Good minds are the key

Without the best minds, we will not succeed in any of the other ambitious initiatives and targets we have set ourselves for 2035. That is why we will work to ensure that Hafslund becomes the workplace where the talent comes knocking on our door.

We take an interest in our employees and strive to facilitate a working day in which individuals achieve their potential, are strongly motivated and feel that they are developing. We want it to be meaningful and enjoyable to work at Hafslund, and it is our desire that Hafslund shall be a place where employees envisage having a long, exciting and developing career.

Towards 2035 we will

  • Ensure an open, safe and secure working environment
  • Strengthen diversity
  • Focus on long-term and targeted development of managers and employees

Important sustainability topics

Good minds are the key

Safety for our employees

Our employees must be safe while at work. This means that health, safety and the environment (HSE) need to be ensured in all of our activities.

Our approach

All activities at Hafslund must be carried out without harm to human life, health or well-being. The Group’s guiding principles for HSE form the basis for the HSE work. Among other things, the principles affirm that HSE is fundamental to the planning, implementation and evaluation of all activities, and that everyone should work to continuously improve safety and report nonconformities. The same HSE requirements in our own activities also apply to contractors.

Work on preventive HSE measures has intensified in recent years, and documentation is followed up to ensure that progress is being made. This work will continue going forward, while active efforts will be made to ensure that managers at all levels of the organisation lead the way in terms of safety work, both at strategic and operational levels.

The work in the Group’s projects, operations and maintenance involves the risk of injury and undesirable incidents for both our own employees and hired personnel. For Hafslund Eco Vannkraft, the greatest physical risks are considered to include work operations on the mountain under shifting weather conditions, with live electric systems, work at height, heavy lifting, heavy equipment and during transport. For Hafslund Oslo Celsio, the greatest physical risk is associated with employees being exposed to very hot water under high pressure.

Gode hoder er nøkkelen 1

Our goals and status 2022

GoalResults 2022SatisfactionRemarks
No harm to the life, health or well-being of our own employees or contractors' employeesH1: 1,2 H2: 2,9 F: 3,5

Indicator table for safety for our employees.

Our measures

Raising awareness

At Hafslund, each employee has a responsibility to always prioritise safety first and then plan all work activities accordingly. Managers at all levels of the organisation are expected to act as good role models for a developing safety culture. Emphasis is placed on HSE responsibility in job descriptions, and this must be systematically followed in performance appraisal interviews. HSE days with safety courses are held in all power plant areas and in 2022 emphasis was placed on risk assessments and safe job analysis (SJA) in the planning phase of work processes.

Transparency regarding undesirable incidents

In recent years we have been more focussed and transparent with regard to all undesirable incidents, precursors to dangerous situations and positive observations. An analytical approach to undesirable incidents and precursors to injuries contributes towards learning and better understanding of risk. We want to place a spotlight on so-called “silent nonconformities” that occur in operations. Transparency is valuable and contributes to learning and further improvement.

Dialogue with contractors

In recent years, the Group has worked to set stricter requirements for HSE management systems and secure procurement practices in dialogue with our suppliers. This has yielded good results. In 2022, clearer framework requirements were developed for quality, health, safety and the environment in connection with the procurement of goods and services from suppliers. At Hafslund Oslo Celsio, all employees and contractors must successfully complete a HSE course. The course provides a good introduction to risk factors in the activities and specifies how these must be managed. The course is available in four languages.

Internal controls and courses

Hafslund carries out systematic internal controls of the HSE work. Managers complete the “HSE work for managers” course, and regular first aid courses are offered to all employees. In 2022, under the direction of the Red Cross, we established an offer of courses in life-saving first aid and the use of defibrillators for everyone who has their working day in an office.

Attractive and developing workplace

In a changing labour market, with low unemployment and competition for the best minds, we need to ensure that Hafslund is an attractive and developing workplace for the recruitment and retention of our employees. In 2022, we started working with a more insight-based approach in order to understand and learn what employees value to enable us to actively design Hafslund as a better workplace. The Group is a large employer that offers various development programmes for employees at all levels of the organisation. Work on strategic skills development, joint development processes and the strengthening of critical expertise in various professional and specialist areas has been the focus over the past year.

Our goals and status 2022

GoalResults 2022SatisfactionRemarks
High employee satisfaction (above the index)8.3The index is 7.6, which means that 8.3 is a good score.
Sick leave < 3.5%3.8%3.8% is a low level of sick leave when compared to the national average.
Continual leadership development for managers at all levelsYesLeadership development for managers at all levels was carried out in 2022.

Indicator table for attractive and developing workplace.

Our measures

Summer internship

Hafslund completed yet another successful Summer Internship programme in 2022, and many of the students have been offered permanent positions. Hafslund Oslo Celsio held its own summer internship programme with about 20 students from different fields of study. The students worked on both operational and development projects, and there was good feedback from both the students and their managers.

Apprenticeship scheme

Hafslund is proud to be an approved training establishment. It is important for us to be able to offer good apprenticeships to young people. 2022 was no exception. Contributing to the training of skilled workers is crucial for us to be able to also recruit skilled workers in the future.

