As we bid farewell to another remarkable year, it's time to reflect on the moments that defined 2023 for our Sprinter community. From team achievements to exciting events and new initiatives, here's a recap of our last year!
Values for Growth
During 2023, we workshopped on our values and published these new core values:
Professional: We aim to add value with our work for our clients and our colleagues.
Care: We care about our colleagues, our customers, the impact we can make, and ourselves.
Team: We actively communicate and trust our colleagues because, as a team, we thrive and continuously improve.
Sparking Joy and Wellness
Our Spark community group continued to thrive with a focus on mental health. From open discussions to fun events, Spark remained an integral part of our journey.
In the beginning of the year we implemented an “Idea box” for the company (and made all the reasonable wishes come true). The ideas included new benefits, some gym equipment, hygiene products, a cricket kit, client events, Mämmi party, morning yoga, cooking together, carrom board, and much more.
Month by month
You can also make the monthly list way more fun by scrolling the photos on our Instagram!
January
Record-Breaking Month: January marked a record month for us, setting the stage for a year of accomplishments.
Tili & Veropäivät: Our Finance team kicked off the year on a high note, participating in the accounting event at the Helsinki Expo and Exhibition center.
New Team Dynamics: The model for Team Leads and micro teams was brought to life after the conceptualization.
February
We celebrated our great minds Miika, Samuel and Elmeri for their graduation and thesis work.
Spark, our community group, started their year with a bang: a karting event that had been on many Sprinters’ wish list for a long time!
We tried Indian Dabeli burgers at the Atomitie office, bringing diverse flavors to our workspace.
March
Our global SprintIT site was published!
Spark organized "Open mic: the right to say no", promoting open communication.
We won the Best Entry at the Magnet Awards (Employer Branding)!
Janina, Petra and Petri from Finland visited our Vadodara office in India.
We marked Women’s day and Holi with colorful celebrations at the office.
April
We participated in the Odoo Roadshow in Stockholm, venturing outside Finland for the first time. Should we conquer the Nordics?
Spark explored their creative side with a Paint & Wine event. We now have all the material for our own art show!
Mämmi Party: We indulged in tasting different kinds of mämmi, a traditional Finnish dessert, adding a sweet touch to our post-Easter festivities. Special thanks to Tatiana for naming the delicacy “Overnight Sadness”.
May Day Celebrations: We combined coffee, donuts and yoga at the office, celebrating May Day in a very unique way.
Our India office had a movie night that looked so much fun. Everyone has a Bholaa within!
May - June
The Odoo Roadshow in Helsinki saw tremendous participation, created a great buzz and planted the idea of organizing our own customer event in us (to be organised in October)
The second internal open mic by Spark, "Open mic: making mistakes".
Spark took on the challenge of an OCR ninja course for a day filled with adventure.
We took transparency to a new level with an "Ask me anything" type of Q&A with the management team.
Our support team went sailing with VIP clients, strengthening client relationships.
Summer party: We packed a day in Fiskars with kayaking, glass blowing, cycling, Finnish beers, and good food!
August
Our cycling enthusiasts cycled over 100 km together. Kudos!
Spark got active in India with bowling!
Our India office went to Mount Abu for a day of relaxation and team bonding.
Sprinters from India came to visit the Helsinki office at the end of the month. To make sure they have a good time, Finnish Sprinters filled their schedules with fun activities (next three bullet points!)
Spark went for bubble football, which is a hilarious way to let loose with colleagues!
3-hour cruise in the Helsinki archipelago brought drinks, music, and sea views.
Helsinki adventure: Spark embarked on an Amazing Race, exploring the city center through a treasure-hunt-like competition.
September
We published our own Sprinter Playbook. Now our office guidelines, HR processes and onboarding material are in one place.
We ventured into webinars, showcasing our Odoo expertise and witnessing increasing participation.
Our staff gained insights into the secrets of LinkedIn and social selling through a dedicated course.
A First Aid course at the office ensures our team is equipped with essential skills and everybody is safe at the office.
Cozy movie night at Atomitie: We watched the movie “RRR”, the Indian-made Oscar winner, and tried to copy their famous dance moves afterwards.
October
The client event that we had planned since the spring at the Atomitie office was incredibly successful, providing insights into our teams and Odoo. We will definitely organize a new one in 2024!
Spark India went karting under the stars, and it was Meet who took the shiniest prize!
Spark celebrated Halloween like never before! The meeting rooms changed into spider caves and forgotten graveyards, and everyone had a creative costume on. The Dark Academy was formed to battle each other in spooky tasks, and the Secret Panda won the best costume!
November - December
Sprinters attended Odoo Experience aka OXP in Brussels, with a memorable presentation by our Marko Mäkinen.
Growth Discussions with Sprinters utilized Teamspective.
Cooking in Oodi: Spark took over the kitchen facilities of the main library in the Helsinki city center. Egyptian and Indian delicacies were completed with a caramel cake. (Imagine Chef's kiss here!)
Sprinters of the year 2023 Awards were held and the results are in. Congrats, Tatiana, Miika and Henna!
We had a beachy Christmas party at Salmisaari Biitsi, a tropical twist to the holiday season!
Going Through Transformations
Our journey in 2023 also encountered its share of challenges. The IT field in Finland is facing some difficult times, which also affected us - forcing us to reorganize and say farewell to some of our dearest colleagues at the end of the year.
Embracing change is a fundamental aspect of growth, but it also tests collective resilience. We faced complexities in many fronts, but we keep on doing the work to maintain our spirit and sense of community intact.
We want to thank all the Sprinters that left us during 2023 - we miss you, we wish you all the best and can't wait to catch up in our future events and common projects, as well as all the social media channels!
As we wrap up 2023, we look back with gratitude for the challenges overcome, the successes achieved, and the memories created. In addition to each other, we also want to acknowledge and thank our clients - without you we wouldn't exist!
Here's to another year of growth, friendships and making ERP easy together!
Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in 2024!