At the end of 2009, the Group had 826 employees, which is 14 per cent less than at the end of 2008. Of these, 351 were salaried employees (275 of them associated with production-oriented operations) and 475 were production workers and carpenters. 476 were employees in the Norwegian operations and 346 in the Swedish operations, while four were members of Group administration, including the CEO.
During the second half of 2008, major staff cuts were made in all parts of the organisation in order to adapt production capacity and costs to a lower level of sales. 150 employees (55 in the Norwegian operations and 95 in the Swedish operations) were serving their period of notice at the end of 2008, and left their employment in the first half of 2009. The staff cuts were implemented in accordance with Hovedavtalen – the General Agreement for Civil Servants (Norway), collective bargaining agreements (Sweden) and applicable legislation, and in negotiation with union organisations (Fellesforbundet in Norway, the Swedish Forest and Wood Trade Union, Unionen and the Swedish Organisation for Managers).
Working environment
A safe and good working environment is a crucial determinant of the Group’s capacity for long-term value creation. The Board considers the Group’s working environment to be satisfactory. The Board wishes to give credit to employees and management for their efforts in focusing on restructuring and profitability, and contributing to the Group’s growth in 2009.
Management and representatives of the trade union organisations hold regular meetings during the year. Total sick leave in the Norwegian operations was 6.8 per cent in 2009, while in Sweden it was 3.0 per cent. The corresponding figures for 2008 were 7.9 per cent and 4.2 per cent. In 2009, there were 25 lost-time accidents and injuries, compared with 62 in 2008. Typical injuries were injuries from using nail guns and other tools and fall injuries from low heights. After an accident caused by incorrect handling of materials stored at height at a construction site, there was a change to procedures for safety inspections at construction sites and an immediate of sharpening of checks on storage areas for materials. None of the other cases resulted in serious or permanent injury.
ISO certification
The Norwegian and Swedish companies are certified to ISO 9001:2000. The certification applies to product development, project development, sales and construction of houses. The Swedish companies are also environmentally certified to ISO 14001:1996. Myresjöhus’ construction systems are SITAC- approved.
HSE (Health, safety and environment)
Block Watne AS conducts regular statutory training programmes and in-house training in the area of HSE. To ensure compliance with HSE routines by the company’s employees and subcontractors, there are unannounced inspections of building sites with subsequent internal discussion of non-conformances. Unannounced inspections of building sites are conducted by third parties according to the routines practised by the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority. There were 117 unannounced inspections in 2009, with the number of reported non-conformances 28 per cent lower than in 2008.
The Swedish companies have conducted training for building managers, project managers and engineers in safety and the physical working environment at the construction site and workplace layout.
Equal opportunities
When recruiting employees, BWG Homes makes a focused effort to increase the percentage of women, although this is made more difficult by a marked recruitment bias in the building sector. Working conditions have been organised to suit women and men.
Two of the four shareholder-elected Board members are women. One of the three employee representatives on the Board is a woman. 12 per cent of employees in the Norwegian company are women. Five per cent of employees in sales and production are women. Three of the ten members of the Block Watne AS management group are women. 21 per cent of employees in the Swedish company are women. 19 per cent of em-ployees in sales and production are women. There are no women in the BWG Homes AB management group.
Discrimination
In 2006, the Board defined ethical guidelines which apply to the Group and subsidiaries. These guidelines are available on the subsidiaries’ websites and the Group website. The ethical guidelines contain the following stipulations:
- BWG shall be perceived as a professional and positive workplace with an inclusive work environment.
- BWG shall observe all requirements laid down in relevant legislation.
- All employees shall create a work environment in which there is no discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, nationality, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
- BWG shall not tolerate any behaviour which may be perceived as ridiculing, degrading or threatening.
The Board monitors compliance with the guidelines on an annual basis.
Block Watne AS has established procedures for issuing warnings about unacceptable behaviour, including harassment, discrimination, errors or omissions which can endanger life and health, and infringement of laws and regulations and adopted guidelines. The individual issuing a warning shall not be subjected to negative reactions. Warning procedures are available on the company’s intranet.
The working situation and duties of salaried employees with disabilities are arranged in consultation with the individual concerned and doctor/occupational health service if relevant. Allocation of duties at construction sites and production facilities for employees with disabilities must take into account current safety requirements.
When recruiting employees for construction sites and production facilities, for safety and practical reasons the appointee must have a working knowledge of Swedish or Norwegian, as processes at construction sites and production facilities have to follow established procedures, methods and routines with regard to safety and quality. At the end of 2009, only 19 of the 475 carpenters and production workers (4 per cent) were from an ethnic background other than Norwegian or Swedish.