The process of change at ÅF continues. Working methods are updated and developed. The number of international assignments increases. ÅF has a presence in more than 20 countries and is involved in projects across the globe. More than 25 percent of the company’s 4,400 employees are now based outside Sweden.
Pathways to development
ÅF aims to have 10,000 employees by 2015. But growth and rapid change place great demands on ÅF as an employer. The company must offer an attractive working environment and good opportunities for development.
ÅF has identified three distinct career paths within the company: as project manager, specialist/expert and manager. Within each of these pathways to development there are various levels and stages. Career paths provide support for creating individual targets and action plans, not least as part of the annual personal development interviews between a manager and his or her co-workers. In practice, there may be far more development routes than these: co-workers can, for example, switch between roles within the company, acting either as project leader or specialist depending on the circumstances. These different career paths are described in an ÅF publication entitled "Five of Five Thousand".
There are also various opportunities for development within the traditional role of consultant that the majority of ÅF employees hold. In 2008 there was considerable focus on continuous professional development for consultants, with courses in sales, entrepreneurial skills and service aimed at better equipping co-workers to communicate and develop a variety of client needs within ÅF.
ÅF Academy
The ÅF Academy is ÅF’s own training facility which provides support for the ÅF career paths and the development of the consultant’s role. The offer includes comprehensive basic courses for new consultants as well as highly specialised advanced courses and training tailored to individual requirements. Facilitators and lecturers come both from within and outside ÅF, but it is ÅF’s views on business acumen and entrepreneurial skills that provide the foundation for all the courses on offer. In 2008, some 40 training exercises were conducted.
ÅF Nuclear Academy
In 2009 ÅF’s commitment to increase its competence in nuclear power to meet the more stringent requirements of the industry and the regulatory authorities will be underpinned by the ÅF Nuclear Academy. Set up in the autumn of 2008 the ÅF Nuclear Academy offers courses that will lead to certification at four levels for experienced ÅF engineers and for new co-workers assigned to work within the nuclear power sector. The initiative has met with considerable interest from the industry and it also gives ÅF employees exciting opportunities for professional development. The aim is to certify all ÅF employees working on nuclear power assignments and also to offer certification to clients and other stakeholders.
Certification
At the ÅF Academy, ÅF project managers undergo training to obtain certification in accordance with the European accreditation standard, IPMA. There are four levels of certification: A, B, C and D. For project managers involved in international projects, the certification process is conducted in English. 29 consultants were accredited in 2008.
Competence centres
A number of competence centres were established in 2008. These cut across divisional structures within the ÅF Group in order to strengthen levels of expertise within a particular area and encourage the exchange of experiences between countries.
"ÅF Recruits"
Also in 2008 the new "ÅF Recruits" tool was launched. This is a searchable, net-based database that makes it easier for ÅF managers to identify new co-workers with the right profile. In addition to taking care of all recruitment-related administration from advertising to drawing up the contract of employment, the system also contributes to better internal mobility within the Group.
By using flexible interfaces, "ÅF Recruits" can be used both for our own homepage and for external recruiting services. In 2008 alone more than 1,000 people declared an interest in working for ÅF, and the new system has led to substantial savings in time and raised the quality of recruitment work.
"ÅF Recruits" will be rolled out internationally during 2009.
Recruitment, employer branding and talent manager
ÅF is actively involved in keeping potential new employees informed about its business activities. One way of doing this is by regularly participating in both physical and virtual careers conventions and the contact days that are held at Sweden’s technical universities.
A special Talent Manager is tasked with promoting ÅF’s image in an appropriate way in the labour market, and great emphasis is placed on creating contacts with young jobseekers in ways that they will find appealing. For example, we ran two well-received internet recruitment campaigns – "The Wall" and "The List" – in 2008 that subsequently spread to internet forums worldwide. The campaigns took the form of a competition where candidates were required to solve various tasks as part of an initial selection screening process.
Variable salaries
The ÅF divisions have adopted a number of systems for variable remuneration packages, based either on the results of the division or linked directly to the performance of the individual.
Group bonus
ÅF sees great value in the degree of commitment shown by employees in both the short and the long term. To underline the link between the efforts made by every co-worker and the profitability of the ÅF Group, a new bonus model was introduced in 2008. In broad terms the new model means that the portion of profit that is generated at Group level is shared out in the form of bonus payments that are the same for co-workers in all parts of the company’s operations.
A workplace where individuals can thrive and develop
ÅF wants employees to take pride in their work and the company, to feel confidence in their managers and to enjoy the company of their colleagues. This requires focused, long-term efforts at all levels within the company. Employees are given feedback about how they are performing in their work via regular personal development interviews – dialogues between manager and co-worker that also form the basis for individual development plans. When a member of staff leaves ÅF, an exit interview is held to summarise the person’s impressions of the time spent at ÅF and create a positive platform for any future relations.
Preventive healthcare takes the form of both occupational healthcare and support for employees’ personal choices of health-promoting leisure activities.
Club ÅF is the collective name for the local staff clubs engaged in activities aimed at promoting social interaction and meaningful leisure activities, including a wide variety of cultural activities, for all ÅF employees who are interested.
Cottages for rent
All ÅF Group employees are entitled to rent one of the cottages or apartments that are owned, managed or leased by the Staff Foundation. A couple of hundred families take advantage of this opportunity every year.
Other benefits
Other benefits open to ÅF employees vary from country to country, depending, for example, on the local tax regime. In Sweden, benefits include occupational pensions, attractive insurance offers, the option of a company car and various discounts.
Policies
To make clear its position in a number of employee-related issues, the ÅF Group has formulated policies in key areas such as human resources, salaries, equal opportunities and the work environment.
Sick leave, holidays and parental leave
Sick leave among ÅF employees was 2.4 percent in 2008 (2007: 2.6 percent).
Total absenteeism, including holidays, was 15.7 (16.3) percent of normal working hours. Holidays accounted for 10.3 (9.7) percent and leave of absence for 3.6 (4.0) percent.
Employees are encouraged to take parental leave and ÅF adds an extra 10 percent to state benefits paid to both male and female employees on parental leave who earn salaries up to a total of 7.5 times the so-called "basic statistical amount" used in Sweden for calculating national social security benefits, etc. Employees whose salaries exceed 7.5 times this basic amount receive 90 percent of their monthly salary for between 60 and 90 days, up to a maximum of 15 basic amounts.
A workplace for both men and women
ÅF strives to be a workplace where both men and women can feel comfortable and enjoy the opportunity to develop. Traditionally, the technical industry has been male-dominated, but ÅF works hard to create a better gender balance, an ambition that is also reflected in the company’s recruitment activities. The first step towards a more even male-female ratio is to raise the proportion of female consultants and managers to 25 percent of the total. The proportion of female consultants was 17 percent at the end of 2008 (2007: 14 percent). The proportion of female senior consultants was 12 (13) percent, while female employees made up 21 (18) percent of the total workforce.
Female representation on the board
Three of the eight ÅF directors elected by the Annual General Meeting are women: this corresponds to a 37 percent representation on the board. One of the four employee representatives on the board is a woman.
Capacity utilisation
The ÅF Group’s invoiced-time ratio – the proportion of time charged to clients relative to the total number of hours spent at work by all employees – was 74.1 percent (2007: 75.1 percent). Non-invoiced time includes marketing, training, technical development, management and administration activities.