Finance and Administration Department

The key tasks of the finance and administration department include e.g. invoice recycling, payments, support measures, reporting and human resources. The finance department employs the financial and administrative director, the financial manager, the administrative coordinator, the accountant, the financial planner and two HR and payroll experts.

In the theatre, the well-being of the staff is everything

The Helsinki City Theatre’s Finance and Administration Department takes care of everything related to money and personnel. The department runs the incoming and outgoing money from ticket sales to various purchases and salary payments. In addition, the ward takes care of the well-being of the staff.

So there is plenty to do. Once a week, all the employees of the department gather for a weekly meeting, where they go through the tasks of the coming week, share information and exchange ideas.

The team’s employees work closely with each other and support each other with their own expertise.

Many types of payroll calculation

The Helsinki City Theatre’s six stages and about 15 annual premieres employ a huge number of people from different fields.

For Karoliina Luukkonen, an expert in human resources management and payroll accounting, the diversity of employees is reflected in collective agreements in many different sectors. Luukkonen takes care of the payroll calculation of hourly employees, visitors and musicians.

“You have to be careful when calculating payroll, as there are employees from many different fields. There are costume designers, actors, musicians, metalworkers, and everyone has their own collective agreements,” Luukkonen says.

The payment of salaries involves a lot of investigative work, as Luukkonen often receives information scattered around. First, one person receives an employment contract, another a personal data form, and later a third point needs clarification and discussion.

In a large company, the practices for reporting salaries vary between departments and individuals. The general practice is that salary information is reported to the Theatron system, but as payroll calculation approaches, handwritten slips of paper may appear on Luukkonen’s desk.

“Sometimes someone brings a piece of paper to the office with the person’s name and hours worked on it,” Luukkonen says.

Sometimes, as the payroll is approaching, the rush of schedules may increase and the work may pile up. In that case, the door cannot be closed and the phone cannot be closed. “When you calculate salaries, you have to be a bit of a chameleon and be able to do many things in the same day,” Luukkonen says.

Well-being comes first

Sometimes you have to stretch and be flexible, but so does the employer. “People’s well-being and well-being are important so that everyone feels comfortable coming here,” Luukkonen says. She works in human resources to make the Helsinki City Theatre the best possible place to work.

Working life is sometimes tough, and in the theatre, irregular working hours bring their own addition. That is why we work closely with occupational health care, hold meetings and consider how to keep the staff as healthy as possible.

“The company’s motto is that occupational health services are also available at a low threshold,” Luukkonen says. This means taking care of others and paying attention if a colleague seems exhausted or someone encounters inappropriate treatment.

Luukkonen’s job palette also includes occupational accidents. If an actor breaks his ankle during rehearsals, Luukkonen meets the injured person and discusses what happened and what caused the accident. All accidents are addressed and it is considered what could be done better to reduce injuries as rarely as possible.

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