At Hafslund, our goal is to have apprentices in training at all times. This means that we continually contribute to training skilled workers for the future. At Hafslund, we offer apprenticeships in the following trade certificates:

  • Power-Supply Operation
  • Power-Supply Fitter Operation
  • Industrial Machine Operation and Maintenance
  • Automation
  • Chemical Processing Technician

Skills development

The most important resource we have is our employees. We are interested in our employees as human beings and wish to facilitate personal and leadership development along the same lines as professional specialisation.

In our work on systematic skills development, we start with the areas and measures that are applicable across the Group, and that constitute specific expertise for the individual and defined target groups. In 2022, we started work on clarifying roles and responsibilities for different areas of expertise, and clear goals have been set to strengthen the Group’s commitment to skills development.

GNIST is the Group’s talent development programme. Last year GNIST was held for the first time together with Eidsiva, with participants from both corporate groups. The programme has received good feedback.

Leadership development

Continual development of managers is one of the most important areas to succeed in if we are to retain and develop skilled employees. We are proud of our managers at Hafslund, and in 2022 we worked systematically on leadership development at all levels through the “Handlekraft” (Power to Act) programme. The overarching goal is to increase the individual and collective implementation capacity and contribute towards realising our strategies and ambitions. Last year, we were able to hold more physical gatherings and training arenas than in the previous two years of the pandemic. We see more joy and enthusiasm when being able to meet in a physical setting and to work together to develop good leadership across the Group.

Flexible forms of working and best together

The pandemic changed our work patterns and provided us with new insights. Hafslund facilitates a high degree of flexibility in the working day. At the same time, we believe that we are best when we are together. When we meet physically, we builda culture, a sense of belonging and a good working environment. We are then able to share experiences and establish spaces for learning.

Hafslund wants to have a working environment that is based on transparency, loyalty and trust. In 2022, an expanded pilot programme was conducted which involved frequent “temperature readings” to obtain insights into how our employees perceive areas such as work tasks, the work situation, cooperation and management. The pilot programme was well-received by managers and employees, and the “temperature readings” will be implemented for the entire Group in 2023.

Space for differences and equal opportunities for all

One of our core values is openness. This means that we value difference and diversity. We welcome change and we serve each other well by sharing experiences and knowledge. We believe that diversity and inclusion pay off, both in terms of greater innovation and better value creation.

The need to be seen, to be treated as equals and to be able to be who we are, is the same for everyone, irrespective of sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or age. Diversity is both what you see and what you do not see. The long-term work we have started with diversity is about increasing our level of expertise and tapping into our curiosity. We want to use insights about our organisational culture, leadership, patterns and language to enable us to take active steps and work systematically with diversity in the years to come. We believe that this strengthens our working environment, power to effect change and value creation. We want to develop an organisational culture that views differences as a strength, and where everyone can be themselves. Representation of diversity does not automatically result in a more inclusive workplace. It is important to challenge practices in which we only count diversity and find measures that link diversity to value.

Our approach

In a large corporate group such as Hafslund, there will always be a risk of incidents of harassment, discrimination and other inappropriate behaviour. The Group’s guiding principles stipulate that we should embrace differences and provide equal opportunities to all. Efforts shall be made to increase the diversity competence of managers, and all employees shall experience equal treatment with regard to pay, tasks and responsibilities, irrespective of location, gender, sexual orientation, functional level and ethnicity. In addition, the Group’s ethical guidelines provide direction for how each employee must behave at work. Employees must treat each other with respect. No form of harassment, discrimination or other behaviour that is perceived as threatening or degrading is acceptable.

Gode hoder er nøkkelen

Our goals and status 2022

GoalResults 2022SatisfactionRemarks
Increase knowledge of diversity in the Group-KPIs will be established in 2023.
Increase the proportion of women to >25% by 202522%The proportion of female employees in the Group (excluding Hafslund Oslo Celsio) increased from 22% in 2021 to 25% in 2022. Hafslund Oslo Celsio has a somewhat lower proportion of female employees, which reduces the total to 22%.
No known cases of harassment or discrimination0

Indicator table for space for differences and equal opportunities for all.

Our measures

Partnership with Seema

In the first quarter of 2022, Hafslund started a partnership with Seema, which is an advisory group for diversity management. Seema held lectures for all employees in the spring of 2022, and five managers attended courses to become certified diversity managers.

Other measures for strengthening diversity

We believe it is important to work through many channels to strengthen diversity, and both cultural and formal measures are required. Other measures to strengthen our diversity are:

  • Prepare a diversity policy and set long-term plans for activities and measures
  • Attract a greater degree of diversity in the applicant pool through targeted profiling and innovation in role descriptions and job advertisements
  • Emphasise diversity and gender balance in, among other things, GNIST and summer internships
  • Work-life balance and life phase policy
  • Develop skilled and interpersonal managers who contribute to a trust-based and development-oriented working environment with a high degree of psychological safety

A sustainable Hafslund

Hafslund has a sustainability strategy that is integrated into the group's strategic focus areas. The Group has identified significant areas of sustainability based on a materiality analysis based on the principles of the EU directive CSRD. The analysis provides a thorough understanding of the group's impacts on people and the environment, and which sustainability risks and opportunities exist for Hafslund.

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