Panu Pankka: Inspiring Work Offers Appropriately Challenging Tasks
CM Project Manager Panu Pankka works at Fimpec in property renovation projects as part of a team operating in heat and power plants. The work is independent, but the team shares information and tasks, enabling seamless substitution. Consequently, learning new things is part of everyday life. In his free time, Panu casually combines learning with his hobbies.
Panu Pankka is part of a team responsible for executing and implementing long-term plans for clients’ property maintenance and renovation projects.
“At work I’m involved in many cases starting from the planning phase to the tendering process, as well as coordinating and executing tasks. When needed, I also take on safety coordinator responsibilities,” Panu Pankka explains.
As part of his job, Panu works in energy tunnels spanning kilometers, where working conditions are demanding due to the sequential progress of repair projects. It must also be considered that exits from the tunnels are scarce. This affects both movement and the order of construction and the installation of various technologies.
“In the past two years, I’ve had the chance to get familiar with tunnel work. I find the work interesting, and it challenges me to learn new things because projects don’t progress in the same way as in ‘ordinary buildings,’ where we might do office space or facade projects,” Panu describes.
Job satisfaction is the sum of the work’s content and the work community
When discussing his work, Panu quickly emphasizes the importance of job satisfaction as part of a good workplace:
“To me, job satisfaction means I can be myself doing appropriately challenging tasks and receiving both positive and constructive feedback for my work. This seems to be important to many of my friends as well.”
He’s also the person who wants to organize shared moments with colleagues amid busy schedules, either during the workday or afterward.
“If I’m not on a construction site, I usually work in the office and can meet with colleagues. It’s important to me that I can talk to colleagues about both work and other matters. And maybe organize some small joint events.”
Learning is a way of life
According to Panu, interaction plays a significant role in the development of professional skills. He says he gains a lot of new knowledge through teamwork, often without even realizing it.
“Learning on the job has become a way of life for me. I know that at some places people don’t receive mentoring from more skilled colleagues, but that is not the case at Fimpec: Here I’ve learned a lot from my colleagues, and it’s easy to suggest new solutions to them in return. In the team, you’re free to brainstorm,” Panu says contentedly.
“These jobs can’t really be learned just by reading from paper; you must see how others do it. Especially in tunnel construction, I sometimes say that I’m here to learn, and I keep diving deeper into these projects.”
Learning has always been a part of Panu. This is also evident in his hobby of learning Japanese, which began at the age of 16 and has taken him to Japan a couple of times. A new trip is planned for the end of the year.
“When I’m out for a run or walk with headphones on, it might be a sign that I’m immersed in a novel or studying Japanese,” he says.
Routines create opportunities to take care of oneself every day
“I might not go for a run so often if I didn’t have something good to listen to. I listen to music too, but I enjoy audiobooks the most, like detective stories, popular history, sci-fi, or biographies,” Panu continues.
Panu is easily exited by new things, and sometimes he shares new ideas with his colleagues and friends ‘little loudly’. He spends his free time casually but, in his own words, is a strong advocate for routines.
“I feel good and balanced, aiming to make each day my own in some way. When it’s really busy, I have ways to guide myself into relaxation. Everyone has the right and responsibility to take care of themselves,” Panu says.
“Routines get me moving, especially on days when I lack energy. For example, a few days a week, I pack my gym gear in the morning. After work, it’s easy to go straight to the gym, which happens to be in the same building as my workplace.”
