Roope Hurting: Warm and welcoming work community ensures a pleasant start

First impressions are special in that they are unique, but at Etteplan there wasn’t any need for a rematch either. Roope Hurting started working as a Junior UX Designer in Tampere, Finland in February 2021. He works in a Design team, as part of UX, Apps and Cloud Solutions Business Unit in Software and Embedded Solutions Service Area. Since day one, he has felt wholeheartedly welcome to a place where people actually care about who walks with them, even during remote times such as these. 

Beginning an employment during a pandemic surely is not optimal, but after pondering for quite some time, Roope did not find any obstacles to mention. Communication culture is very lenient and dynamic, to use such fancy words, and one doesn’t have to wait for an answer. Even as a Junior Designer, Roope doesn’t feel overwhelmed by the talent surrounding him, but is warmly welcomed amongst the veterans.

"You can be yourself with your 'flaws' and 'shortcomings' (which are not seen as such), ask questions and learn. The most important things are motivation and desire to better yourself." 

Perhaps the greatest take from the first couple of months, is that other team members rely on Roope’s views, and his work is not micromanaged at all. Building trust is critical in forming great relationships, on or off-duty. 

The multicompetent design team is very versatile in what they produce. Many, while not all, design team members are titled as UX Designers, but their talents are multifaceted, ranging from service design to visual design. Colleagues’ personal interests also reflect on their skills which brings some extra kick to daily work.  

Not to focus solely on his own team, Roope also mentions that the colleagues he has met at Etteplan have been very welcoming. When beginning one’s employment remotely, there is always the risk, that people that you don’t converse daily with are kind of left out. “Not here,” Roope says, “these people don’t seem to let that happen – I’ve had virtual lunches, coffee breaks and chats with all kinds of people. It’s nice to work somewhere where people are interested in new faces and proactive in getting to know them.” 

The main takeaways of Roope’s story, you ask? Everything is easier when there is mutual trust. A warm, welcome and relaxed environment helps everyone, juniors especially, muster up that much-needed self-confidence. Even the greyest Mondays are easier to handle when you are surrounded by a great bunch of people. This is a good place to be.