Delivering Exceptional Employee Experience from Onboarding to Performance Management and Offboarding

Futurice is an outcome-focused digital transformation company that empowers the world to act and clients to challenge the convention. The Futurice Family has Nordic roots and a global mindset: there are 800+ employees in 6 different countries, and the company has had 23 consecutive years of growth.

Rooted in values of care, trust, transparency, and continuous improvement, Futurice wanted to strengthen its culture with technology tailored to its needs. Initially, the focus was on streamlining onboarding processes, reducing reliance on human memory, and alleviating the burden on the Human Care (HC) Team, allowing them to concentrate on value-creating tasks.

Upon a recommendation, Katja Kainulainen, HR Operations Lead at Futurice, discovered Introist – a comprehensive platform offering automation for the employee lifecycle.

“It became evident that Introist was the solution we needed. It stood out as the sole platform for managing the entire employee journey. By replacing our customized Slack robot, Introist would not only streamline our onboarding process but also enhance the overall employee experience across various domains.”

— Katja Kainulainen

Deployment was seamless through plug-and-play integrations with Futurice’s HR and time-tracking systems, with specific data imported via CSV.

As the primary user, Kainulainen found Introist intuitive and user-friendly right from the start. Setting up processes and crafting messages was straightforward, and the active cooperation with Introist has been beneficial.

“Working with the Introist team is transparent and proactive; we have a dedicated Slack channel where they introduce new ideas and provide assistance when necessary.”

— Katja Kainulainen

Scalability, Efficiency, and Ensured Quality in Onboarding

Fulfilling Futurice’s recruitment-related needs with a small Human Care Team is no easy task, especially given the structured onboarding process. It kicks off with contract signings and wraps up by the end of the probationary period.

Introist allows Futurice to automate its onboarding process, providing relevant information at a manageable pace and avoiding overwhelming new hires with information overload. Processes can be customized based on the employee’s role.

Tasks such as organizing credit cards and access permits, providing tech equipment, setting up email accounts, scheduling orientations and meetings with team leads, sharing essential information links, and booking meeting rooms can all be automated directly from the Introist platform. This ensures timely messaging to everyone involved, from reception to banks and team leads, while ensuring new employees feel valued and appreciated. Additionally, the process models align with official company certifications, particularly regarding access permits and keys.

“Our employees have expressed that they have never encountered anything like this before. Despite all messages originating from the same platform, we can customize them to appear as though they are coming from the team lead, HR, and other relevant sources. Additionally, our team leads receive advanced notice prior to their new employee’s start date and are fully briefed on expectations. They receive calendar invites complete with agendas for onboarding sessions, and meeting rooms are prebooked for their convenience.”

— Katja Kainulainen

Timely Guidance: Notifications and Procedures for Early Care, Absences, and Work Permits

Introist supports Futurice’s Early Care Model by monitoring sick days and flexible working hours. If an employee exceeds their allotted hours, the platform automatically sends an email notification to their team lead, recommending a conversation with the employee. Subsequently, Futurice automates a message to the employee, informing them that their team lead will be reaching out for a discussion.

“The primary aim is to strengthen transparency and trust, empowering team leads to handle challenging situations with confidence. By equipping them with clear guidance and resources, we alleviate the burden on HR and ensure that company protocols are consistently followed, aligning with our strategy,” explains Kainulainen.

Introist streamlines the process for employees to accurately and easily mark their absences in the time tracking system. During military exercises, it automatically triggers reminders to submit the required documentation from the Defense Forces.

Additionally, work permits are automatically monitored. If an employee’s work permit is nearing expiration, Introist can send a notification detailing the necessary steps and deadline.

“The primary aim is to strengthen transparency and trust, empowering team leads to handle challenging situations with confidence. By equipping them with clear guidance and resources, we alleviate the burden on HR and ensure that company protocols are consistently followed, aligning with our strategy.”

— Katja Kainulainen

Tailored Communication: Vacation Day Notifications and Performance Review Updates

With Introist, Futurice effectively communicates crucial and personalized information regarding vacation days. Introist seamlessly operates in the background, unnoticed by the employees, yet they value the timely and tailored communication it enables.

“We want our employees to actually utilize the benefits they are entitled to. Without proper transparency and communication, their vacation days might expire. We also send customized mass messages informing each employee about their available vacation days and the corresponding monetary value. Otherwise, the questions would flood HR.”

— Katja Kainulainen

Moreover, it aids in the consulting business by sending end-of-month messages detailing employees’ goal attainment and suggesting steps for improvement if necessary. This transparency ensures easy access to crucial information for all stakeholders. Employees receive this information directly in their Slack, eliminating the need to log into multiple systems.

When a consultant is nearing the completion of their project, the system generates a notification informing them that they have not been allocated to a subsequent project. The employee receives guidance on being proactive and contacting staffing. Following the staffing process, Introist sends a feedback survey to gather insights on the staffing experience.

Transitioning Roles: Manager Orientation and Offboarding

Introist streamlines the orientation process for new supervisors by initiating communication across the organization, granting access to various systems, and inviting them to relevant Slack channels. Additionally, it coordinates invitations to onboarding sessions, covering human care topics and manager responsibilities. To support continuous learning, Introist automates email reminders over the first six months, providing links to relevant materials.

At the end of the employee lifecycle, Introist ensures departing employees have a positive experience and that no details are overlooked. It manages tasks such as deactivating keys, permits, and credit cards, while also sending out a comprehensive checklist for their last day. Kainulainen emphasizes the importance of scheduling these tasks at the right time and maintaining a friendly and caring tone in all communications.

“Timely communication is crucial in this process. For instance, credit cards are closed via email, as the bank prefers to receive deactivation notices at the time of closure. Similarly, our reception manages access permit deactivation. Introist ensures reliable documentation of completed tasks.”

— Katja Kainulainen

Thanks to Introist, Futurice has not only saved considerable time but has also enhanced the overall employee experience. Processes now unfold seamlessly, leaving no space for human error. Perhaps most importantly, the Human Care team can channel their efforts towards honing their expertise and addressing genuinely significant matters rather than being burdened by manual tasks.

Futurice’s recruitment process is now highly scalable, accommodating any number of new hires without compromising onboarding quality. The company’s values of trust and transparency are upheld through timely and personalized communication. Employees are informed of expectations beforehand, receive relevant information proactively, and HR is relieved of the need for constant monitoring, corrections, or explanations regarding absence management.

“We are extremely pleased with Introist, which has become an indispensable companion in our work. Unlike humans, who may be absent, Introist is consistently reliable. Even during the holiday season, we trust that everything will run seamlessly. Without Introist, we simply could not send as many messages or create such comprehensive processes, as it would take too much time.”

— Katja Kainulainen

Kainulainen advocates for Introist as an ideal solution for companies aiming to maximize their time utilization and automate manual tasks effectively. Additionally, in the realm of compliance, many certifications mandate specific operational protocols. With Introist, nothing slips through the cracks, and it also generates documentation for easy verification and auditing purposes.