Sustera Chose Greenstep as HR Partner for Its Transformation Journey

"To be honest, there was little integration in the acquisition process. We wanted to become truly one Sustera, but we didn't have the expertise for such a large-scale change project. It was recognised that, from a staff perspective, successfully integrating cultures and business models would be challenging and laborious without external help. That's why we decided to turn to Greenstep," says Hannu Lankinen, CFO of Sustera Group.

Successful Collaboration Began with a Current State Assessment

Even before signing the agreement, Sustera and Greenstep launched a comprehensive assessment of the current state of operations, which laid the foundation for practical collaboration. To support Sustera, Greenstep brought in Interim HR Director Merja Rissanen along with several other experienced HR professionals. The focus of the collaboration has been on harmonising processes and clarifying practices.

“Of course, it was important to us that all statutory HR matters were in order. But once we began building unified processes, Greenstep’s expertise truly came to the forefront. We selected the best practices and implemented them across the organisation through our line managers – gently but consistently. Now, employees experience greater clarity in their daily work, as ways of working are the same across all units,” says Lankinen.

Driving Lasting Change with Agility

Over the past year, Sustera has made significant improvements. Leadership and operating models have been harmonised, development projects have progressed and HR processes have been clarified. Greenstep’s support hasn’t been limited to Finland – successful practices have also been effectively implemented in the Swedish organisation.

“Performance reviews are now conducted consistently, regardless of the manager, and feedback practices have become more streamlined. Employee satisfaction has also started to improve, despite a challenging market situation and many internal changes. We’ve developed a strong sense that Greenstep’s experts are like part of our own team. The collaboration has been smooth and natural from the very beginning,” Lankinen explains.

A competent HR partner offers valuable support for sustainable growth

A year-long collaboration with Greenstep has brought tangible benefits and visible change. According to Lankinen, Greenstep has delivered on its promise as an expert HR partner, and other staff have also been satisfied with the cooperation.

"I can definitely recommend Greenstep's HR services to all kinds of companies - the cooperation has been better than we could have hoped for. Greenstep has been a very flexible partner: when we have needed more manpower or needed to save money, they have always responded quickly. Their experts have been genuinely committed to us, and we have been very happy with the cooperation. We look forward to seeing what we can achieve together after the summer," Lankinen sums up.