SOL Palvelut has confirmed that some employees were asked to pay fees to secure or maintain their positions after an independent review examined the company’s labour practices. The inquiry followed public debate in late 2025 about potential exploitation within Finland’s cleaning and property services sector.
The review, conducted by the Code of Conduct Company from October to December 2025, assessed recruitment, induction, payroll processes, and reporting channels for misconduct. An anonymous survey reached 5,212 SOL employees, with 1,618 responses, representing 31 per cent of the workforce.
According to the report, 21 employees stated they were asked to pay so-called entry fees for employment at SOL. Six respondents, or 0.4 per cent of those surveyed, confirmed they had paid or were still in debt for a position. Most payments were below €1,000 and were made either to SOL staff members or external intermediaries. Additionally, six respondents disclosed paying similar fees at previous employers, also generally under €1,000.
SOL confirmed that two cases were referred to the police in 2025 after what the company called substantiated evidence of payments. The company said it is not aware of any ongoing police investigations involving SOL or its employees related to such payments.
The review highlighted four key issues. Administrative structures were insufficient to prevent labour exploitation, and supervisors had extensive control over shifts, work locations, and payroll, increasing the risk of abuse. Reporting practices for misconduct were partially inadequate, and processes had not fully addressed the needs of a multicultural workforce.
In response, SOL Palvelut has launched a comprehensive action programme. Human resources systems are being renewed, and electronic tools are being developed to centralise and equalise access to information. Recruitment has been centralised within the HR team and now operates through an electronic system, with additional checks to prevent illegal fee requests.
The company has paused participation in first residence permit applications for employees. Supervisors will receive enhanced training on multicultural work environments, preventing labour exploitation, and safeguarding worker rights. Social responsibility criteria will be included in supervisor incentive schemes, and training materials will be expanded to cover more languages.
SOL also plans to improve communication about reporting channels and broaden language support in its whistleblowing system. The company’s multicultural development group, active for 18 years, will receive further support and development.
The independent review followed public discussion sparked by Helsingin Sanomat journalist Paavo Teittinen’s book Long Shift – How modern slavery took root in Finland, which brought attention to labour exploitation practices in Finland’s cleaning sector.
