AAVALABS behind the scenes - How do we work?

As some of you may already know, the AAVALABS team works completely remotely - in other words, we don't have a fixed office location. In this blog post, we would like to give you an insight into our everyday life at AAVALABS.

The AAVALABS team works 100% remotely.

The AAVALABS team works 100% remotely. AAVALABS was founded in Finland in 2011 and has grown from a small family business started by our founder Otso Kääriäinen and his mother to an international company with team members around the globe.

We firmly believe that remote working models are the future. For our team, working remotely has many advantages.

6 Reasons Why We Embrace Remote Work

• Freedom

The AAVALABS team enjoys the freedom to choose its location. The only requirement is a reliable Wi-Fi connection during office hours. Our team has worked in a snowy log cabin in Lapland, in Cape Town and in the mountains of La Paz, Bolivia. Thanks to this flexibility, we can use our mobile office wherever we are. For us, freedom doesn't just mean independence of location, but also freedom in other areas of life. Our team is made up of free thinkers who prefer not to be restricted by a traditional office environment.

• Flexibility

Remote working offers a lot of flexibility in daily life. As there are no long commutes and the ‘office’ is always within reach, there is more time for family and hobbies. This flexibility makes it easier to integrate activities such as sport and leisure into the working day. In a conventional office, it is unusual to drink Bulletproof coffee, do sport or swim in the pool during your lunch break. At Team AAVA, such activities are part of the daily routine 😉 .

• Work-Life Balance

 

We believe that remote working is the key to a better work-life balance, which is at the centre of our philosophy at AAVALABS. The ability to choose your own work location and have more control over your working day promotes a better life balance. We don't wait for the weekend to enjoy life. Instead, we build weekend activities into our daily schedule, enhancing both our work and personal lives.

• Advantages to Working at Home

Working from home has numerous advantages that contribute significantly to our overall satisfaction. For example, working from home eliminates the daily commute and leaves more time for personal activities and family. It also provides a personal working environment where employees can optimise their workplace for comfort and productivity. Teleworking can also lead to less stress and a more balanced lifestyle as employees have more control over their daily routine and working hours.

• Wanderlust

Our diverse team at AAVALABS is united by a love of travelling, an active lifestyle and a focus on health. Our motto is: The world is our home. This love of travelling is a fundamental part of our culture and helps us to experience work from afar.

 

• Happiness

One of the core values of AAVALABS is happiness. By working remotely, we can better cater to our individual needs, which leads to greater happiness and satisfaction. The ability to seamlessly connect our work life and personal life contributes to our overall happiness.

The Importance of Structures and Communication

The AAVALABS team is spread across Asia, Australia, Europe and South America, and many of us are frequently travelling. To ensure smooth operations, we rely on well-established processes and systems.

We use various tools to organise our work as a location-independent team, including

• Google G Suite
• Asana
• Slack
• Loom
• Calendly

However, our most important tool is and remains communication. We talk on the phone every week to discuss everything from marketing to logistics, and we maintain a friendly, collegial atmosphere through weekly group discussions in which we share weekend plans and personal news. AAVALABS workshops - the highlight of the year.

AAVALABS Workations – The Highlight of the Year

Our annual work trips are the highlight of the year. The whole team gathers in one place - in summer we enjoy the beautiful nature of Finland, and in winter we often choose a sunny destination. In 2019 we met in Finland and Cape Town, and in 2022 in Madrid.

These workations involve intensive work and planning, but also offer plenty of time for excursions, outdoor activities, eating and socialising. The focus is on team building. As we don't regularly meet face-to-face, these meetings are a fantastic opportunity to socialise away from the screen. At our last workation in Madrid, we didn't use digital devices for a week to fully enjoy the city and time with our colleagues. Despite our love of technology, a digital detox is incredibly refreshing!