The University of Turku is a responsible employer where meaningful work, multidisciplinary expertise and an international environment come together. Its role as an employer is guided by shared values of creativity, openness, ethical principles, critical thinking and a strong sense of community. These are reflected both in everyday interaction and in the way research, teaching and services are developed.
In our daily activities, we are committed to creating a positive and inclusive work environment with a strong focus on professional development opportunities, good work-life balance, high-quality leadership, and a culture that emphasises equality, accessibility and sustainability. The development work carried out around these themes is reflected in the 2025 wellbeing survey, in which our results were excellent (scale 1–5):
- Our job satisfaction index was 4.08.
- Supervisor work was rated at 4.10, demonstrating supervisors’ ability to support and to have an open communication in an everyday work situation.
- The competence, learning and renewal index reached 4.24, indicating that staff perceive development opportunities as strong and feel the organisation equips them well to learn new skills and respond to ongoing changes in the work environment.
- The equality, equity, diversity and inclusion index of 4.07 shows that employees experience our workplace atmosphere as fair and respectful, and where everyone has the opportunity to be heard and recognised as themselves.
Inspiring work environment and community
The University of Turku offers meaningful and inspiring employment opportunities in a community that supports and values professional development. Our working environment is stimulating, supportive and collegial.
We offer excellent conditions for ground-breaking interdisciplinary research and making the results available for the benefit of society. Globally competitive innovations and inventions are created from our research, and we are a strong advocate for open science as a way to promote responsible science and the impact of science in society.
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Our strategic research and education profiles
Our research and work environments are high in quality and engaging. We offer our researchers the latest technologies, equipment and materials as well as expert support services. The digital working environment and culture at our University are modern and user-oriented.
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The University of Turku is committed to promoting a culture of respect, equality, accessibility and openness. In our daily operations, we emphasise participation and communality. This means that individuals from diverse backgrounds are welcomed and valued, and that everyone has the opportunity to contribute to a positive and collaborative work environment.
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Sustainable development is a cross-cutting theme in the University of Turku strategy. Our objective is to develop an operational culture in which the principles of sustainable development are embedded and realised in our education, research, social interaction and in the everyday everyday activities on our campuses. We are committed to being carbon neutral by the end of 2025 and monitor the realisation of this goal on an annual basis. We have also launched an Action Plan for Sustainable Campus Life which aims to develop everyday life at our campuses in a way that aligns with the principles of sustainable development.
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Sustainable development at the University of Turku
The University of Turku was awarded with the recognition for pioneering work in sustainable commuting for 2025. The recognition, called Työmatkaliikkumisen edelläkulkija -tunnustus in Finnish, is awarded to an organisation that has shown particular commitment, passion and innovation in promoting sustainable commuting. The award was given by the Adults on the Move programme funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom. The development of commuting will continue at the University, based on feedback collected from the University community.
Health and well-being
The well-being of our University community is the basis of our success and one of the cornerstones of our strategy.
We ensure well-functioning everyday life for our University community and the well-being of individuals with extensive and accessible services. Our unique Study and Work Well-being Services unit coordinates and develops methods and practices to make the University of Turku the best possible working and studying environment for everybody.
As outlined in our International Programme, services supporting well-being take into consideration the needs of people coming from different cultural backgrounds.
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The occupational health care services paid by the employer are available for all those employed by the University of Turku regardless of the length or type of their employment.
CampusSport offers sports services for the students and staff of the higher education institutions in Turku. All employees of the University of Turku are entitled to use the services at a personnel price.
We support our personnel by offering a variety of flexible work arrangements that support work-life balance and enable employees to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances and needs.
Remote work arrangements allow our employees to work remotely from their home or another location whenever such arrangement is feasible. Flexible working hours enable our employees to plan their work in a way that takes into account both professional and private needs.
In addition, the University of Turku offers part-time work opportunities and leaves of absence for personal or family reasons, such as parental leave.
Support services and opportunities for professional development
The University of Turku offers meaningful and inspiring work opportunities in a community that supports and values professional development. Our work environment is stimulating, encouraging and collegial. In competence development, we take into account both the development of academic skills and the deepening of expertise in various support services. We support development at different stages of your career. We also encourage our personnel to participate in events, conferences and trainings that support career development.
We maintain the competence of our supervisors by offering them long and short term training and coaching as well as comprehensive support and services. We support management to create good working conditions that also support the work of employees.
At the university, we believe that a successful orientation increases motivation and strengthens commitment to a new job. We organize a comprehensive and versatile orientation for both our new employees as well as old ones who are returning to their duties after a break, or are changing their duties. For new supervisors, we offer versatile supervisor training to support them taking over their new role.
Our University is a learning organisation where everyone can develop their skills. We encourage our personnel to develop their expertise by offering versatile training and competence development possibilities which employees can take advantage of during their working hours. The training possibilities are organized both internally and externally and for example the course offering of Open University is free of charge for our personnel. We also coordinate a mentoring programme for employees who wish to think about their professional development and hone their expertise.
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We provide our employees with a wide range of support measures including services such as professional pedagogical and technical expertise, extensive research funding support and comprehensive human resource services.
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HR Excellence in Research
The European Commission has awarded the University of Turku the right to use the HR Excellence in Research logo. The logo is a token of the university's commitment to continuous development of the position and working conditions of researchers along the guidelines set forth in the European Charter for Researchers. Read more >
