• January 18, 2023

Valamis’ 2022 Highlights and Goals for 2023

This is the fifth consecutive year when the traditional Valamis highlights blog provides a look into the passing year and gives us a chance to reflect on all the great things we have achieved together! Looking forward, 2023 marks Valamis’ 20th anniversary, so it is guaranteed to be a year of celebrations. Without further ado, let’s take a look at what 2022 looked like for Valamis.

2022 Company Highlights

Valamis won awards and received recognition from top analysts

Valamis’ Continuous Growth and Performance Recognized by the 2022 Fosway 9-Grids™:

Valamis also participated in the Learning Awards by The LPI as a sponsor for the category “People Development Programme of the Year (Private Sector)”.

Learning Awards host Claudia Winkleman together with Valamis UK’s Phil Purver, announcing the winner.

  • “We have been long-time fans of Valamis. Mainly because they were one of the first vendors who were truly thinking about data insights and have built this core vision into their platform instead of an afterthought or third-party integration. This means they have the hands-on expertise to make data part of an integral learning strategy; to elevate their learning platform from content host to dynamic and data-driven outcomes.”

    Lori Niles-Hofmann & Amanda Nolen, NilesNolen

Valamis Kept on Growing and Developing

Valamis Established a Subsidiary to Continue the Company’s Digital Service Business in Finland

In January 2022, Valamis established a subsidiary, Haallas, to continue the company’s traditional service business operations in Finland. This was done to streamline Valamis’ business operations and create even better growth opportunities for both its product business (Valamis Learning Solution) and digital service business with separate brands and areas of expertise. In September 2022, Haallas was acquired by Finnish company Siili Solutions Oyj. Valamis now continues its journey as a fully dedicated SaaS business, focusing on the Valamis Learning Solution.

 

Product Development Highlights and Goals for 2023

Valamis transitioned into new product development model during the 2022. The model is based on allocating product development work for three months “cadences”, where every cadence provides new capabilities and features for Valamis. The cadence model improves the efficiency and transparency of the product development. Customers have better visibility on the future capabilities for the product and they can have the new capabilities delivered as early as possible.

Efficiency is achieved by making the development tasks into more smaller chunks that are easier to manage. Transparency is achieved as the product marketing and communications are working in the same rhythm as the product development. Throughout the year our customers have had more transparency. During the year the new development model indeed improved the efficiency and the transparency of our product development.

The year 2022 included many highlights for Valamis product development. Major highlights were the successful transition to the cadence model and that it provided the results we wanted to achieve. The year also included a heavy investment on machine learning. A new team focusing only on the machine learning was founded and the first Valamis machine learning algorithms were released. The created algorithms support various intelligent capabilities throughout the platform. We also saw a lot of new functions emerging in the platform, like dynamic audiences, external learning management and capabilities to use Valamis functions in MS Teams.

In the new year 2023 we are looking forward to seeing new intelligent capabilities in Valamis supported by our machine learning technology and a lot of new Valamis capabilities designed in collaboration together with our customers.

-Jari Järvelä, Chief Visionary Officer, Valamis

Focus on Customer Feedback – Valamis Customer Advisory Board

In 2022, Valamis launched its inaugural Customer Advisory Board. The VCAB is comprised of six customers and Valamis leadership team with the goal of creating a community for L&D leadership to come together to learn from each other, share ideas, foster diversity of thought and improve Valamis processes to create better learning experiences. The VCAB met quarterly to discuss current trends and the overall Valamis vision to further the Valamis commitment to customer partnership and alignment on learning initiatives.

The 2022 Valamis Customer Advisory Board in London at a cocktail making class for their end of the year event.

Customers success stories from 2022

Valamis was presented in industry events around the world

  • HRx
  • Learning Technologies
  • HR Live
  • LearnTec
  • LearningLive
  • DevLearn

Our team at the HRx event in Helsinki, Finland.

Daniel, Sarah and Valbos at Learning Technologies in UK.

Leon giving a presentation at HR Live in the Netherlands.

Our team at LearnTec event in Germany.

