I work at Kela as a Team Leader. Kela has many in-house systems that are either customised for Kela or built internally. At the moment, there is also the Eepos programme ongoing, where the benefit processing systems will be renewed. In my daily work, I use Kela’s HR system, appointment booking system, shift planning system, and many others. Of course, we also use Teams and its various tools for daily communication and collaboration.
Five new tools and how they could be used at work
Miro
I have had the chance to try Miro on a small scale. Miro enables real-time collaboration on a virtual whiteboard. It could be used in team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and project planning. For example, during group meetings, different team members could add ideas, images, and comments to the same view.
Slack
Slack seems to be an efficient communication platform that brings together conversations, files, and integrations in one place. It could be useful in project management and speed up decision-making. With channels, communication stays organised. It can also be integrated with, for example, Google Drive to make work more efficient.
Dall-E
With Dall-E, you can create illustrations and visual concepts using artificial intelligence. It could be used, for example, for illustrating presentation materials or for various visualisations. For many people, it is easier to understand things with the help of images. At Kela, we are developing visual instructions for customers, for example for applying for social assistance. Producing images this way saves time and resources. The idea feels quite wild, that you wouldn’t need a professional from that field. Unfortunately, you would have needed to register for Dall-E, so I could not try creating an image.
Todoist
Todoist is a task management application that helps to prioritise and track work tasks. With it, you could create clear task lists for projects, set deadlines, and get reminders. The app also supports teamwork and task sharing. I constantly make lists at work about what to do or how things are progressing, so this could be quite handy for that.
Issuu
Issuu allows you to turn PDF publications into interactive online magazines. It could be used, for example, for publishing various reports, brochures, or guides in a visually appealing format. The publications are easy to share and read on different devices.
The benefits of social media in working life
Social media has established its place not only as a tool for leisure communication but also as an essential part of working life. Its use is no longer limited to marketing or customer communication, but extends to teamwork, information sharing, learning, and even product development. Social media offers fast and flexible communication channels that complement traditional emails and meetings. The tools enable real-time discussion, file sharing, and project coordination. This reduces communication delays and improves team responsiveness.
Platforms like LinkedIn offer the opportunity to build a professional identity and network with experts in the field. By publishing content about your own expertise, you can strengthen your expert profile and gain visibility in the job market. However, there are also downsides: on LinkedIn, being active – such as posting, commenting, and growing your network – can feel necessary if you want to stay visible. In addition, a lot of personal information is shared on LinkedIn, such as work history, education, skills, and sometimes even contact details. While the profile can be useful in job searching, it also exposes the user to misuse of information, such as identity theft. There can also be pressure to increase the number of contacts, but a large number of contacts does not guarantee professional support or opportunities if the connections are not genuinely interactive.
Companies can use social media to reach their target audience effectively and cost-efficiently. Platforms like Facebook enable targeted advertising, brand building, and interaction with customers. Social media has also become an important part of Kela’s customer communication. Traditional communication channels, such as bulletins and service points, no longer reach all customer groups effectively, as more and more Finns handle their affairs online and use social media daily. Kela uses a variety of social media channels, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Jodel, to reach customers of different ages and in different life situations. Through social media, Kela can share up-to-date information about benefits, services, and changes quickly and to a wide audience. In addition, social media enables low-threshold contact: customers can ask questions and get advice without queuing or visiting a service point. Social media also supports interaction and building trust. Kela can answer customers’ questions, correct misinformation, and collect feedback for service development. At the same time, Kela builds an image of an open, approachable, and professional organisation.
Social media also works as a learning platform. On YouTube, for example, Kela’s own channel has hundreds of videos full of information. The challenge, however, is discoverability or attracting interest, as the audience often remains quite small. The content should also be updated as information becomes outdated.
Many social media tools offer analytics that can be used to monitor the impact of content. Statistics on views, reading times, and content sharing help make data-driven decisions in content development. The effectiveness of content can be measured and optimised continuously.
There are also risks involved in using new tools and applications. Using new tools can expose the organisation to data leaks if their use is not properly managed. Also, constant notifications and message streams can weaken concentration. It is possible to become dependent on certain tools, so that if they are not available, work slows down. I see this risk especially with artificial intelligence in text production. It probably won’t take long before starting a text from scratch becomes difficult for many. Using social media at work can also blur the line between work and free time.
However, when social media is used in a planned way and with attention to data security, it can be a significant resource for organisational development and individual professional growth.
Elements of a Successful Digital Application
The most important foundation of a successful digital application is strong data security. All data transfer must be encrypted, and the management and privacy of user data must be in order. Without reliable data security, users’ trust in the service quickly weakens.
Usability is another key factor. The application’s user interface should be clear, logical, and easy to learn, so that the user can find the needed functions effortlessly. Good usability reduces errors and improves the user experience. It is also important that the application works smoothly on different devices and operating systems.
The value of the application increases if it integrates seamlessly with other tools and systems. This enables smooth data flow and reduces duplicate work. At Kela, this is often a challenge, as systems do not always communicate with each other, even if the matter is not complicated. The lack of integrations can slow down work and cause unnecessary manual tasks.
In addition, the application should have comprehensive support functions and easy access to history data. It is important for the user to get help when needed. Clear instructions, good orientation training, and practical support help to solve problems quickly. Also, the possibility to give feedback and use it in development work improves the quality of the application and user satisfaction.
In summary, a successful digital application is secure, easy to use, compatible with other systems, and provides support for the user as well as the opportunity to influence the development of the service.
Self-assessment
With this assignment, I got to know new tools that I had not used before. I learned how visual and communication applications can make work more efficient and bring more creativity to everyday life. The challenge was to critically evaluate the suitability of the tools for my own work. At Kela, the use of such tools is very restricted for data security reasons; the IT department gives instructions on which systems are allowed to use. Because of this, I have learned to be very cautious in general. In the future, I could test out Miro and Slack in teamwork, but it does not seem possible due to data security reasons.