At the Finnish Food Authority, blood donation is a valuable form of helping

The Finnish Food Authority began its operations on 1 January 2019 when the Finnish Food Safety Authority, the Agency for Rural Affairs and part of the IT services of the National Land Survey of Finland were merged into one single Authority. The Authority has about a thousand employees all over Finland.

The Finnish Food Authority has its own active group of blood donors, which donated 77 times in 2022. Tarja Katajamäki acts as the contact person for the blood donation group and has been an active blood donor herself for years.

Employees at the Finnish Food Authority have been able to donate blood during working hours since the Authority was established.

“We have agreed that twice a year we can use working hours to donate blood.”

“From the employee’s perspective, the practice is a really positive thing, and we appreciate the fact that we get to use working hours for this kind of thing. Many of us donate regularly, and it’s great that you don’t always have to coordinate it with your free time,” Tarja says.

“At the same time, you can even have a colleague join you in donating blood, which increases our mutual sense of community. In Seinäjoki, the Blood Service office is also within walking distance, so it is very easy to donate,” adds Tarja.

According to Tarja Katajamäki, the practice has a positive impact on the external employer image as well as the personnel’s view of their employer. Encouraging blood donation has also had positive ramifications at the Finnish Food Authority.

“Even the employees who cannot donate up have thanked the employer for this opportunity in intranet discussions, for example. Some of them may have received blood products at some point. Blood donation is considered significant and important on a personal level, regardless of whether you can donate yourself,” Tarja says.