We look after people and the environment

Corporate responsibility management at PHM Group

Corporate responsibility is one of the cornerstones of PHM Group’s business strategy. Our corporate responsibility strategy includes our targets and an action plan related to climate and environmental issues, good governance and the safety and diversity of our personnel.

The senior management of PHM Group is committed to promoting sustainable ways of working. Matters of corporate responsibility are discussed by the Group’s Management Team on a monthly basis and by the Board of Directors at least biannually.

We actively monitor official requirements and legislation related to sustainable operations and comply with both EU-level and national requirements, rules and regulations.

• Good governance
• The climate and the environment
• A safe and diverse workplace
• Corporate responsibility reporting

Good governance

We always operate with integrity and fairness. In all our operations, we comply with legislation, official regulations and our own Code of Conduct, and we require the same from our subcontractors and other partners. PHM Group’s Code of Conduct sets out the rules that all our companies and employees must follow to ensure responsible operations. Our suppliers and subcontractors are subject to separately set responsibility requirements.

We do not condone bribery of any form in our business operations. Business-related hospitality must be moderate and of little value. All our employees are required to act with integrity and transparency, and it is unacceptable to offer or give bribes to any business partners, whether they are operating in the public or private sector. We provide our personnel with anti-corruption and anti-bribery training.

We maintain confidentiality in processing personal data and customer information. We respect privacy and use personal data only for permitted purposes. Our employees are familiar with the principles of the data protection regulation and follow data protection guidelines and due care and diligence in processing data and using the information systems. All our employees undergo mandatory data protection training.

Our operations are based on free competition, which promotes the development of the entire industry and benefits all stakeholders operating in it. We comply with competition law and make decisions regarding our business relationships independently. We refuse to engage in discussions or make agreements with competitors regarding pricing, market shares or other anti-competitive activities, and we do not resort to unethical business practices. We train our personnel to follow the legislation on competition.

All personnel are responsible for following the rules and guidelines. All our employees must undergo mandatory training regarding the Group’s Code of Conduct. We take immediate action against any violations of the rules and guidelines. Our employees have access to an internal whistleblowing channel for reporting suspected misconduct in the manner stipulated by EU legislation.

Management and governance practices at PHM Group

According to the Articles of Association, the Board of Directors consists of one to ten members. The Board of Directors is responsible for the company’s administration and the proper organisation of operations, and for ensuring that the company’s accounting and financial management are properly supervised.

The CEO ensures the implementation of the Board of Directors’ decisions, monitors their realisation, and reports to the Board of Directors on any deficiencies or problems in their implementation. The company’s Management Team consists of the company’s CEO, CFO, Chief Operating Officer and other members approved by the Board of Directors. The task of the Management Team is to assist the CEO, for example, in the strategic and operational decision-making at the company and the Group and in the performance of the CEO’s duties under the Companies Act. These duties include the day-to-day management of the company in accordance with the instructions and regulations issued by the Board of Directors and as required by laws and regulations.

The purpose of internal control and risk management is to ensure that the company’s operations are efficient and profitable, that information is reliable, and that regulations and operating principles are complied with. The Board of Directors is responsible for supervising internal control and risk management, and for ensuring that the control is properly and efficiently arranged. For this purpose, the Board of Directors discusses the main principles of risk management at the company and the Group at least once a year and provides the necessary instructions for managing risks.

All Group companies follow a uniform financial management model in accordance with the instructions provided by the CFO. In matters concerning personnel, information, insurance matters, acquisition of properties and premises, purchasing policy, information management and legal matters, the Group policy valid at the time and the instructions issued pursuant to it are followed.

A safe and diverse workplace

A team of diverse talent

For us, social responsibility primarily means responsibility for our employees. We are a significant employer and, as a growing service company, the number of people we employ will grow further in the future. Satisfied and committed employees provide the best service to customers. We offer diverse duties, support the career development opportunities of our employees and look after their well-being. We provide our employees with healthy and safe working conditions.

We respect human rights and workers’ rights and treat each other and job applicants with respect and equality and without discrimination. We do not condone any form of bullying, harassment or inappropriate conduct, and we do not discriminate against anyone based on age, origin, nationality, language, religion, belief, opinion, political activity, trade union activity, family relations, health, disability, sexual orientation or other personal reasons.