Daniel and Ben posing together with celebrity millionaire Steven Bartlett at LearningLive, UK.

The Sanderson sisters paid a surprise visit to the Valamis booth at DevLearn, Las Vegas!

11 Webinars Broadcasted with Amazing Guest Speakers

  • January: The Power of Social Learning: Building Knowledge, Community, and Trust with Harold Jarche
  • February: The Importance of Emotional Leadership at Work with Camilla Tuominen
  • March: Supercharge Your Employer Brand with Learning and Development with Sam Neo
  • April: Career Chat: Democratising Careers with Sarah Hobbs
  • April: The Future of Learning Engagement with David Perring
  • May: How to Successfully Integrate Learning with Work with Charles Jennings
  • July: How to Overcome Management Challenges to Support Wellbeing with Caroline Reidy
  • August: Fostering a Collaborative Learning Culture with Hybrid Work with Rachel Happe
  • September: Creating a Culture of Engagement with Susan Peppercorn and Sarah Hobbs
  • October: Leading with Data in L&D with Amanda Nolen and Lori Niles-Hofmann
  • December: Skills Development in the New World of Work with David Perring

Find all the Valamis webinars here!

 

Building the Sense of Community

The Valamis and Haallas joint Summer Party 2022 brought people together in Joensuu, Finland.

  • “The summer party was a fantastic opportunity to see the company values demonstrated in real-life. In every interaction, activity or discussion, Valamisians from around the world demonstrated their love for what they did and how this connected to the core purpose – a customer lead learning and service experience.”

    Daniel, Senior Learning Consultant

  • “After joining Valamis during Covid, it was an unforgettable experience traveling to Finland for the first time this summer and getting to finally meet so many co-workers in person! The summer party emphasized the core values of Valamis of teamwork and a sense of community by bringing us all together to collaborate and celebrate our hard work!”

    Melissa, Marketing Coordinator

  • “It was wonderful to finally meet my colleagues in-person and gain a better connection with them. The summer party was a great way to relax, enjoy good company, and learn more about other cultures. I can’t wait for next year’s party!”

    Brady, Sales Executive

Spending time together at the offices around the world

  • St. Patrick’s Day
  • Karaoke Party
  • Wine & Miniature Painting
  • Holi Celebration
  • Christmas

In March, the Boston office team gathered in green for a special St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

The Valamis Oulu team sang their hearts out during an afterwork karaoke gathering.

In Joensuu, the popular Wine & Painting -event took a D&D twist!

In the spring, the Valamis team in India celebrated Holi, the festival of colour.

The UK team gathered together for a holiday feast to celebrate Christmas.

Taking Care of Employee Wellbeing

“For the past fifteen years, we have been building an empathetic company culture, which we will keep on strengthening. In the middle of crises, that culture is the best kind of survival kit a company can have.” – Maria Vihtkari, CHRO

Read the blog: Taking care of employee wellbeing in times of distress

Mental Health Awareness Month

In May, Valamis observed Mental Health Awareness Month with a campaign that provided basic information about mental health both to Valamisians as well as our audiences on social media. Using our Learning Solution, Valamisians could participate in a Mental Wellbeing challenge that included daily tasks to improve one’s mental wellbeing, such as spending time without digital devices or using 1 hour of work time to exercise. During the month, we also had a week of social media silence to encourage people to take a break from social media to improve their mental wellbeing.

Stylized calendar on a green background with text: "We're trying out 4-day workweek!" with Valamis logo.

Valamis Pilots 4-day Workweek in Finland

Starting November 2022, Valamis is piloting a four-day workweek among its employees in Finland. Those employees who wish to participate in the pilot will do 80% working time with 90% of their monthly salary. The pilot is initiated in hopes to see improvement in employee’s overall wellbeing and productivity. Read the news on our website.

Enjoying sports together

  • Cricket
  • Archery
  • Trail running
  • Curling
  • Axe throwing

The Valamis Jaipur team participated in a cricket tournament between local IT companies.

The UK team spent a lovely spring day at the archery range.

The runners of the Joensuu team go trail running every Monday, followed by sauna at the company premises.

