The communal planning project (thus named to emphasize collaboration) started in early 2023 with Arina, Pirkanmaa and Suur-Savo – three co-ops out of the nineteen that comprise S Group. “I’m grateful for the support of the staff of all three co-ops and the employees of all 15 departments involved”, says Viljanen. “Without it, we wouldn’t have had this pilot. Its success depended on the motivation of the co-ops themselves, and the strength of our mutual collaboration as we went through the pilot together.”
In total, the initial pilot involved around 400 employees across 15 departments, ranging from small stores to large retail environments and even restaurants. “The goal was to see how self-scheduling could work in different settings”, says Viljanen. That way, S Group could identify best practices and areas for improvement. “We wanted to test the system in a variety of environments to understand where it would be most effective.”
Simplicity of the system
This was no simple task. As Viljanen points out, self-scheduling was entirely new for S Group, and implementing it required more than just a technical solution. Her team conducted workshops with store managers, planners, business leaders, and HR directors to discuss the fundamentals of communal planning and establish clear ground rules. “Preparing everyone was key,” she states, noting that the team spent about two months on training and discussions to ensure all employees felt comfortable with the new system and had the feeling they were heard. The feedback from the pilot, which ended in February this year, was overwhelmingly positive. About 80% of employees reported being happy with the new system, mainly because it offered them better control over their work-life balance. Viljanen notes that the simplicity of the system was a significant factor in its success: “Employees found it easy to use. Some said it only took them about 15 minutes to schedule their shifts for three weeks. We were happy with that, because a complicated system might have been a barrier to wider adoption.” While communal planning and self-scheduling had been discussed for years, the enthusiasm from co-ops and employees alike has made it clear that this is the future of workforce management. “People want more control over their schedules, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of that change.”
Competitive advantage
Olli Saarinen, Head of Workforce Management & People Data Analytics, is confident that self-scheduling is here to stay. “Competition for employees continues and turnover is a challenge in the service sector. I believe that increasing employee autonomy is the future of workforce scheduling. Self-scheduling will certainly work more strongly alongside optimization and AI development, but even at the moment we see it as one of the competitive advantages in the employee market. We have made communal workforce planning an important factor in the employee attraction actions and the results are very promising.” Viljanen agrees: “Communal shift planning helps employees balance their work and personal life. This positively affects employees’ well-being and job satisfaction.”
Heidi Viljanen, project manager at SOK
"People want more control over their schedules, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of that change."
Next steps
Given the success of the pilot, S Group is now expanding the self-scheduling initiative. The co-ops involved in the pilot are extending the system independently, and four new co-ops are set to start this fall. Viljanen notes that this expansion is not limited to retail; the system will be applied across all business areas within S Group, from hospitality to service stations. “Each new implementation follows a structured process, including kickoff meetings, workshops, and user training sessions during the first two months. We do this to ensure a trouble-free transition. The project was so successful because the co-ops were motivated to improve the well-being of their employees by using communal shift planning. It also helped in a practical sense that we saw it as a change management project. We didn’t just hand out the manual.” The collaboration with ORTEC has been another cornerstone. According to Viljanen, the expertise and flexible solutions of their partner were crucial in adapting the system to S Group’s needs. “Whenever we faced challenges, the ORTEC team was quick to provide support and solutions, making the whole process much smoother,” she concludes.
Looking ahead, Viljanen believes that communal workforce planning could be valuable for other companies outside of S Group. “It works if you focus on clear communication and employee engagement. With the right approach, I don’t see why other companies couldn’t benefit from this model.”
About S Group
The S Group (Finnish: S-ryhmä) is a Finnish retailing cooperative organization with its head office in Helsinki. Founded in 1904, it consists of 19 regional cooperatives operating all around Finland in addition to SOK, Suomen Osuuskauppojen Keskuskunta (The Central Finnish Cooperative Society). S Group operates in the markets for groceries, consumer durables, station, hotel and restaurant services. The group has businesses in Finland and Estonia.
SOK is a central cooperative which produces expert and support services – such as chain management, product range, procurement and marketing services – for the cooperatives of S Group. SOK is also responsible for the strategic guidance of S Group and the development of the business chains. Through its subsidiaries, SOK engages in the travel and hospitality business in Finland and Estonia, as well as in supermarket trade in Estonia.
Find out how S Group partnered with ORTEC to improve its workforce planning. ORTEC's solutions helped S Group manage ad hoc shifts and offer employees more flexibility. This has led to better employee engagement, more accurate payroll, and improved transparency.
