A flexible employer attracts speech therapists to Ostrobothnia

Ombrelo’s founder, Nina von Schantz, started in 2008 with HABS kuntoutus rehabilitering Oy, a company providing private speech therapy services. In 2009 she expanded the operations by founding Ombrelo, which offers private rehabilitation and wellness services. Today, more than 20 individual entrepreneurs from various rehabilitation and wellness fields operate under the Ombrelo brand. HABS is one of these companies and directly employs 23 speech therapists. Ombrelo also runs a business incubator, through which 10 independent companies have been created over the years.

Ombrelo has offices in Vaasa, Seinäjoki and Kokkola. In 2019, under Ombrelo’s umbrella, more than 30 professionals provide speech therapy services in both Finnish and Swedish. In addition to speech therapy, Ombrelo offers psychological, psychiatric, and many other types of therapy services. Through HABS and Ombrelo, speech therapists can work either as salaried employees or as independent entrepreneurs. Those interested in entrepreneurship at Ombrelo can prepare for it through the company’s in-house business incubator.

Regulating working hours benefits both employees and clients

At HABS, the well-being of employees and clients is supported by regulating working hours. The client’s best interest is taken into account already when handling initial inquiries. If it is known that there will be no available start times in the coming weeks, clients are fairly referred to another service provider.

“From the client’s perspective, it’s not fair to have to wait six months for services to begin just because our appointment calendar is full,” says von Schantz.

HABS employees have a defined weekly maximum number of client sessions that must not be exceeded. This ensures that the client remains at the center and that there is sufficient time to listen to the client and carefully plan the therapy. In addition, employees can define their own suitable working hours and number of clients. This flexibility makes it possible to adapt work to different life situations.

Long-term recruitment efforts have paid off

The employer’s flexibility is reflected in the low staff turnover. There is a severe shortage of speech therapists in Finland, but thanks in part to the long-term efforts of HABS and Ombrelo, the number of speech therapists working in the private sector in Ostrobothnia has grown more than tenfold over the last little more than ten years, from three to well over thirty.

“My main mission when I founded the company was that we wouldn’t have to say no to clients. For this reason, we recruit on behalf of the entire region, because improving the situation across the area is genuinely important to us. At recruitment events, we also share information about public sector jobs in the Ostrobothnia region. We start our recruitment marketing already with first-year students, because competition for employees is tough,” explains Nina von Schantz.

The business incubator supports starting a business

At Ombrelo, employees can take part in the business incubator’s training program that prepares them for entrepreneurship. As a result, ten new companies have been established in the rehabilitation sector.

“Through our business incubator, our employees have the opportunity to gain solid preparation for entrepreneurship, after which they are free to choose whether they want to continue under Ombrelo’s umbrella. I myself learned entrepreneurship the hard way, and now I’m happy to share that experience with others,” says von Schantz.

Meaningful work

The goal of HABS and Ombrelo is to run their business on a value-based foundation, with the client’s best interest always coming first. When staff and entrepreneurs feel their work is meaningful, they enjoy their jobs, and clients receive better service as a result. Ombrelo has defined operating practices that also provide a framework for the activities of independent entrepreneurs. So far, the values of all parties have been very well aligned. According to von Schantz, this is likely because those who come to Ombrelo already understand from the outset what kind of model they are joining.

“Our shared goal is that every workday can be good and meaningful. We want to grow in our work and make our region’s services even stronger. We meet regularly with our colleagues, we’re not afraid to ask each other questions, and we solve our customers’ challenges by making use of everyone’s expertise. I believe these values are also reflected in our daily work as positive things,” von Schantz says.

Click here to read more about the kinds of career opportunities ombrelo offers.