Is Pizza Friday enough? New research explores how to build workplace community in the digital era

Business Finland has granted the Laterna project significant Co-Research funding. The two-and-a-half-year research project of nearly million euros is coordinated by Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, and it brings together Aalto University, Häme University of Applied Sciences, and corporate partners ABB Marine & Ports, Glaston Finland, Meltlake, Selma Finance, and Wärtsilä Energy.

Laterna will study how digitalisation and increased technology use are reshaping workplace communities, ways of working, and organisational culture. The aim is to identify opportunities and find ways and tools for organisations to maintain a sense of community in multi-location work.

– Community is under pressure in the digital era. This is a global phenomenon that threatens both well-being and collaboration. Workplaces everywhere are searching for best practices. Laterna is about finding research-based solutions, says Associate Professor Frank Martela from Aalto University, one of the project’s researchers.

Participating companies, including Meltlake, are already familiar with the challenge.

– We’ve seen workdays become more condensed and spontaneous encounters fade away. We hope Laterna will help us find tools to bring the same human interaction and energy of the office into remote and hybrid work, says Lassi Valkama, Chief People Officer at Meltlake.

The project will gather extensive qualitative interview data and apply the findings in year-long development cycles with the partner companies. The first year includes three webinars sharing the latest insights. An online course will launch in late 2026, followed by a practical handbook in 2028. There will also be researcher exchanges to Université Côte d’Azur in Nice, and Vienna University of Economics and Business, plus collaboration with Lund University in Sweden.

– We don’t believe forcing people back to the office will restore a sense of community. But we also don’t believe Pizza Fridays will solve the problem. Our goal is to combine digital efficiency with genuine human connection, says Principal Lecturer Johanna Vuori from Haaga-Helia.