Granlund’s employee satisfaction based on a strong corporate culture

Over the past 10 years, the number of Granlund employees has nearly tripled. At the same time, employee satisfaction has steadily remained at a superb level (overall satisfaction of 95% in 2021, 2019, 2017 and 2015).

“We use two super important indicators: employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction,” says Pekka Metsi, CEO, Granlund.

“When these two key indicators are in order, usually everything else is also fine. When it comes to expert work, employee satisfaction is at the core of everything, and it is also reflected in customer satisfaction,” adds Metsi.

We use two super important indicators: employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction.

Pekka Metsi, CEO, Granlund

For Metsi, the result is particularly good taking into consideration the weak market situation that has been undermining the real estate and construction sector for a long time as well as changes taking place in Granlund’s own operations.

“Last autumn, we made a major organisational change, merging all of our Finnish companies into one Granlund. We were not immune to the market situation, which meant that we had to make some local adjustments. According to the survey, Granlund employees are happy irrespective of the changes.”

A good boss shows appreciation and trust

According to Metsi, employee satisfaction is created through appreciation and trust. 91% of Granlund employees feel that they have been accepted as part of the working community, while 84% feel that Granlund has a genuinely caring culture where you help a friend when they need it. According to 78%, everyone is treated equally within the work community.

“In our company, a CEO or business manager is no more important than, say, an HVAC designer or energy consultant. Of course, there are slight differences in the individual requirements, but the system needs to work as a whole in order for us to be successful – and achieve such fantastic results.”

Metsi is especially thrilled about the excellent reviews regarding the work of supervisors. Granlund employees gave their supervisors a rating of 4.22 (on a scale of 1–5). 82% of respondents are happy with the work of supervisors. 90% of respondents feel that their supervisor values the members of their team as people, not just as employees.

“We have 157 line managers, and this feedback is really touching. We value people as human beings and understand different situations in life. We are flexible when necessary: some can invest more time in working than others and sometimes your family and free time may require more attention. Respect and a human touch are an important part of Granlund’s culture.”

Shared responsibility and a low hierarchy

At Granlund, management is based on trust, a low hierarchy and local decision-making.

“Granlund’s Plan G+ strategy informs the big picture, within which the business units plan their own operations, set their own goals and draw up their own budgets. The responsibility is shared because we have full faith that our teams are the best at doing what they do,” says Metsi. 

The trust is also evident in the fact that there are minimal reporting obligations at the organisational level.

“Our operations are based on trust and active communication between people. We choose the right people for the right places and then we place our trust in them. Of course, we adhere to the laws of business. When the going gets tough, the management is there to provide support.”

Aiming for internationalisation

In line with the strategy that was updated last year, Granlund is increasingly aiming for internationalisation, which has created slight concern amongst some employees. In Metsi’s view, this may have been a factor in the rating received by senior management, which dropped from 4.03 to 3.85.

“Confidence in the activities of senior management has slightly declined. Our internationalisation efforts create a seed of suspicion in some employees, which is only natural. In this, as in everything, we strive to act wisely in the best interests of the company and avoid risks,” says Metsi.

This year, Granlund also changed its performance bonus model. The performance bonus model still applies to all employees but, in the future, it will be more closely linked to the performance of business operations. The rating for the fairness of the bonus system dropped from 3.51 to 3.31.

“I would say that our performance bonus model is still the best in the industry as each employee has the chance to get a performance bonus regardless of their role. Of course, in order to get a performance bonus, you have to meet the performance targets,” says Metsi.

Development areas highlighted in the personnel survey

The regular personnel survey always reveals some targets of improvement. Based on previous studies, Granlund has developed, e.g. onboarding, which is now reflected in the results. The onboarding rating increased from 3.56 to 3.86.

As always, this year’s survey will be closely studied by management in order to improve operations.

“Although most Granlund employees were satisfied with the big picture, a closer look reveals differences between business units and departments. We will address these differences more closely so that we can make Granlund the best workplace for each Granlund employee,” says Metsi. 

Granlund’s personnel survey was conducted between 18 March and 29 March 2024. 1,102  or 77% of Granlund employees responded to the survey. The survey entails a scale of 1–5, where a rating of 4.3 or higher is excellent; a rating of 3.6–4.2 is good; a rating of 3.0–3.5 is satisfactory; and a rating below 3 indicates an area requiring improvement. The survey was conducted by Feelback/Go On Group.

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