We comply with labour law, collective agreements, occupational health and safety regulations, and other obligations. All our employees have a written contract of employment. Our employees enjoy freedom of association. Almost all our employees are in permanent and full-time employment. During temporary work peaks, we may use temporary labour to relieve the workload of permanent employees and to speed up service.

We are constantly working on harmonising our HR practices, operating principles and guidelines

We value diversity in society by employing people who represent different cultures and age groups and have different educational backgrounds or previous career experience. We offer duties that do not require prior experience or education, and, if necessary, employees are trained for their tasks. Even passable language skills are sufficient in many tasks.

We do not hesitate to try out various projects aimed at employment. For instance, we have organised recruitment-oriented training programmes in cooperation with the TE Office, the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment and educational institutions. The target groups for these programmes have been the unemployed, those at risk of unemployment and people switching careers.

All our employees in managerial positions will undergo a three-day training course whose topics are related to building the work community, for example, and diversity within the team will also be discussed as a part of this.

We regularly measure the employee experience through a survey on well-being at work. The most recent survey was conducted at the end of 2022. The results of the personnel survey indicate that PHM Group’s personnel feel that they are able to respond to the demands and expectations of their work. The employees mostly feel that the quality of supervisory work is good. The employees also feel that they are able to put their skills and expertise to use in their work. The development areas identified in the survey included the continued improvement of cooperation and leadership skills, as well as focusing on recovery from work and the development of solutions related to the management of work.

Small local operators combined with the safety requirements of a large Group

Our locally operating companies benefit the most from the support of a large Group as we develop and harmonise the safety management of the Group and its companies. Our target is to reduce the number of occupational accidents by 50% each year, compared to the previous year. The purpose of the Group’s support functions is to produce the locally operating companies with the know-how and support required for the development of safety and achieving the set goals.

The cornerstones of establishing safety in the work that we do are competent and motivated supervisors, employees who have been trained in their tasks and how to carry them out safely, familiar and inspected working environments and high-quality working tools and equipment that are suited to the work. The Group management monitors the development of safety through regular reporting and internal auditing.

We comply with the occupational safety and health legislation that applies to our operations. Our employees are trained in safe and healthy ways of working during their onboarding. We strive to prevent work ability problems by identifying and addressing them as early as possible in accordance with the early support model.

In 2023, we will develop and harmonise the induction and training processes for our employees. It is the responsibility of the locally operating companies to adequately acquaint themselves with our customer sites in order to identify the workplace-specific hazards and to manage the related risks to ensure occupational safety. In addition, we carry out regular task-specific risk assessments.

As a Group, we report and investigate all accidents at work and elsewhere. In early 2023, we implemented a new occupational safety reporting system. Our employees are encouraged to report any observed occupational safety deficiencies and deviations. All reports are investigated and used in the development of safety.

The climate and the environment

We operate locally, but we represent the combined strength of  big group. For this reason, we are aware that our operations may have a significant impact on the environment. We comply with environmental legislation and the regulations issued by the authorities in all circumstances, and we require the same from our subcontractors.

We have identified the environmental impact of our business and are steering our operations towards a less environmentally damaging direction. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fuel consumption is our main environmental challenge. For this reason, we are committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2035.

We take ecological considerations into account in route planning and optimise the structure of our operating areas and units in accordance with potential changes in our contract portfolio. We are always close to the customer, which also means less driving and thereby less emissions from fuel consumption.

Our fleet consists of low-emission, low-noise and technically reliable vehicles. We are constantly exploring alternatives to the use of fossil fuels in vehicles, machinery and equipment. We have already tested, for example, electric vehicles and equipment, such as leaf blowers, trimmers and lawn mowers, and gained experience in their use for wider deployment.

Most of our vehicles are equipped with a fleet tracking system, which can also be used to monitor economical driving. Our goal is to increase the use of the tracking system and to reduce emissions from fuel consumption by developing ecological driving techniques, among other means. We also help our customers achieve their climate and environmental targets to the best of our ability.

Corporate responsibility reporting

Our Corporate Responsibility Report is based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework and it can be downloaded on our website (For investors).