During 2008–2009, Finnair Catering carried out a project to improve well-being at work by improving the interaction between employees and their supervisors.

Finnair Catering manages the food, drink and supply deliveries of our flights in Finland. Each year, Finnair Catering produces millions of meals for our clients. The well-being project aimed to improve the working environment at Finnair Catering and develop their management practices.

Catering personnel representatives, from the production department to members of the executive group, took part in group training sessions, in which development ideas were gathered and examined. The discussions were held in an open and inspiring atmosphere.

Thanks to the training, the structure of daily management and interaction was clarified. The managers garnered skills to make detailed development plans together with the employees.

The project showed that we can improve well-being in the workplace by increasing openness and inviting everybody to participate in the development process. The project was very successful, and the results could be seen immediately. For instance, the improvement in the working environment resulted in significantly reduced sick leave.

“The results were excellent. In 2009, absences due to illness were reduced by 20 per cent in comparison with the previous year, and in the tray packing department – which was also the pilot group of the well-being project – they reduced by as much as 45 per cent. In addition, the general index improved in the 2009 4D well-being report by nearly 10 per cent,” notes Kirsi-Marja Heliste, Human Resources Manager at Catering.

It is crucial to our success that our personnel are both professional and reliable. The most essential task when managing human resources is to develop the prerequisites to succeed for each employee. We want to offer our employees an inspiring working environment and to support their expertise.

The cornerstones of our human resources management strategy are the basis of our success: good and fair leadership, a safe working environment, a well-functioning working community, promotion of well-being, trust, open dialogue and equal opportunities.

Well-being at work can be measured in many ways, including monitoring sick-leave days or conducting surveys. Despite the recent economic crisis that has shaken the world, employee well-being at Finnair has continued its positive development as demonstrated by the decrease in sick-leave days per employee in 2009 in comparison with the previous year. The working ability experienced by the employees themselves also improved in comparison with the previous year.

“Health and working ability were promoted in the cooperation of the supervisors with occupational health services. The most essential tool was our preventative care model, which helped affect sick leave and lower the risks related to the incapacity to work. Health examinations were developed in order to better recognise the risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mental strain, and to prevent illnesses,” says Anja Koho, Director of Finnair's Health Services.

For us, a responsible human resources policy means a strategy of profitable growth that creates jobs, as the constantly growing traffic sector requires a greater work force. The company must have at its disposal at all times the correct number of enthusiastic experts who are the best in their field.

Expertise requires constant personnel development. Training and development activities provide concrete tools for managing daily tasks and hone employee expertise. This continuous training ensures that we always have the right, competent human resources at our disposal.

Our investment in training personnel is shown by the fact that in 2009 we trained our employees for a total of 181,309 hours on 3,063 courses, which is as much as 23 hours per employee.