You're Finnished!

But that's good news for many former Nokia workers;

During the years of Nokia's decline, culminating in the sale of its mobile phone division to Microsoft in September, thousands of workers were made redundant. But the ex-Nokians have now created hundreds of new companies - thanks partly to a very Finnish level of support from the employer to its departing staff.

Competition (from Apple and Samsung) destroyed Nokia's former position as the world's mobile phone leader, so;

In February 2011 Nokia announced that it was replacing its operating system with Microsoft Windows. The company restructured, shedding staff.

But about the same time, the company launched the Bridge programme, a scheme offering financial help and training to the workers who were about to leave.

"The company decided - all the way from the board to the senior management - that we wanted to do career responsibility as well as we can, beyond what the legal minimum is," says Matti Vanska, the head of the Bridge programme. 

And that meant letting the former employees take Nokia technology off the shelf on their way out. Including these five;

• Tellyo - allows users to instantly record and share TV clips

• PulseOn - claims to make the most accurate sports heart-rate monitor

• BetterDoctor - allows users to find suitable local doctors based on their insurance plan and type of care needed

• Runteq - measures, analyses and interprets running technique with two small wearable sensors

• TreLab - manufactures wireless measurement systems and localisation devices

 Must have been an interesting contract Nokia signed with Microsoft.