OY METSÄ-BOTNIA AB, ÄÄNEKOSKI MILL

The Metsä-Botnia Group is one of the Europe's largest producers of chemical pulp. It produces high-quality bleached and unbleached pulps and linenboards, mainly from wood brought from private owners. The Metsä-Bosnia Group has about 750 employees, approximately 300 of whom are employed by Äänekoski Mill. The Mill produces softwood, birch, and aspen pulp for fine paper and board manufacture.⁸

Metsä-Botnia Äänekoski Mill has established a health promotion working group, composed of staff from the human resources, occupational health and safety, and occupational medicine departments and workforce representatives. The need for health-related activities is determined on the basis of statistics on industrial accidents and working time lost due to illness. In 1995, the company surveyed the health conditions and physical fitness of its employees and did a study of its working atmosphere. Since then, the executive team has been trained to conduct appraisal interviews, which take place yearly with every employee. As a part of this exercise each employee has an individual development plan. In addition, the leadership qualities for management team members were identified and they have taken leadership development courses. The company publishes a manual of suggestions for day-to-day work. It supports staff sports activities and has a canteen for its employees. The health promotion measures, a staff-orientated leadership style, and new forms of co-operation have contributed to a major improvement in the working atmosphere.

RUOKA-SAARIOINEN OY, SAHALAHTI WORKS

Ruoka-Saarioinen is in the food industry. Its Sahalahti Works, which employs 80 people, produces ready-to-serve meals. Health-related activities at Sahalahti Works are geared to promoting responsibility, initiative, and skills among employees and to increase teamwork. A planning group was formed consisting of the managing director, the human resource manager, staff from the occupational medicine department, and workforce representatives. The company initiated improvements in working conditions at Sahalahti Works because of high staff turnover, premature retirement, and high levels of absenteeism. Most of the actual illnesses were related to back problems, so the company wanted to address the issue of work demands and increase the physical fitness of its employees

Ruoka-Saarioinen began preparing the employees for new production processes. Autonomous working groups were developed to minimise organisational hierarchy. In so doing, the company wanted to enhance productivity and allow employees more initiative in their work. Representatives of management, the trade unions, the workforce, and a supporting group of researchers were involved in planning and implementing the entire restructuring process. Training programmes, a canteen, and sports facilities contribute to employees' wellbeing.

Fundamental changes promoting employees' control over their work have taken place at Ruoka-Saarioinen. As a result, satisfaction and work motivation have increased, and teamwork has improved. In two years, the sickness rate has fallen by 8% to 16%.

VALMET CORPORATION, PAPER FINISHING SYSTEMS, JÄRVENPÄÄ UNITS

 

Valmet is the leading supplier of fibre and paper technologies and services in the global forest industry. They will supply single components and processes to complete projects and production lines.