Partioaitta is a Finnish specialty retail chain focusing on outdoor and hiking equipment, operating since 1928. It has an online store and 22 brick-and-mortar locations throughout Finland. Its high-quality product range reflects Partioaitta’s commitment to sustainability and promoting wellbeing through outdoor experiences.
In line with its sustainability strategy, Partioaitta aims to sell products based on actual need while actively promoting the circular economy. Consumers have repeatedly ranked Partioaitta as Finland’s most respected sports retail brand and the most responsible in its field – recognition that is the result of long-term efforts.
Partioaitta is part of the Fenix Outdoor Group, which also includes Naturkompaniet in Sweden and Norway, Globetrotter in Germany, Friluftsland in Denmark, and Trekitt in the UK. Naturkompaniet also uses Quinyx for workforce management.
A Quinyx customer since 2018
Partioaitta has used the Quinyx workforce management system since 2018. Currently, 230 employees at the company use Quinyx. Karin Nykter, HR Business Partner, and Harri Valtamo, store manager in the Turku area, are both pleased with the cooperation after more than six years.
“We’re very happy with Quinyx. Shift planning keeps getting easier and more efficient, and we continue to adopt new functionalities as they become available.”
Streamlining store managers’ daily work
One of the key benefits Harri highlights about Quinyx is that it simplifies store managers’ day-to-day work. “Quinyx allows store managers to respond quickly and handle everything right from a mobile phone, making daily tasks far more efficient. It frees up store managers time to focus on what truly matters – driving sales,” Harri explains.
Quinyx has also changed how shift and vacation requests are handled. In the past, time-off requests were scattered across different notebooks, often resulting in missed entries. Now that all information is centralised in one place, errors and oversights are significantly reduced.
Harri Valtamo, Store Manager at Partioaitta
Increased efficiency in shift planning
According to Karin and Harri, shift planning with Quinyx is becoming increasingly more efficient. Since most Partioaitta stores are relatively small and follow similar weekly routines, managers can quickly create schedules by using pre-defined base schedules.
Quinyx also makes it easy for Partioaitta to manage staff across multiple locations. With locations all over Finland, especially many in the Helsinki region, Quinyx supports part-time and contract employees who work shifts across multiple stores. Quinyx can also store information on returning employees, making reemployment quicker and reducing administrative burden.
Relief for HR: everything in one place
Partioaitta’s office staff have also started using Quinyx, which has significantly improved efficiency. Previously, office employees used Excel to track hours, which made it difficult for supervisors to monitor or find the right data. “At first, the switch to Quinyx caused mixed feelings among office staff, but once we explained that time tracking allows us to address overtime and shows care rather than control, the new system was positively received,” Karin explains.
Today, Quinyx serves as an HR system, containing all personal details, contracts, and attachments.“We didn’t have an HR system before that allowed us to attach documents. Now everything is in one place,” Karin says.
Quinyx also simplifies many everyday HR tasks, whether it's creating a contract for a former employee or sending out a birthday card, information is now easily accessible. It also helps payroll staff with vacation and contract details. “Last summer, for example, a store manager was on holiday, and a substitute handled payroll but didn’t have a key to the cabinet with all the contracts. Experiences like these have taught us the value of having all information in one place,” Karin adds.
Karin Nykter, HR Business Partner at Partioaitta
Great employee experience & Early Access feature
Employees are also happy with Quinyx, especially the mobile app, which has received a lot of praise. The user interface is intuitive, and with a proper onboarding, new employees quickly learn to use the system. Over the past six years, Quinyx has grown a lot in Finland, and many new hires have already used Quinyx in previous jobs.
The Early Access feature has also been well-received by both employees and managers. Previously, employees could only log in once their contract and first shift began. With Early Access, upcoming shifts are visible beforehand, and there’s no need to email the shifts to the new employees separately. This streamlines onboarding and strengthens a positive employer image before the first workday.
Strong partnership and future outlook
The cooperation between Partioaitta and Quinyx has been very successful, with only few issues over the six years. “A system like Quinyx could have lots of bugs and problems, but it has worked flawlessly. Any challenges we’ve faced have always been resolved quickly,” Karin and Harri say.
Looking ahead, Partioaitta wants to make shift planning even more efficient. The company is especially interested in the potential of analytics and AI to further develop their workforce management.