SATO invited summer workers to improve day-to-day work and customer experience

SATO Corporation, Press release 3 September 2026 at 2 pm

This summer, SATO invited its summer workers to take a fresh look at the company’s operations and suggest ways to make day-to-day life smoother for both SATO employees and residents of SATOhomes. The Kesäoivallus competition, organised for the first time, generated 20 development ideas, some of which are already being put into practice.

This summer, SATO’s summer workers were encouraged to pay particular attention to day-to-day working practices and share any insights that could make them even smoother. The aim of the Kesäoivallus campaign was to make use of the fresh perspective of seasonal workers to support SATO’s continuous improvement.

During the campaign, the summer workers identified a total of 20 areas for improvement. Several of them are being considered further, and the winning idea has already progressed from a pilot to implementation. The winner was selected by SATO’s Management Group.

“Summer workers may often notice things that those who have worked in the organisation for longer have already become accustomed to. We received exactly the kinds of suggestions we were hoping for: practical observations on how we can work smarter. It is particularly great that the ideas did not remain just competition entries but have already been taken forward in different parts of the organisation,” says SATO’s Development Director Miikka Karjaluoto, who led the campaign.

Winning idea automates day-to-day work

The Kesäoivallus competition was won by Leonard Sannemann, who worked as a Service Manager in Helsinki. His idea was to automate the recurring information gathering required in the work of SATO’s Service Managers. The solution significantly reduces manual work while also improving the consistency of documentation.

SATO’s own development team welcomed the idea, and the first pilot version has already been made available to Service Managers.

“In my work, I noticed that I had to gather the same information from different places almost every week. I thought there had to be an easier way to do this. A change that sounds small can save a great deal of working time across SATO, as it does in this case. It was great to be able to test the new feature in my day-to-day work as well,” Sannemann says.

Development ideas come naturally to him. His work, and the vocational qualification in property management that he completed alongside it, have provided an excellent foundation for this.

“Some might say that I am quick to spot flaws in processes, but I prefer to think that I am quick to spot opportunities. They should not be left untapped but brought forward and developed further. A change may be small, but the benefits can be many times greater. I hope I will be able to put what I have learnt at SATO to use in the property sector, wherever my path takes me next.”

Gaining experience through summer work

Every year, SATO employs over 40 summer workers in different parts of the organisation in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Turku and Tampere. SATO aims to provide young people with valuable work experience and the opportunity to take responsibility, learn from housing professionals and contribute to developing their own work. For many, a summer job has been the first step towards a longer career at SATO.

Applications for next year’s summer jobs will open in early 2027.

For more information, please contact:
Miikka Karjaluoto, Development Director, tel. +358 20 134 4068, etunimi.sukunimi@sato.fi

SATO Corporation is an expert in sustainable rental housing and one of Finland’s largest rental housing providers. SATO owns around 27,500 rental homes in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Tampere and Turku.

SATO aims to provide an excellent customer experience and a comprehensive range of urban rental housing alternatives with good access to public transport and services. We promote sustainable development and work in open interaction with our stakeholders.

SATO invests profitably, sustainably and with a long-term view. We increase the value of our assets through investments, divestments and repairs. In 2025, SATO celebrated its 85^th anniversary. www.sato.fi/en