HELP Vakuutus found space for growth and encounters in Erottaja
When the insurance company HELP Vakuutus was looking for its first office space in Finland, the goal was to find a location that supports both growing business and the company’s sustainability goals. The company found a suitable solution in Erottaja, the most prestigious office area in Helsinki, where the new premises provide an even better setting for the employees’ day-to-day tasks and customer encounters.
HELP Vakuutus is an originally Norwegian insurance company that is part of the German ARAG Group. The company employing 300 people in Norway started operating in Finland in 2025. It focuses on legal protection and legal assistance by combining insurance and legal services. Customers have access to the expertise of lawyers through their insurance in matters such as legal advice, drafting and reviewing contracts and situations related to court cases. On the corporate side, a HELP insurance can be integrated into trade union membership benefits, for example.
When the Finnish operations started, the company had a space in an office hotel in Helsinki. As its operations became established, the company needed to find business premises that would better meet future needs and offer the opportunity to build a working environment with a recognisable identity for the company. The right solution was found in Helsinki’s Kaartinkaupunki, Erottajankatu 5.
“The office hotel was a good solution for us in the early stages of operations, but as the number of our employees grew, we outgrew the space. In the end, the entire office hotel was actually closed, making it a natural next step for us to move to new premises. Our office in Erottaja is not only larger than before, but also more comfortable, more elegant in appearance and more inviting. In this space, we can take into account the day-to-day needs of the staff as well as encounters with customers”, says Markus Ginman, HELP Vakuutus’ Country Director for Finland.
New office ready for use in just a few months
Erottaja’s central location quickly proved to be one of the main strengths of the new office. Helsinki city centre services, excellent transport connections and a valuable operating environment support the company’s day-to-day activities and customer encounters. The company wanted to look for new premises specifically in the city centre, and the location of Kaartinkaupunki met the company’s needs perfectly.
The new office feels like our own and is just the right size. We are really pleased with the premises.
Easy accessibility was an important criterion, especially because employees regularly work at the office. According to Ginman, staff often work onsite up to five days a week, so easy commutes and a pleasant working environment are very important.
“We don’t have an actual rule about being onsite, but it’s part of our corporate culture. Therefore it was important to us that it is easy to come to the office from any direction and that people enjoy being there.”
HELP Vakuutus currently employs fewer than ten people in Finland, and the entire team could be consulted about the facility solution. Ginman explored various options, and a few potential sites were selected for joint visits. The final decision was made quickly, and after the new premises were found, the move was completed in about two months. In the spring of 2026, the company started operating on its new premises in Erottaja.
When planning the new office, the most important thing for us was to find a space that meets the company’s current needs and supports our way of working.
“Before we moved in, a small renovation was done to the premises and everything went really well. Collaboration with Sponda ran smoothly, and we were kept up to date on the work and that our move was progressing on schedule,” says Ginman.
Premises support working together
When designing the new office, the most important thing was to find a space that meets the company’s current needs and supports its way of working. A shared open-plan office was a conscious choice, and according to Ginman, separate private offices were not even considered.
“Our thing is that we can support each other and discuss things. Being together in the same space is the be-all and end-all of our operations. Of course, in addition to an open-plan office, more peaceful spaces are needed for work requiring extra focus and for meetings with customers and partners. A bigger meeting room and a smaller workspace bring flexibility to this.”
In the previous premises, the company did not have its own meeting room, and the space had to be reserved at the office hotel whenever necessary and possible. Now the meeting room is inside the office and available whenever it is needed. According to Ginman, the staff feel that the new office suits them and is of the right size.
“We are really happy with the premises. The appearance of the building itself was not a decisive factor in the choice of premises, but, of course, the beautiful building had an impact on the overall decision-making process. The curved window on the fifth floor is one of the splendid details of the premises.”
Location and sustainability go hand in hand
Sustainability is an important part of the insurance company’s values, which are summed up in the phrase “Right to justice. For everyone”. Therefore, the new office premises were also required to provide solutions that support sustainability. The property owner’s sustainability work and the property’s environmental certificates were among the factors that swayed the decision on the premises.
“Above all, the premises had to function in our day-to-day activities, but sustainability is an important value for us and it is reflected in all our operations. Our operations are guided by the UN’s principles of sustainable development, and sustainability is reviewed by our Nordic working group, from the point of view of a reduction of emissions, renewable energy and travel, for example. The central location in the heart of the city supports these goals”, says Ginman.
The property’s energy consumption is also important. The Erottaja property uses completely emission-free energy, which supports the tenant’s sustainability goals and reduces the environmental impact of the office. The property has the BREEAM In-Use Excellent certificate, which is a third-party certification that attests to the environmentally sustainable use and maintenance of a building and healthy indoor conditions. Therefore, sustainability is not just a goal or a dream, it is part of day-to-day operations.
According to Ginman, the new office has above all opened up new opportunities for the company’s future.
“It is always nice to come to the office and the facilities are just right for us at this stage. It feels like this was the right solution for us, because we find the spaces extremely pleasant. Perhaps the biggest change is actually in the opportunities. Now we are able to think in a completely different way about how we will develop our operations and what is possible in the future. We now have room to grow.”
