Voimatel improved employee satisfaction with Dimex workwear

Voimatel builds infrastructure critical to security of supply while also building a community with people at its heart. “We are also building a community, guided by the principle that people are our greatest asset. If our people are not doing well, Voimatel cannot do well either,” says Mikko Heinonen, CEO of Voimatel.

Asfalttikallion perämies Jussi Peltomäen mukaan Dimexin vaatteet vastaavat hyvin heidän työnsä tarpeisiin. ”Työvaatteissa on tärkeää, että ne on hengittävät, kevyet, joustavat ja hyvät päällä, kun työ on fyysistä ja lämmintä. Työvaatteissa on eroja, ei kaikki ole samanlaisia. Dimexin vaatteissa on kevyet materiaalit ja hyvät taskut – kaikki on kyllä hyvin,” Peltomäki jatkaa.

A few years ago, the company set out to find a solution to a long-standing question: How could it solve the workwear challenge for nearly a thousand employees?

The catalyst was direct and forceful feedback from installers, sent by email to the entire company. The message, aimed particularly at management, was clear: “Try putting on the flame-resistant clothing intended for installers in the summer heat and doing a full day’s work in it. Then tell us how it feels,” recalls Jari Parviainen, a telecommunications installer at Voimatel.

Voimatel took the feedback seriously. “Our installers had a problem – we recognized their dissatisfaction. At the same time, it gave us an excellent opportunity to review our workwear risk assessment and costs. We began to consider whether improving job satisfaction could create a business case where costs would come down and productivity would improve,” Heinonen says.

Voimatel conducted a competitive tendering process and chose Dimex, with whom it also found a strong alignment in values. “Our strategy includes a defined sustainability programme, which was also an important part of this process. The same applies to our partners – our values need to go hand in hand. With Dimex, they did,” Heinonen says.

Dimex is a specialist in heavy-duty workwear that also aims to be the best possible partner for its customers. The collaboration was therefore about much more than simply purchasing workwear. It covered the entire process: risk assessment, design, selecting different garments for different types of work, fitting, wear testing, procurement, storage, labelling and laundry services. As part of the collaboration, the decision was also made to create a dedicated workwear collection for women.