Humour connects at the workplace, say textile care workers Vimukthi and Jaan

JAAN PAAVOLA: In the spring of 2017, I was thinking about where to apply for a summer job. My brother worked at Comforta and I asked him if I could also get a job here. I was a summer worker for the first two years before becoming a full-time employee.

VIMUKTHI MADANAYAKA: I’m from Sri Lanka and came to Finland to study textile and material engineering in the autumn of 2022. My teacher at Tampere University of Applied Sciences told me that I could do my internship at Comforta. After working for a month at Comforta Vantaa, I transferred here last summer. We’ve been coworkers since then.

JAAN: We were assigned to the same team at work and started getting to know each other more. I also trained Vimukthi on the procedure for receiving deliveries of dirty laundry. We worked at the same station for a week and got to talking a fair bit.

VIMUKTHI: After the internship, I continued here because I enjoy the work. I have really nice coworkers and a flexible employer. If I need time off for my studies, it can usually be arranged.

VARIABILITY IN TASKS A PLUS

VIMUKTHI: When I started my internship, the only thing I knew about Comforta was that it was a laundry. My tasks rotate between receiving deliveries, operating the mangle, packing and folding.

JAAN: Delivery reception decides which of the used laundry coming in is washed. At the mangle station, clean towels and bed linen are fed into the machine. At the other end of the mangle, the textiles are counted and packed into roller cages for shipment to customers. At the folding station, we fold the clothes to be shipped to customers.

VIMUKTHI: I like receiving deliveries the most. When I was being trained by Jaan, I felt that the job was difficult, but when I got used to it, I found it to be quite exciting. There’s always something to do, the tasks vary and I don’t have time to get bored, unlike with the mangle.

JAAN: I enjoy collecting hospital textile deliveries. I can walk around with a roller cage and load textiles from other rollers for the shipment. Unlike at the back end of the mangle where things can get hectic, there’s no rush when collecting hospital deliveries.

VIMUKTHI MADANAYAKA

Textile care worker
Comforta Oy
Tampere

EVENING SHIFTS TAKE THEIR TOLL

JAAN: We work in three shifts. I can’t quite get into the rhythm of things in shift work. Every week, I have to think about the cycle of working and sleeping that week.

VIMUKTHI: Morning and night shifts are okay, but I don’t enjoy evening shifts. They tend to mess up your whole day since there’s usually no time to get anything done before your shift.

JAAN: I’m not fan of evening shifts either. We put more of ourselves into our work than we get in return, but I suppose that the same is true in many other jobs. I have no complaints about the work itself.

VIMUKTHI: I think my pay is okay. It’s enough to keep the bills paid.

Jaan is my first and only Finnish friend.

JAAN: Safety at work has become our number one priority, but there are always problems with the roller cages. Some of them are crooked and can’t be opened or closed. A roller cage full of textiles can also burst open suddenly on the employee’s face, for example.

VIMUKTHI: Those who handle the sorting of hospital laundry work hard because the laundry is so dirty. They were recently given workshirts with long sleeves.

JAAN: Because of how dirty the textiles are, a long-sleeved shirt is more comfortable even as the work is often sweaty.

JAAN PAAVOLA

Textile care worker
Comforta Oy
Tampere

“WE JOKE ABOUT EVERYTHING”

VIMUKTHI: Jaan is a really great coworker. He’s pleasant and kind. Jaan is also my first and only Finnish friend.

JAAN: Vimukthi is always cheerful. It’s contagious. It’s pleasant to work with him because he’s not afraid of learning new things and doesn’t hesitate to ask if there’s something wrong. Our chemistry is good precisely because I like to teach and he likes to learn.

VIMUKTHI: I like working with Jaan because we joke around a lot.

JAAN: We joke about everything there is to find humour in. It’s our way to liven up the work day. We haven’t gotten together outside work yet, but we do exchange messages on Instagram.

VIMUKTHI: Recently, Jaan asked me to play basketball with him.

JAAN: English is our common language. I feel like my English is pretty good, but sometimes I struggle to find words. Vimukthi helps me with English vocabulary or gives me time to think of the right word. And I don’t need to speak perfect English to understand others and make myself understood.

VIMUKTHI: I didn’t know much about Finland when I first came to work here, but I’ve learnt a lot from Jaan about things like culture and the school system.

JAAN: We like to compare each other’s home countries and cultures and talk about differences, things like how rice is cooked and so on.

Read the article in Finnish!