Teollisuusliiton Hermes app revamped: Up-to-date information about living and working in Finland in nine languages for both employees and employers

The updated version of the Industrial Union app for employees and employers Teollisuusliiton Hermes app was released on 21 May 2024. The app serves roughly 2/3 of those working in the union’s collective bargaining sectors. By providing information about terms of employment in multiple languages, the Teollisuusliiton Hermes app supports the diversity of Finnish working life. The revamped app’s language selection has been expanded from five languages to nine. The Industrial Union’s largest sector by number of members, the technology industry, was also added in the update.

Teollisuusliiton Hermes app (the Industrial Union’s Hermes app) provides up-to-date information about working and living in Finland. The app, which is designed for both employees and employers, currently includes the terms of employment for five sectors, serving roughly 2/3 of those working in the Industrial Union’s collective bargaining sectors. The app can be used to look up information such as regulations concerning pay, working hours and holidays.

“Access to correct and up-to-date information is a fundamental right of every employee. By providing information about terms of employment in multiple languages, Teollisuusliiton Hermes app supports the diversity of Finnish working life. At the same time, it allows employees and employers to interact on a more equal footing at the workplace by distributing more and more information to all employees. Making sure each and every person is aware of the law and their terms of employment benefits everyone”, says Head of the Foreign Labour Unit Riikka Vasama.

The multilingual app makes communication at the workplace easier, especially when employers and employees do not share a common language. The languages available in the app are Finnish, Swedish, English, Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, Estonian, Romanian and Vietnamese. The Industrial Union’s website is now also available in each of these languages.

“The main strength of the Teollisuusliiton Hermes app is that everything is in plain language. Collective agreements sometimes feature complex phrasing, but in the app, the information is presented in an easy-to-understand format. We’re still in the early days, but the app has great potential, says Jukka Saviluoto”, Bargaining and Financial Specialist for technology industries at the Industrial Union.

The app was originally developed for use by foreign seasonal workers and their employers. The app, developed in 2022 as part of the TYÖ2030 programme and piloted in the agricultural and forestry sectors, was the result of a collaboration between employers’ associations, immigrant associations, the authorities and other organisations. After the end of the project, the Industrial Union adopted the app permanently.

Key content in Teollisuusliiton Hermes app can be accessed without a mobile connection. With the exception of external links, everything in the app also works in places where no network connection is available. Teollisuusliiton Hermes app is free of charge for the user. The app does not collect users’ personal data and is used completely anonymously. The app can be found on all popular app stores.

“Teollisuusliiton Hermes is a unique innovation in working life. By knowing their rights, employees can improve their occupational well-being, ensure they are paid a just wage and, as a result, build a stronger welfare state for us all”, Vasama says.

You can download Teollisuusliiton Hermes on the Industrial Union’s website here.