From bouncy castles to day care – how families are supported at HiQ

Summer camps offer flexibility in schedules

It's a sunny Monday morning, and HiQ's office hallway is full of happy little faces. Dozens of future professionals are waiting for the elevator with their caregivers, packed lunch bags. This is what it looks like in the office when HiQ's annual children's summer camp is organized the week after Midsummer. This year's program included a visit to the adventure park and lots of outdoor activities together. The purpose of the camp is to make it easier for employees' families to plan their vacations since kindergartens and schools are often already closed. As usual, our long-term partner Pilke child care is responsible for the program.

HiQ's camps are traditionally organized three times a year; in the week after Midsummer, the week before school starts, and in the days between Christmas. The program is organized according to the age of the children and there are separate groups for younger and older children. The camp includes meals, travel tickets, entrances to excursion destinations and other nice activities. It is easy for HiQ employees to bring their child to the office in the morning, do their usual workday from the office, and take the child with them at the end of the day. The camps are popular, for example in the summer, up to 30 children participate.

Childcare help in exceptional situations

Sometimes childcare at the office is arranged spontaneously with shorter notice, such as during the kindergarten strike in the spring of 2022. It was a huge relief for many employees when the day care was organized at the office, and the children were happy about the week of new environment and acquaintances.

"During the municipal strike, the daycare for children organized at the office was the salvation of our family life. We adults were able to take care of the important meetings while concentrating, while the children had nice activities to pass their day. When I picked up the children from care after the work day, the first question was: "Will we come back again tomorrow, it was so nice!", tells Janne, HiQ's Software Developer.

The employment benefits of HiQ employees also include a care service for a sick child; also organized in cooperation with Pilke. If your child gets sick, you can call a nurse to stay home with your child, enabling you to go normally about your day. The service has received lots of praise, especially for Pilke's goal of always having the same nurse for the child and for the nurses' comprehensive reports on the day's progress.

Many of HiQ's activities, such as afterworks, various hobby clubs, sports trials, parties and other events can be a difficult combination with small children at home. That's why HiQ also organizes events that are designed especially with families in mind. For example, a traditional closing lunch celebrates the past year, rewarding those who have been in the house longer with gifts and of course eating a great meal together. Vihti Park has also served as a family day destination several summers. The idea is to offer something for everyone.

In addition to events and day care opportunities, culture and everyday encounters are also of great importance to the comfort of families at HiQ. In the midst of busy years with small kids, it is important that HiQ can offer support, flexibility and understanding for different life situations. The trust in colleagues is high.

"The best thing about working at HiQ is the free and flexible atmosphere. It's okay to end the work day early if you have to pick up the children from daycare by a certain time. It doesn't matter if you're sitting at the machine from 11:00 to 4:00, but whether the work gets done on time as agreed," sums up Team Lead Krista.

Would you be interested in becoming part of HiQ?

You can contact Tiina Laaksonen directly, tiina.laaksonen@hiq.fi. See also all our open positions.