Testing those sweeping skills on the curling range in Joensuu!

Team DACH looking fierce on the axe throwing range.

Valamis x Sustainability

Christmas Donations to Protect Arctic Foxes

Valbo the arctic fox is our company mascot, symbolising our sense of community and friendship. This year we chose to donate to the WWF for the protection of arctic foxes.

Embracing Diversity at Valamis

Technology Industries of Finland published an article about our diverse workforce and how to take care of global talent in a Finnish company. Read the article (in Finnish): Lähes joka toisella Valamis Groupin osaajista on kansainvälinen tausta

 

2022 Valamis Statistics

Learning together

  • 157 new Valamis lessons and 37 new learning paths in our Internal Valamis.
  • 7649 logins to Valamis Learning Platform by our employees
  • 4324 completions of micro-learning content

Developing together

  • 46 employees changed roles through internal career development
  • 5 participants in the internal mentoring program
  • 7 ValamisTalks – presentations by our colleagues – held during the year. Our focus was heavily on developing our L&D knowledge companywide, and so the talks included topics such as “Principles of L&D” and “L&D understanding – why it matters”.

1008 cans of Valamis beer brewed

1008 cans of Valamis beer Bonded by Berries were brewed. Bonded by Berries is a double fruited sour with a mix of sour cherry, sweet cherry, and raspberry in 1:1:1 ratio. It was brewed by ETKO Brewing in Helsinki, Finland. It is the 9th Valamis beer ever produced.

How did Valamisians receive this fruity treat? Well, this comment says it all: “The best Valamis beer so far. Already regretting I ordered so few.”

Valamis Nestors

Every month, we celebrate our Nestors – the Valamisians who have been at the company for 3 or more years. They are the walking databases that know the company inside out! In 2022 we celebrated 38 Nestors who had 3, 5, 10, or – for the first time – 15 years of working history with Valamis:

  • 2 people who have worked at Valamis for 15 years
  • 5 people who have worked at Valamis for 10 years
  • 16 people who have worked at Valamis for 5 years
  • 15 people who have worked at Valamis for 3 years

 

Kilometrikisa bicycling challenge

The Valamis team has traditionally participated in the Finnish bicycling challenge Kilometrikisa, which helps collect money for charity. The Valamis team had 15 members this year and during the time period of May 1st to September 22nd they

  • bicycled 12 994 km
  • saved 909 litres of gasoline by biking instead of driving cars
  • saved 2272 kg of Co2-emissions
  • collected 520 euros to charity for Finnish Red Cross

Valbo was busy traveling in homeland and abroad

  • Tampere
  • Kolovesi
  • Cirencester
  • Kuopio
  • Quebec City
  • Suomenlinna
  • Cape Cod

Valbo went to see the Ice Hockey World Championships in Tampere, Finland.

Like most Valamisians, Valbo loves being out in the nature. Here he is canoeing in lake Kolovesi, Finland.

Valbo got to know British traditions by participating in the Mop fair in Cirencester, UK.

Valbo and the landmark Puijontorni in Kuopio, Finland.

Valbo visited the picturesque French cultural city of Quebec city in Canada last spring.

Valbo showing our US team around in the Suomenlinna fortress in Helsinki, Finland.

Valbo and his doggo friend Gimli admiring the greenery of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Looking Back & the Vision for 2023

2022 was an exciting year since most of our offices were able to come together as we returned to travelling and hosting our annual company learning day for employees, with many Valamisians meeting coworkers for the first time in person. Valamis also supported the successful relocation of many employees from our Russia office as we closed our operations in Russia due to the war in Ukraine. We were also able to travel again to visit customers abroad as part of our commitment to strong partnerships with our customers, and we gained new customers and experienced significant growth in the past year.

As we look ahead, 2023 is shaping up to be an exciting year full of new possibilities. Our teams are working hard on new product developments, such as incorporating machine learning. We are also working with our first resellers, which will help us bring the Valamis solution to many new learners. Valamis will also expand our global footprint as we plan to open a new office in Brazil. We are looking forward to a busy but exciting year.

Jussi Hurskainen, CEO of Valamis