Lemminkäinen Group

Occupational health-care and well-being

In 2009–2010, we implemented a large-scale occupational health-care project in Finland. The project sought to standardize our occupational health-care and draw up a comprehensive operational model in cooperation with an insurance company handling statutory pension and accident insurance. Other goals included the launch of a working capacity team and preparations for the introduction of an early support model. The project also sought to create benchmarks for monitoring progress in the management of occupational health and well-being and working capacity.

Working capacity – monitoring, management and early support

We invest in the effective prevention and management of working capacity problems. Our occupational health-care and human resources units have developed a monitoring system for sickness absences. This system will be integrated into our forthcoming early support model, which aims to identify working capacity problems and enable a rapid response. Monitoring will focus on frequent short absences and those lasting over 30 days. The Sante health questionnaire, which forms part of health checks, helps us reach those who have a high risk of working incapacity, on the basis of either self-evaluation or a health risk profile.

Our long-term goal is to reduce the number of employees retiring on disability pensions. We want our personnel to be able to carry out meaningful work all the way up until retirement age. In this way, we are not only shouldering our responsibility for social well-being, but also saving on costs incurred through working incapacity. Just over a third of the Group’s Finnish personnel currently fall under the scope of the Sante health questionnaire and, in 2011, we will be expanding it to cover all of the Group’s Finnish personnel.

A pilot version of the early support model has been running in the Building Construction business sector since the beginning of August 2008. The model has been very favourably received and, by reducing sickness absences, has also saved a million euros over two years.

In autumn 2010, we launched a substantial programme of supervisor training in preparation for the Group wide introduction of the early support model in 2011. Our goal is to train 75 per cent of supervisors during 2010-2011.

We want to ensure that employees receive the help they need to regain their working capacity. That’s why our occupational health-care unit coordinates the supervision of treatment and rehabilitation for those on long-term sick leave.

We use health examinations and personal action plans to monitor the health of those undergoing rehabilitation. Our occupational health-care unit also assesses the impact of rehabilitation on employees’ lifestyles, working habits and ability to cope at work. We also ask participants for feedback on the arrangements and suggestions for improvements.

In 2010, we analysed the physical load and musculoskeletal load factors placed on those engaging in physical tasks in different professional groups. A report on the project has been made available to our external occupational health-care partners and can be used when evaluating working capacity.

Occupational health-care

In Finland, all of our Group’s permanent employees are entitled to occupational health-care. Temporary employees who are entitled to paid sick leave, are also entitled to occupational health-care. In accordance with good health-care practice, all of our personnel have comprehensive occupational health-care coverage, including out-patient care at general practitioner level. Since the beginning of 2010, all personnel have also been covered by leisure-time accident insurance.

Our occupational health-care unit analyses working conditions, conducts health checks, helps employees maintain their working capacity, takes part in organising rehabilitation, and helps us in our efforts to make work and working environments even safer. The unit also provides information, advice and guidelines on, for example, healthy lifestyles, working conditions and their impact on health. The unit monitors nationwide statistics on sickness absences and visits to health-care centres in Finland. We use these reports in human resource management and to plan and develop our health-care operations.

The unit also helps us to draw up our occupational health-care action plan, which forms part of the industrial safety programme.

If any employees are experiencing problems with drugs or alcohol, our unit refers them for treatment and also assists in their treatment. Our goal is to intervene in problem use as early as possible. We followed an anti-intoxicant programme, revised in 2010, which includes a drugs and alcohol policy, guidelines on early intervention and drug testing, and a treatment referral model.

Workplace exercise and comprehensive well-being services

We consider our personnel’s well-being and the management and prevention of working incapacity risks to be key success factors. At Lemminkäinen, well-being at work means physical, mental and social well-being. We want all of our employees to feel content in all of these areas, so that they’ll be able to cope well at work and continue in working life for as long as possible. Employers, management and working communities create the conditions required for well-being, but each employee also bears responsibility for their personal well-being.

Well-being at work – our strategic goals

• The right person for the right task – all employees are given tasks that are appropriate to their working capacity throughout their careers.
• Clear goals for competence and personal development.
• Lemminkäinen provides a safe and healthy working environment.

At the beginning of 2010, the Group appointed an occupational well-being manager whose tasks include helping employees who are at risk of working incapacity and addressing issues associated with rehabilitation, exercise, nutrition and the general well-being of the working community.

Exercise holds a key position in promoting well-being at work

We have been systematically developing workplace exercise since 2001 and have created a motivational Exercise Programme. The Lemminkäinen exercise card is available to all personnel and offers a wide range of physical activities at 450 locations around Finland. Our goal is to help personnel maintain their working capacity, to promote general well-being and to boost community spirit in the workplace through physical activity.

Lemminkäinen was awarded the 2009 Active Workplace Award. In 2010, the Finnish Sport For All Association awarded Lemminkäinen a workplace exercise certificate and an honorary mention in the Active Workplace Award competition. At 81/100%, the overall result for 2010 was up 4% on 2009.

Computerising the exercise card system and the 2011 Exercise Barometer

Exercise is especially important for coping with a physically demanding job in which accidents are a risk. Over the past ten years, workplace exercise has increased from just under 40,000 visits per year to 80,800. In 2010, we invested a total of EUR 327,000 in promoting exercise that increases well-being. And in 2011, we will be raising our support for exercise from the current EUR 200 per person to EUR 240. We will also be introducing a computerised exercise card system and expanding our Exercise Programme to all business sectors. The focal point for this period is on motivating those engaging in passive or unvaried exercise.

We use a biennial Exercise Barometer to monitor the success of our Exercise Programme in terms of both implementation and service use, as well as its influence on personnel’s health. The next study will be conducted in spring 2011. According to the 2009 Exercise Barometer, 54 per cent of employees take enough exercise to maintain a good level of health.

Getting young employees into shape

1,110 employees took fitness tests in 2010. Walking and muscle condition tests were conducted in 13 municipalities and tested a total of 212 people (190 men and 22 women). 898 Infrastructure construction employees took part in national men’s fitness tests. Endurance scores among those in younger age brackets were weaker than average. Over half of those tested were overweight with large volumes of fat around the internal organs. 40–49-year-olds were in slightly better shape than those in other age brackets.

If employees do not get enough exercise as part of the working day, it’s important to take additional endurance exercise. In 2011, we will be launching two pilot projects to model lifestyle guidelines and exercise motivation for different health test groups.

Occupational health and well-being – 2011 goals and focal points

• The early support model and sickness absence monitoring system have been launched. The majority of Lemminkäinen’s supervisors have been trained to use the early support model.
• The Sante health questionnaire has been expanded to cover the entire Group.
• The Exercise Programme and computerised exercise card system are in Group-wide use.
• Rehabilitation methods have been standardised. Rehabilitation begins sooner and well-being training is organised for those employees who are at risk of working incapacity.
• The working capacity team proactively seeks solutions to help those employees who have a high risk of working incapacity. New tasks and solutions for coping at work will be developed, taking into account not only workload, but also physical, mental and social well-being.
• The creation of a standardised, pre-emptive drugs and alcohol policy for the whole Group. Our anti-intoxicant programme will be updated and drug testing will be introduced in all units.

2010 personnel questionnaire indicators

• Working capacity, self-evaluation (0–10): 8.4
• Ability to continue in your current tasks for the next two years, self-evaluation (0–10): 8.2
• Potential to maintain and enhance your working capacity (0–10): 8.0
• Conditions and degree of safety at work (0–10): 7.8

Updated 18.3.2011