“Work today is undergoing a transformation, and people are no longer physically going to the office every day. Work from home (WFH) has become a norm due to the ongoing corona crisis and is likely to remain more popular than in the past. That is why Varma wants to offer its tenants the possibility to work or study in peace and ergonomically, close to their home. We are therefore modifying our unoccupied brick-and-mortar commercial premises for our tenants to use, in an effort to make their day-to-day life easier,” says Varma’s Property Development Director Sari Raunio.
There will be co-working facilities in Arabia, Katajanokka and Kallio, among other areas. According to Raunio, the new service gives careful thought to all of Varma’s tenants who face challenges in creating a tranquil work space at home, where there might be other family members working and studying.
“With this new service, our goal is to help our tenants reconcile work and home life in a world turned topsy-turvy by the coronavirus pandemic and where, more often than not, their work station is the kitchen table. Many families might be in need of a calm work space. The spaces can also be reserved during evenings and weekends, which brings more flexibility to the service,” says Raunio.
The co-working stations are intended for Varma’s tenants who live in and around the buildings in which the Kotikonttori offices are being built.
“In Arabia and Kallio, for example, we own several adjacent apartment buildings, so the co-working spaces should be available to all our tenants living in the area,” says Raunio.
Kotikonttori office will offer pleasant and ergonomic spaces to work in
Varma’s empty commercial premises will be turned into remote working spaces with pleasant furnishings, and attention will be paid to ergonomics. Users will be able to choose from a standing or traditional desk as their work station. The spaces will be furnished by Profit Interior.
“Tenants of the buildings in question will be able to reserve the office through their housing company’s intranet. We will ensure via the reservation system, for instance, that there are not too many people in the spaces at the same time, and that the working conditions are hygienic and safe. At least in the beginning, the tenants will be able to rent the remote working stations at no cost,” says Raunio.
She says the spaces are currently being designed.
“We will inform the residents who this new service applies to via the intranet of each housing company. We look forward to seeing how our new concept is received, and we will use that feedback to decide how to proceed in planning the next spaces,” Raunio concludes.
Media contacts:
Sari Raunio, Property Development Director, Varma, tel. 050 526 6886, sari.raunio(at)varma.fi
Suvi Vesterinen, Communications Manager, Varma, tel. 040 555 8029, suvi.p.vesterinen(at)varma.fi
Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company is a responsible and solvent investor. The company is responsible for the earnings-related pension cover of some 900,000 people in the private sector. Premiums written totalled EUR 5.3 billion in 2019 and pension payments stood at EUR 5.9 billion. Varma’s investment portfolio amounted to EUR 45.3 billion at the end of June 2020.