Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland Built a Unified and Effective Onboarding Model with a Digital Solution
Industry
Social and Health Services, Rescue Services
Head office
Jyväskylä, Finland
Employees
13 000
Customer since
2010
“We have an obligation to provide sufficient onboarding, and every new employee has the right to receive adequate and high-quality onboarding to the organization and their duties.”
Julia Rinne, henkilöstöasiantuntija, Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland
Background
The Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland wanted to bring more clarity and quality to its onboarding process. Previously, onboarding had been carried out in a fragmented way: there was no unified model or digital tool in use, and the quality of onboarding varied greatly between units.
The need for renewal became evident when the opportunity arose to participate in a pilot for a new kind of digital onboarding solution. The pilot began in 2018 in somatic inpatient wards and quickly expanded to other sectors. Today, the solution serves as the county’s central onboarding platform.
HR Specialist Julia Rinne acts as the main administrator of the software and is responsible for developing onboarding practices. In her experience, the digital onboarding solution has brought structure, continuity, and traceability to an area that previously was often uncoordinated and inconsistent.
Solution: Digital Onboarding Brings Structure and Consistency
The Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland adopted a digital onboarding solution to standardize onboarding content and practices. With the solution, onboarding can now be planned individually based on each employee’s prior experience, while ensuring that everyone receives a sufficient overview of the organization’s operating principles.
The onboarding platform, deployed organization-wide, enables:
- Structuring onboarding content into clear stages, allowing new employees to start familiarizing themselves even before their first working day
- Recognizing and considering prior competence, making onboarding more personal and meaningful
- Using ready-made templates that support the adoption of shared organizational practices
A tool to support compliance and effective leadership
The digital onboarding solution is not only a practical aid—it also supports the employer’s legal obligations. Through documentation, it ensures that onboarding has been properly conducted and that there is clear evidence of its completion.
In addition, the solution functions as a leadership tool:
Supervisors can monitor onboarding progress in real time
Reporting features enable data-driven management at both unit and organizational levels
The quality and coverage of onboarding can be reviewed quarterly or during broader development reviews
Long-Term Development and Commitment
At the Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland, it is well understood that implementation alone is not enough. Embedding the process into everyday work is ongoing, and the role of supervisors is crucial. When supervisors recognize their responsibility for onboarding, the solution becomes a natural part of daily operations and delivers long-term benefits.
Deployment has required time and repetition, especially in large units. Old practices—such as intensive three-day onboarding periods—have had to be re-evaluated in favor of continuous onboarding and development throughout an employee’s career.
Support has been provided in many forms: training sessions, guides, and consultation through various channels. Commitment is most visible where onboarding has become an integral part of leadership, everyday operations, and organizational learning.
Results
The introduction of the digital onboarding solution has brought visible and measurable results for the Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland. One of the most significant changes has been establishing onboarding as a natural part of everyday management. Supervisors can now clearly and in real time track onboarding progress, which strengthens their leadership and supports employees during their early employment.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Supervisors describe the solution as easy to use and illustrative. Onboarding is no longer tied to paper forms or scattered instructions—instead, it is clear, transparent, and systematically managed. As a result, onboarding has become part of organized everyday operations, not a separate phase in the employee journey.
The organization has also succeeded in strengthening internal consistency. Although different units have their own needs and focus areas, shared onboarding structures have provided a solid foundation that each unit can complement with its own specific content. This structure also makes it easier for new employees to orient themselves, as the onboarding process follows a familiar pattern regardless of the unit.
Underlying it all is the understanding that good onboarding is not just initial support—it’s a key factor in employee wellbeing and employer branding. High-quality onboarding gives employees confidence, clarifies the organization’s culture, and lays the foundation for long-term engagement.
“There’s no going back to the old days – the search for lost paper onboarding forms and the difficulty of tracking progress are now things of the past.”
Julia Rinne
Do you have questions about our products and services?
