Author: Linda

On Thursday 19 May, the Västerbotten Chamber of Commerce organised a skills supply day with Sustainable Industrial Environments of the Future as the main partners. In total, the event attracted nearly 80 managers and employees working with skills supply, recruitment and training.

Common challenges and insights

The event was initiated by the needs expressed by several companies within the Future Industrial Environments in combination with the Västerbotten Chamber of Commerce's mission within competence supply for long-term growth in Västerbotten.

The programme included lecturers from Stockholm, Gothenburg, Lund and Umeå. Fredrik Stranne, employer branding expert at Coreworkers, began with an insight into how an organisation can be sustainably attractive to talent and employees. An exciting insight was that the trend is moving from attracting talent to retaining the talent that is already employed.

Content with many perspectives

The day also highlighted communication for sustainability, equality and gender equality in industry, recruitment of foreign-born workers and the industry's need for skills in practical occupations linked to young people's choice of studies. In addition to the exciting content, there was space to network and share thoughts and ideas in various workshops.

The day ended with a panel discussion with the Governor of Västerbotten and participants from Komatsu Forest, SB-Insight, Vkna and Region Västerbotten.

See you in 2023, right?

The aim is for the Skills Supply Day to become an annual event, starting in 2022. Finally, we would like to thank the Västerbotten Chamber of Commerce and Siv Forssèn, who was responsible for the planning and implementation.

Environmental degradation and overuse of earth's resources endanger the health and prospects of many people around the world. In its new sustainability strategy, ABB wants to make its stand to create a more sustainable society.

"As a major player, we have the opportunity to make a difference," says Johan Granström, business developer at ABB.

ABB's sustainability strategy, which ran until 2020, contributed to many progress. The company managed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 58 percent, water use by 39 percent and emissions of volatile organic compounds by 29 percent. In addition, the number of women in management increased by 13.5 per cent.

"We have come a long way, but there is still a lot of work to be done. I am really looking forward to the next decade with a new and updated sustainability strategy," says Johan Granström.

Together with others, change is created

One of the major goals is to contribute to a low-carbon society.

"But it is not only our own operations that will become carbon neutral, but we will also help our customers reduce their emissions by at least 100 megatonnes per year. We are taking a greater grip on the entire value chain, quite simply," says Johan Granström.

Long-term competitiveness

ABB also continues to work hard with goals related to the safety and health of employees, as well as diversity and inclusion throughout the company.

"All of these goals I want to mean are directly crucial for our competitiveness in the long term," says Johan Granström.

In all its business, ABB uses a code of conduct, a code of conduct, which will ensure that all business partners work actively to improve the environment, health and social conditions.

"The Code of Conduct provides practical guidance to our staff, suppliers and business partners. It should be a clear reminder that we should always take responsibility and act with integrity," says Johan Granström.

Sustainability as a natural part of everyday life

He believes that sustainability is an area that must be decentralized in order to have an impact, which means that the strategy also affects work locally in Umeå.

"The goals are integrated into our operations and should be driven by each business area, while the individual has the opportunity to make decisions that help us achieve our goals.

At ABB, all sustainability goals may take the same place as purely economic goals. They are also followed up all the way from the local operations to group management.

"It is incredibly important that sustainability work is embedded in the store and followed up in this way, rather than being something that lies in its own silo on the side. This creates the right conditions and drivers for lasting change," says Johan Granström.

Ålös free system work environment work has made it easier to report incidents, analyze and follow up.

"The system supports us in the systematic work environment work, helps us keep track of what to do," says Tina Björkman, HR Manager at Ålö.

Ålö works systematically to achieve a good organizational, social and physical work environment. The company performs regular and thorough risk assessments to prevent accidents and work-related illness, and continuously encourages all employees to report all accidents and incidents.

Systems for a safer and more efficient workplace

Since 2019, the system TIA – Technology Information System about Work Environment has been used. The system is free of charge for companies that have occupational injury insurance with AFA and are highly appreciated among Ålös employees.

"We use it mostly to report incidents and accidents and to support in safety rounds. Once you have entered the system, it is very user-friendly. If I have entered an accident report, it is only a push of a button away to report it to the AFA and the Swedish Work Environment Authority. There is no risk of missing any steps in the process," says Tina Björkman.

Systematized way of working creates order

At Ålö, both targeted and general safety rounds are carried out. The rounds are many and sometimes it can be difficult for managers to keep track of which round was made last and which one it is time for next.

"We have put our own templates for rounds in the system, which helps us to keep track of what is done and what should be done. This really makes it easier for managers and safety representatives," says Tina Björkman.

All incidents and accidents are recorded in TIA and all actions are addressed to the managers concerned.

"The manager immediately receives a pling in the emails if an employee has reported an incident. Thanks to TIA, we don't miss anything and nothing falls between the chairs.

Analysis of incidents

When Tina Björkman enters TIA, she immediately gets an updated picture of the number of incidents and more. She can also choose which period she wants to be informed about. From the data, it is easy to pick out reports that can then be analyzed.

"What incidents have we had, are there any connections, do we see patterns that we can work on? After that, we can draw up an action plan," says Tina Björkman.

At the end of 2020, she introduced that Ålö should each year pick out the three most prevalent areas where incidents or accidents have occurred.

"In this way, we can see patterns that we might not have discovered as early.

Health and safety comes first

Tina Björkman thinks it is important to encourage a culture where it is okay to report incidents and accidents.

"No employee should be questioned for reporting an incident. It is also important to be clear about why it is so important to report – it is about the safety and health of our employees. We constantly remind the entire organization to report everything that has happened.