Social responsibility
Annika Parkkonen, VP, HR, Nordic Morning Plc
“We can all feel like we are part of an organization that is moving forward and capable of responding to future challenges.”
Better leadership, better work
Leadership development is an important focus area of the Nordic Morning Group’s HR strategy. Good leadership creates the conditions for wellbeing among all employees. In day-to-day operations, the results are reflected in better and more consistent leadership.
In 2013, the company revised its annual personnel survey with the help of a new research partner. The results indicated that all of the Group companies have taken developmental steps in line with the Group’s HR strategy, but not all of the goals have yet been achieved. The Group companies prepared development plans, the achievement of which will be reviewed in March 2014.
In spring 2013, the Group launched the Nordic Bond 001 program and selected 15 young employees aiming for management positions from different Group companies for the program. The eighteen-month training program develops the business expertise of young talents and creates career paths within the Group.
In spring 2014, the participants will develop plans for making the Group’s organizational culture more innovative and also draft a shadow strategy. The results of the group work will be taken into consideration in the Group management team’s strategic planning. A new Nordic Bond program will begin in autumn 2014.
The Group management team’s working methods and interaction were developed. Based on the positive experiences from the six-month project, the management teams of the Group’s subsidiaries also decided to implement the same training.
Success in the communications industry is increasingly based on competence. In 2013, the Group developed strategic HR planning aimed at strengthening competitiveness and business continuity. The subsidiaries defined key strategic roles for their business operations and the competencies required for them.
The definition of roles and competencies will be completed in 2014. In the early part of 2014, the subsidiaries will assess potential development needs and ensure that strategically important roles are currently filled by people with the appropriate competencies, and that the experts grow in line with the new challenges they face.
As part of the leadership development, the Nordic Morning Group defined a leader profile comprised of 12 behaviors. Business competence is significant, but emotional intelligence and people management skills also carry substantial weight. Going forward, leadership will be evaluated in relation to this leader profile.
HR strategy
Leadership
Our goal is to raise leadership skills at Nordic Morning to a level that supports the wellbeing of employees and their commitment to the company.
A manager must be able to set clear goals and support the employees in achieving them. Managers also need the ability and courage to make decisions, organize and delegate, as well as to support employees in their development.
Competence
Our goal is for all Nordic Morning employees to have the possibility to develop as experts and, as a result, to perform well in their tasks both now and in the future.
Our development plans for team- or company-specific competences are based on the competence level required by the company’s business goals, as well as by the needs of the business strategy to develop competence in the long term.
Commitment
Our goal is for all Nordic Morning employees to enjoy their work and to feel that they are being rewarded for their performance.
The purpose is to understand which factors have the greatest impact on employees’ commitment to Nordic Morning.
Wellbeing
Our goal is for all Nordic Morning employees to feel comfortable in and enjoy their work, so that nobody is excluded from the group.
We support the physical wellbeing of our employees by offering them a safe and appropriate work environment, as well as the possibility to maintain their fitness levels. We measure social wellbeing in the annual employee surveys and emphasize it when developing managerial work.
The components and the related behaviors:
1. Self-management: reliability, ethics and emotional control
2. Self-awareness: accurate self-assessment, self-confidence, emotional self-awareness
3. Social awareness: empathy, group dynamics
4. Social skills: influence, inspirational leadership, developing others
5. Business understanding: strategic thinking and perception
Nordic Morning management profile
- Comprised of five components and 12 behaviors:
- Based on the concept of emotional intelligence developed by Daniel Goleman, also covers business management competence
Gender distribution of employees
Employment contract type
Age distribution of employees
| Business area | under 30 years | 30-50 years | over 50 years |
| Marketing Services | 14% | 70% | 16% |
| Editorial Communication | 10% | 73% | 17% |
| Publishing | 12% | 63% | 25% |
| Print & Distribution | 5% | 55% | 40% |
| Other | 10% | 43% | 47% |