…but action is being taken

With the aim of supporting diversity, a number of initiatives have been started throughout the Vattenfall Group. Here are a few examples of such activities and projects.

At the Vattenfall Group level

• Vattenfall’s International Network for Women is used as a communication forum for managers and leaders at Vattenfall. About 130 women managers and young potentials are active in the network. In addition, Vattenfall is also a member of a network organised by CSR Europe, “Women in Leadership Positions”.
• In the Group-wide competence planning process, the organisation’s current competence status and future competence needs are analysed on the basis of business plans. This gives a clear view of the age structure in the organisation. The process will ensure that the organisation has the proper skill sets from both the short-and a long-term perspectives.
• Vattenfall’s Group-wide knowledge management initiative has secured the process of knowledge transfer. In order to safeguard existing know-how in complex areas of responsibility, and critical systems and components, knowledge transfer has been planned in detail and implemented. Also, as a multicultural organisation, Vattenfall has a need for employees with a broad base of international experience. International assignments are therefore of strategic importance not only as a means of knowledge transfer, but also as a process that fosters the development of both human resources and the company.
• In order to improve the recruitment process so that it evaluates and focuses on the applicant’s competence and experience, it is becoming more common at Vattenfall to process applications anonymously. This is to ensure that only the applicant’s skills are assessed and nothing else.

In Germany

• Diversity is highly integrated in the recruiting concept. Job profile descriptions are tailored to specific target groups, such as woman engineers. One way could be to highlight the message of “Work/Life Balance” at Vattenfall and advertise for a job with a picture of a woman. The same measures can be used to attract people from a certain cultural background as well.
• Co-operation with Femtec on promoting women with backgrounds in engineering and science. Mentoring programmes have also been developed to promote networking among women and create role models. To highlight the importance of work/life balance, “Keep-in-touch and re-entry programmes” are being developed for mothers and fathers following the early child-rearing years.
• To strengthen cultural diversity, mobility is being promoted through job rotation and exchange programmes. Seminars are also held on intercultural competence along with various forums for exchanging experience and know-how with expatriates. Language training is a standard development activity.
• Berlin has the largest Turkish population outside Turkey, so it is very important that Vattenfall’s staff at the Customer Service Centre in Berlin reflects this. The result is a centre that has the language abilities and cultural skills required to give Vattenfall’s customer base service that is beyond the expected.
• Another example of diversity can be seen at Vattenfall Trading Services in Hamburg, which is the most diverse company in the organisation with about 19 nationalities. In such a diverse environment the chances are good that the traditional way of doing things are challenged and new and different ways of working will be invented and tested.

In Poland

• In Poland, Vattenfall has launched various initiatives to prevent bullying and sexual harassment. During the year, articles were written in employee magazines to raise awareness of the issue, and external consultants have been called in to train management to deal with harassment. The HR department has presented clear guidelines on how to deal with harassment, and employees are given the opportunity to talk anonymously to an external consultant, should they wish to do so.

In the Nordic countries

• To obtain a more balanced age structure at Vattenfall in Sweden, employees are encouraged to continue working until the age of 65. Employees over the age of 58 have the opportunity to cut their working hours to 80%, while keeping their salary level at 90% and with no negative effects on their pensions.
• At the Ringhals nuclear power plant in Sweden, a local network for women managers was started in response to the large number of women managers leaving their positions after only a short period of time. At monthly meetings, members are encouraged to speak out, and the result is that the number of women managers has increased. In the last year alone, Ringhals gained about 10 new women managers, while the current managers are tending to stay in their position.
• The Nordic organisation is a good example of male managers taking paternity leave. During the last three years around 10% of Nordic male sales managers have taken parental leave every year.
• In Denmark, women stress that they not like to focus on the gender issues but on qualifications. Vattenfall in Denmark provides employees with flexibility in working hours and work places so it is possible for young parents with children to step into a position as manager and project manager.
• Vattenfall is a partner company in the Diversity Challenge, a student diversity competition that offers internships for students with a multicultural background. Currently, Vattenfall’s Business Group Nordic offers two internships.