13/02/2026
Friends at work – joy, well being and a sense of community
Friendships at work are valuable relationships that bring joy, peer support and a sense of belonging to everyday life. As a large part of our time is spent at the workplace, community and interaction have a direct impact on well‑being, motivation and job satisfaction.
Elomatic employs more than 1300 professionals, which means that many meaningful workplace friendships have formed over the years. These friendships show up in everyday work as encouragement, support, and shared coffee and lunch breaks.
A friendship that lasts for years – Sanni and Riikka
Sanni Marttinen and Riikka Perälä met in the early 2000s while studying wellbeing technology at JAMK University of Applied Sciences. Their close‑knit class created a foundation for a friendship that has carried them through all stages of life — growing into both engineering professionals and adults together.
What matters most is openness, mutual trust and being able to talk about anything.
“There has never been a feeling that you couldn’t say something or that you should hold back.”
Today, Sanni works in internal communications at Elomatic, while Riikka works as a project engineer. Their shared interests, open conversations and frequent encounters both at work and during free time keep the friendship strong.
“We are interested in the same things, whether it’s handicrafts or world politics.”
From a first encounter to a close friendship – Irina and Maija
The friendship between Irina Soittu and Maija Niemonen began in 2022 at an event organized by Elomatic’s leisure committee. Since then, they have become an inseparable part of each other’s daily lives, both at work and outside it. The best part is being able to be fully yourself with a friend.
“You get to be yourself — exactly as you are.”
Maija works at Elomatic as an HVAC designer, and Irina works in office services and sales support. Both are now active members of the leisure committee as well. Similar ways of thinking, similar working styles, shared interests such as reading and painting, and daily communication have all strengthened their friendship.
“We message every day using different apps. And you always must send a food picture when you go out to eat.”
Friendship in Everyday Working Life
Both pairs, Sanni and Riikka as well as Irina and Maija, see each other regularly at work, but they also spend time together outside working hours, for example walking together or participating in workplace hobby groups.
Shared coffee breaks at Elomatic’s offices are, for many, a highlight of the day. They chat, laugh — and talking about work is often playfully forbidden.
“Greetings to the coffee‑table crew!” send Irina and Maija to the Jyväskylä office.
In both friendships, it has been important that the friends work in different roles. In some situations, a very close friendship might even create challenges at work. On the other hand, having a friend who understands your work and shares the same environment is invaluable.
Tips for Finding Friendships at Work
- Join coffee‑table conversations with an open mind.
- Participate in events, theme days and hobby groups.
- Make use of encounter moments within your own unit and across the company.
- A mentor assigned to new employees is a great help in getting to know the team.
- Small everyday things, like coffee breaks, create the best connections.
Friends are important both at work and outside of it. We wish everyone a happy Valentine’s Day!