My name is Hgop Rahlan-Isopahkala and I started working at Sievi in December 2020. A friend of mine recommended the job for me. I've enjoyed working at Sievi and have received a warm welcome from colleagues and supervisors. My commute to work is so short I come to work by bike.

I work as as a seamstress at the Sievi plant in Oulainen, Finland. I have a vocational degree in the textile industry, so this this job feels like a natural fit for me. The best things about my job are regular working hours and the chance to work independently. I get to do the same things at work that I enjoy doing at home. I like sewing and often make clothes for my family and friends. 

The most challenging part of the job is the rotation we do between different work stations as that means the job and equipment change too. This is something you get used to, and it also means we all learn a wider skill set regarding the different parts of the production process. Sievi has offered me a great job, where I can improve my skills and I get to see concrete results every day.

The best thing about Finland is the fact that it's such a safe place to live and raise a family. The national helathcare system is also fantastic.

In my spare time I spend time with my family and enjoy sewing and making macrame pieces.

Emma Myntti has been working at Sievi for several years. She started in the sewing department before moving to the Light Boot department.

”As a part of my job description, I sew linings and snow locks for PU-boots, in other words polyurethane boots, and trim excess material called flash from the soles. I also mark the boots and make batch number cards that show all the information about the Light Boots.”, Emma tells while wearing a work apron and pink noise-cancelling headphones.

Working in a big workshop requires earmuffs. Emma listens to music and audio books through her headphones. She is a big fan of Kristina Ohlsson's pieces. Her most recent listen was Mion Blues.

Emma worked in retail before applying to Sievi. She applied because she had heard good things about the company and wanted a regular day job for the sake of her small children.

”The sewing job was a natural fit for me because I enjoy doing handcrafts and I make clothes for my children myself. I feel important to be associated with Finnish quality products.”, Emma states.

Emma enjoys the versatility of her job tasks. You never know in the morning what kind of job task you will encounter.

”PU-boot department workers rotate work tasks so that none of us do the same work for a long period of time. When I need help, I can always turn to someone who can provide guidance. The working atmosphere at this company is great with friendly coworkers, so I always enjoy coming to work”, Emma thanks.

Jawad Rezaei, who moved from Afganistan to Finland, is one our most recent recruits. He has been working at Sievi for about two months. He says the best thing in Finland are the Finnish people themselves.

"My name is Jawad and I work as a seamstress at the Sievi plant in Oulainen, Finland. When I got the job I moved here from Kalajoki, which is a town about 50km away. Now my commute is so short, that I cycle to work every day.

I've enjoyed working for Sievi. During the first weeks I've already learned a variety of new skills about the sewing and production process. I still have lots of skills to learn but all parts of the job have been enjoyable for me. I was trained and worked as a carpenter before, so I'm used to working with my hands. At Sievi I've been given the opportunity to learn a whole new skill set.

In my spare time I like to play volleyball and football."

Sievi's Product Development Tester Päivi Latomaa has been working at Sievi for over a decade, developing her skills in many different roles.

"I started working for Sievi in December 2010 at the sewing factory, where I got to know almost all the shoe models and machines. Occasionally, I also worked with sewing quality inspection. Now, for a bit over a year, I've been working as the Product Development Tester in Sievi's product development laboratory."

Päivi's job includes testing the materials and shoes according to standards, doing quality inspections, as well as documenting and reporting these results. This ensures Sievi's consistent high quality.

"Sievi has offered me a chance to develop my skills and learn more about footwear requirements, manufacturing and materials."

Desireé Fagerstöm works at Sievin Jalkine as designer. She has lived and worked at Sievi for several years.

”I really enjoy working at Sievi because I can see in detail the footwear’s whole journey from a design table to a final product. I can later go down to the factory and see how my shoes are turning out after designing them on my computer. Also, Sievi commune is a nice place to live at. People are friendly and always ask about my cat or how I'm doing."

”On a good day I draw three different shoes in a day. When I know exactly what I want, I do the designing on computer, but more creative designing I do with pen and paper.”

Among other things Desirée for example cooperated designing Viper safety shoes. ”Viper is more sporty and lighter version of a safety shoe while still being safe and durable”.

Desirée came to Finland as part of an Erasmus exchange program. She studied footwear design at Kalmar Linnéuniversitete in Sweden and then proceeded to HAMK (Häme University of Applied Sciences) in Finland, where she met her boyfriend. Road to Sievi went through Open Application. Because Sievi’s working language is Finnish, Desirée, who is Swedish, learnt the language.

”The first 6 months I tried to survive with dictionary, but as they say here in Finland – Siberia teaches”, Desirée laughs. She can speak English, French and Italian. Designer's job includes lots of travelling to fairs to get information and inspiration for their own work.

Mervi Visuri has been working at Sievi for over 15 years and is the Customer Returns Processor. She began her career as a packer, but in 2010 she moved to Customer Returns through temping.

“My work is versatile. I work on computer, but I’m also able do research and learn more about our products. In addition, I communicate with our customers on a daily basis and receive input of our products and I forward them to product development, sales- and production teams.

There are a few dozen customer returns every day. Some returns are due to a problem with the product's quality or service, while others are due to product or size adjustments made by the customer's request or mistake.

“Finnish person is honest. They provide feedback when they feel there is a good reason to do so."

In addition, Mervi also takes care of other package mailings and packing courier deliveries. She also contributes to returns from Sweden and from other countries if she has the time.

“I enjoy my job because I can make customers happy and perhaps get positive feedback from them. I always attempt to make the customer feel good about the process”, Mervi adds.

To Mervi, Finnish work entails a high-quality product designed in Finland.

"If possible, I choose Finnish products because they create new jobs. In this way, we boost the circulation of money in Finland, which contributes to the economy. Being Finnish is great. I am proud to be able to live in such a beautiful country where everyone has access to education and health care, and where nature is clean."