Digital Tools in My Daily Work in Finnish Public Administration

I work at Kela as a Team Leader, and I have more than 20 years of experience in the organization. Kela is part of Finnish public administration, although it is not a ministry or a regular government agency. It is an independent public institution supervised by the Finnish Parliament. My work includes organizing daily tasks, supporting staff, making sure work runs smoothly, and guiding the handling of customer cases. In this kind of work, digital tools are used all the time. Communication, information management, cooperation, and customer service depend on different digital systems and applications.

I use many digital tools every day. These include Microsoft 365 applications such as Teams, Outlook, Word, and Excel. Teams is important for communication, meetings, and cooperation. Excel is useful for organizing information, follow-up, and reporting. I also use Kela’s document management tools and other internal systems that support daily work, decision-making, and the flow of information. Our teams also uses the EESSI system, which means Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information. It is an important digital tool when we handle pension customer cases in international situations. It allows electronic information exchange between social security institutions in different countries. In my work, digital tools are not only support tools. They are part of the work itself.

In public administration, not every useful-looking tool can be used in practice. A tool must also be safe and suitable. Data protection, information security, terms of use, organizational approval, and purpose of use must all be considered. This is especially important when cloud services or personal data are involved. Because of this, many social media and cooperation tools must be used only in a limited way, or they may not be suitable at all for official work.

For this task, I chose five tools from the list that could be useful in my work in a careful and limited way. I would not use them for confidential customer cases. I would use them for communication, planning, development, and professional work.

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn could be useful for professional communication, networking, recruitment, and employer image. In my work, I could use LinkedIn to follow discussion about social security, digitalization, and public administration. I could also share public content from the organization.

The positive side of LinkedIn is that it supports professional visibility and information sharing in a work-related environment. It can help an organization show its work and values. It can also support recruitment.

The negative side is that communication is public and not fully controlled by the organization. A message can be misunderstood, and discussion can continue in a direction that the organization did not plan. For this reason, LinkedIn is suitable for public communication, not for internal work or customer matters.

2. YouTube

YouTube could be useful for general guidance and information videos. In public administration, customers often need the same instructions many times. Video can support this. It can be used for general advice about services, online applications, or remote service practices.

The positive side of YouTube is that it can reach many people and explain things clearly. Video can make instructions easier to understand. It can also support accessibility when information is presented in more than one form.

The negative side is that YouTube is a public platform. Videos must be checked carefully, updated when needed, and made accessible. Comments may also need moderation. It is suitable for general public information, not for case-specific communication.

3. Miro

Miro could be useful for teamwork, workshops, and process planning if the organization approves its use. I could use this type of tool in team development, service planning, or visual mapping of workflows.

The positive side is that visual tools help people see the whole process more clearly. They can support participation and make planning easier. They can also help a team structure ideas together.

The negative side is that no personal data, customer data, or other sensitive information should be entered into this kind of tool without approval. Because of this, Miro would only be suitable for general planning and development work, not for actual case handling.

4. Doodle

Doodle could be useful for finding meeting times or planning training sessions. In my work, I could use it for scheduling workshops or internal development meetings when the topic is not confidential.

The positive side is that it saves time and makes coordination easier. It is a simple tool for situations where many people need to agree on one time.

The negative side is that even participant information can sometimes be personal data. For this reason, the use of Doodle should be limited and approved by the organization. In many situations, a similar function inside the organization’s own approved systems would be safer.

5. ChatGPT

ChatGPT could be useful for drafting, brainstorming, simplifying language, and producing different text versions. I could use it for planning the structure of a blog post, drafting general communication, preparing training material, or simplifying difficult text.

The positive side is speed. It can support writing, help organize thoughts, and give alternative ways to say something. This can save time in the early phase of writing.

The negative side is very clear. Customer data, confidential information, and internal sensitive material must not be entered into this kind of tool without specific approval and instructions. In public administration, it can only be used for limited tasks and on a general level.

Why I Chose These Tools

I chose these five tools because they support different parts of work. LinkedIn supports professional communication and visibility. YouTube supports public guidance. Miro supports planning and development. Doodle supports scheduling. ChatGPT supports writing and structuring information.

I also chose them because they can be used without processing customer data in an open environment, as long as their use is clearly limited. This is important in public administration. The tools are not equal, and they are not suitable for the same kinds of tasks. Some are more suitable for external communication, some for internal planning, and some for personal work tasks such as drafting.

At the same time, some tools on the list would be more difficult to use in public administration. For example, WhatsApp, Snapchat, TikTok, Jodel, or X may be useful for fast communication, but they also create more risk related to privacy, documentation, moderation, and organizational control. They are not suitable for official customer case handling or core work processes.

Successful use of a digital application needs several things. First, the purpose must be clear. The tool must solve a real need. Second, users must know what kind of information can be entered into the tool and what cannot. Third, the organization must approve the tool and give clear instructions. In public administration, an employee cannot simply start using any application that seems helpful. Fourth, the tool must be easy enough to use. If it is too complicated, people may not use it properly. Fifth, staff need training and support. Even a good tool does not bring benefits if people do not know how to use it. Sixth, users need to trust the tool and understand its role in the work process.

In my work environment, successful use also means that the tool fits the responsibilities of public administration. It must support the work, but it must also support safe and controlled ways of working. This is especially important in an organization like Kela, where daily work includes both service processes and responsibility for handling information correctly.

This assignment helped me think more clearly about the difference between usefulness and suitability. I already use many digital tools in my daily work, but this task made me think and focus more on limits, responsibility, and safe use. I think I chose tools that could be used in a realistic way in my work environment. In the future, I would like to improve my skills in evaluating new digital tools before they are introduced.