Pohjolan Voima Group Personnel Policy

1 Our Personnel Policy is based on trust and responsible operating practices 

Pohjolan Voima’s Personnel Policy is based on trust, our ethical principles (see Responsible Code of Conduct), accountability and responsible operating methods. We act responsibly and develop our corporate culture and HR management in a goal-oriented manner. We comply with national and international laws, applicable collective agreements and industrial safety regulations, as well as the UN Global Compact principles on labour. Our operations are based on a group-wide attitude of responsibility.

The principles of our Personnel Policy are based on the Pohjolan Voima values of skilfully, reliably, together.

The Personnel Policy describes the key HR management principles for various sectors. Each member of the management groups of the companies included in the Pohjolan Voima Group is responsible for compliance with the Personnel Policy and the HR principles, as well as personnel resources, in their area of responsibility. Each employee’s immediate supervisor acts as the employer’s representative in HR matters. Every Pohjolan Voima employee is responsible for developing a good work community and maintaining a good atmosphere at work. The Personnel Policy applies to Pohjolan Voima’s permanent and non-permanent employees, as well as to temporary agency workers.

In addition to this Personnel Policy, Pohjolan Voima’s sustainability principles are outlined in the Code of Conduct and the Environmental and Energy Efficiency Policy.

2 Our operating principles

Values are the foundation for everything we do 

Our values – skilfully, reliably, together – underpin everything we do. The values are jointly defined by our staff. Our Personnel Policy is based on our values, and the values are reflected in our daily work: in structures and management, supervisory work, the work of the employees, and cooperation with our customers and partners. The values also guide our management and supervisory work.   

We respect human rights, equality and non-discrimination 

We respect the internationally recognised human rights in our sphere of influence. In all our operations, we comply with the law and therefore with principles similar to the internationally recognised UN principles on human rights and labour.

The cornerstones of our Personnel Policy are diversity, non-discrimination, the right to freedom of association and the right to privacy.

At Pohjolan Voima, we treat all our employees equally. We do not allow any form of discrimination or favoritism based on age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnic background or origin, political opinion, or any other personal characteristic. We actively work to prevent any and all discrimination and harassment of employees.

We welcome and encourage flexible working hours such as working from home and flexitime, which allow people to work independently of time and place, thus contributing to a better work-life balance. We support a variety of working time solutions such as family leave, part-time retirement, short-time working and partial old-age pension.

Management and supervisory work realise the principles of responsible HR management  

Our open and interactive corporate culture creates a basis for trust, a good atmosphere at work and good management.

In recruitment, we are committed to equality and non-discrimination. All job applicants are valuable to Pohjolan Voima, even those who are not selected. Recruitment decisions are based on business requirements. The most suitable person with the greatest development potential who fits Pohjolan Voima’s values and ambitions will be selected for each position.

Pohjolan Voima prepares an annual personnel plan. HR planning ensures the implementation of Pohjolan Voima’s strategy, the retention of key competencies and appropriate recruitment.

The management and supervisors implement the principles of responsible HR management and the approved management process. A good atmosphere at work, open interaction, trust and presence form the basis for management and supervisory work.

In Pohjolan Voima, every employee has the right to have a personal performance review. The aims are personal development, the development of the work community, success in one’s work and achieving one’s goals. The performance reviews clarify duties, assist the employee in prioritising and managing their workload, as well as support the employee’s wellbeing and the achievement of their goals. In personal performance review, we also talk about each individual’s career goals and skills in relation to strategic objectives, and create personal development plans.

Our HR management aims to improve the employee experience. We commission an independent personnel survey annually to study the employee experience in Pohjolan Voima. We also monitor matters such as how our staff perceive the relevance of their work and how they assess wellbeing at work. Based on the employee experience, we determine development and action plans for the energetic attitude focus area, which apply to all employees. When drafting the annual plan for an energetic attitude, we listen to all personnel to identify the important aspects of personnel activities for them, based on which we choose the focus areas for developing activities. In addition to the annual personnel survey, we conduct “pulse surveys” to study factors that affect wellbeing at work.

The supervisors are present, listen to the employees and monitor their work performance, and actively seek to identify potential challenges, regardless of the employees’ age, gender, life situation or position. The supervisors address any substantial or increased absences or other changes and concerns with a low threshold in accordance with Pohjolan Voima’s early intervention model, How Are You Doing?

Our employees are aware of the goals, strategy and strategic focus areas of Pohjolan Voima and their unit, as well as their personal goals, and are committed to achieving them. We ensure that our employees find their work relevant as part of the larger picture, the strategy of the Pohjolan Voima Group and its social significance by actions such as involving the entire staff in the preparation of the scenarios on which the strategy is based and in the preparation of the strategy itself.

