Responsibility from the Viewpoint of the Association for Finnish Work

Responsibility has been raised as a strategically important theme by the executive committee representing the member organisations of the Association for Finnish Work. Finnish work is responsible in many ways and this is what we want to highlight in the Association for Finnish Work together with our members.

We believe that responsible labour is the basic requirement for Finland’s competitive success. Additionally, responsibility is a way of standing out and it creates a competitive edge for Finnish companies and products both in Finland and abroad.

It is the mission of the Association for Finnish Work to influence buying decisions in order to preserve jobs and create new ones. Studies show that the buying decisions made by consumers and those responsible for company purchases and public acquisitions are already significantly influenced by responsibility. Its significance will only increase in the future.

We will be organising training for our members on the theme of responsibility and we will be highlighting the responsibility of Finnish work in many different ways.

We encourage the renewal of Finnish work among companies to better comply with the requirements set for responsible work. This is why we have defined the following principles for responsible work to which our member organisations will commit.

Member companies of the Association for Finnish Work:

  1. Will create jobs in Finland and will thus strengthen both financial and social wellbeing
  2. Will take into account the responsibility of production and operation also within acquisitions and the supplier chain
  3. Will support the knowhow, wellbeing and equality of their employees

Employment for Finland

The company will invest in the development of its operations in Finland in order to remain competitive. The company has invested, for example, in research and development, the development of production capacity or in the improvement of operative efficiency. A responsible company develops its operations in order to keep jobs and create new positions and jobs.

Responsibility of Production and Operations

The company will see to it that its production and its connected subcontracts are responsible. This means, for example, that the company follows applicable environmental laws and aims to minimise the environmental impacts of its operations.

The company reports on its responsibility and highlights the relevant responsibility themes, goals and actions in its communications. The company has either defined or will define the criteria for responsible actions relevant to the company’s operations and passes them down the supply chain.

Supporting the Knowhow, Wellbeing and Equality of Employees

Supporting the employees’ knowhow and wellbeing is part of company policy. This is put into practice by, for example, providing the employees with opportunities to learn while working, educate oneself and develop their work. The company regularly monitors employee wellbeing and invests in work safety and equality.


Responsible Operation of the Association for Finnish Work

The Association for Finnish Work takes responsibility into consideration in its operations in the following ways:

Employment for Finland

We directly employ 15 people. Additionally, our operations have an employing effect through the acquisitions of Suomalaisen Työn Liitto ry and Avainlippu Oy (about 1,500,000 € annually). These acquisitions consist of e.g. advertising, communication and media work and the development of our IT services.

Responsibility and domesticity of service operations and acquisitions

All of the work for the Association for Finnish Work is done in Finland and we also ensure that our subcontractors operate in Finland. According to our acquisition rules, we always primarily buy from our member companies and secondarily from other Finnish companies, if possible.

Special attention is paid to the Finnishness and ecology of the product and service acquisitions of the Association. We recycle all of our waste and make sure our old furniture is reused. The Association also endeavours to be economical. We have digitised some of our member functions as well as employee operational models. We try to avoid unnecessary printing.

We follow a principle of openness in the Association. We have guidelines for good management, which are reviewed by the board every year.

The Association encourages its members to be responsible by organising responsibility training. Our marks take note of responsibility as part of their criteria and/or communications and the membership of the Association for Finnish Work requires commitment to our responsibility principles (will become binding during 2020).

Good employership

The Association cares for the physical and mental wellbeing of its employees by, e.g. offering employees comprehensive occupational health care, exercise and culture benefits, sport and recreation days and by monitoring the job satisfaction of employees using the Celkee tool and by reacting to anomalies. The Association uses an early support model. Performance appraisals are held four times a year and employees can maintain their level of expertise by using the provided training opportunities. Employees have the use of up-to-date tools and the union treats all employees equally by e.g. utilising an equal incentive fee system.

Employees have the opportunity to take part in developing operations and the decision-making process pertaining to their work.