forward to gaining more confidence in my work and diving even deeper into application processing. I’m also looking forward to the coming days at the Turku and Loimaa offices, because the people who work here are absolutely amazing and bring sunshine to our workdays!” adds Anna.