The way we communicate and interact is our source of energy 

Communication and interaction are the source of energy for everybody at Pohjolan Voima. Our communication is active and open. We share information, we know our communication channels, we raise issues, and we are actively present, respecting and listening to each other and participating and involving each other.

Lifelong learning and continuous development provide a strong basis for a sense of relevance at work 

It is important that each employee of Pohjolan Voima feels that their work is relevant and that they can achieve something useful through their work.

Pohjolan Voima’s strategy and key strategic skills guide our training and competence development goals. Pohjola Voima’s employees are encouraged to attend training and to develop their professional skills. Supervisors are responsible for the competence of the Pohjolan Voima staff and its long-term target-oriented development. Every Pohjolan Voima employee is responsible for the development of their own competence, as well as the competence of the entire work community. We employ successor planning to ensure that no key competencies are lost.

Pohjolan Voima’s online training courses are part of our commitment to safe and responsible working, which is one of our key operating principles. The online training courses are mandatory for everyone and must be completed annually as part of each Pohjolan Voima employee’s duties. Through both online training and high-quality orientation, we also ensure the knowledge level of business-critical areas.

We make use of the employees’ competence by arranging tasks in relevant packages and implementing appropriate work arrangements. The areas of responsibility facilitate the overall progress of operations, and every employee of Pohjolan Voima knows the content and goals of their work.

Success at work requires a readiness for change, a proactive attitude and taking responsibility. We organise extensive development coaching for all our employees according to the current theme of the energetic attitude focus area, such as self-management, corporate culture development, feedback or wellbeing themes.

Our pay and rewards are motivating and fair 

At Pohjolan Voima, we apply the collective agreement for senior salaried employees in the energy industry, and all employees, except for the group management team, are covered by the collective agreement. Pohjolan Voima is committed to respecting the provisions of the collective agreement. The salaries of senior salaried employees are agreed upon through bilateral agreements, and the IPE system (International Position Evaluation) is used for job evaluation. Additionally, achievements are rewarded with a performance bonus, the validity of which is decided annually by the parent company’s board. Our performance bonus system is based on the principles of responsible operations, and the performance bonus principles and targets are the same for all personnel. Furthermore, good work performance can be rewarded with a one-time bonus, the reward principles of which have been openly communicated to everyone.

Our reward practices are part of our responsible operations, and the principles of responsible operations are described in our Code of Coduct. We reward our personnel consistently, fairly, and equally. Our reward practices are transparently open. The goal of our rewards is to encourage good performance. Reward practices are reviewed with all personnel in joint meetings. We also conduct reward comparison studies in relation to our industry and strive to understand the impact of salary and rewards on our personnel’s motivation levels.

Each person’s salary is determined on the basis of the demands of the position and their individual success at the job.

Every Pohjolan Voima employee has an opportunity to improve their performance and thus through their performance, the profitability of their actions and their own competence make a difference regarding their earnings. Performance-based rewards require exceeding the standard level of performance and the utilisation of competence. Our employees are aware of how they can develop their individual performance in order to reach their goals.

We invest in wellbeing, health and safety at work 

By investing in wellbeing at work, we aim to ensure there is a proper balance between work and leisure, the work progresses smoothly, the employees experience the relevance of their work and everyone maintains their working capacity. We support the employees in maintaining their working capacity and prevent occupational illnesses and injuries by taking preventive measures with regard to wellbeing at work.

Every Pohjolan Voima employee is responsible for the maintenance of occupational health and safety. We create a healthy and safe working environment where every Pohjolan Voima employee can work so that they can fulfil themselves professionally. We invest in proactive occupational healthcare with the aim of supporting working capacity and preventing occupational illnesses and injuries. We promote the physical, mental, and social well-being of our personnel, and support the balance between different life situations and work.

We carry out regular workplace surveys in cooperation with our occupational health care service provider. We organise activities such as wellbeing lectures, occupational ergonomics advice from an occupational physiotherapist and first aid training to ensure a safe and healthy work community and work environment.

Occupational safety is an essential part of our corporate culture, and we promote a proactive safety culture. The principles of responsibility guide our work, and we invest in improving occupational safety by, for example, increasing our personnel’s safety awareness, measuring EHS observations made by our personnel, and incorporating safety into our regular meetings. Our goal is zero accidents.

3 Policies and decision-making

The policies steer the Group’s operations and management. If necessary, the Group management or companies complement the policies with more detailed procedures derived from the policy principles.

The Personnel Policy is approved by Pohjolan Voima Oyj’s Board of Directors. The Executive Vice President of Human Resources is responsible for the Personnel Policy and its updates.

Approved by the Board of Directors on 23 October 2024