People

Nobina contributes to goal 3

by working for a healthy, safe and secure work environment in all of our workplaces – from buses to depots and offices. We do this by striving to ensure continuous improvements in leadership, work environment and commitment, and by creating a robust safety culture characterised by responsibility and care. Indirectly, our operations contribute to better health for all through fewer emissions and less noise pollution.

Within goal 5,

we are working purposefully for greater equality by striving to increase the proportion of women in our historically male-dominated industry. Through initiatives, such as inviting women to meetings so they can find out more about the driving profession, we have successfully enrolled a number of women in our driver training courses. We work hard at our workplaces to create a culture where equal opportunities and equal treatment for women and men are self-evident.

We contribute to goal 8

by offering full-time employment with decent working conditions and equal pay.
Fulfilling employee rights is self-evident, as is offering a good work nvironment. For many, Nobina is a first step into the labour market, with a secure job and development opportunities. Every year, we help to attract and train many new drivers through collaborations with job centres and via our own vocational training courses.
All employees are covered by collective agreements and we constantly strive to improve our workplaces and working conditions.

Access to drivers is a key issue for Nobina, particularly as retirement rates are rising and demand for public transport is growing.

During the year, recruitment efforts were more focused on reaching women. This is because more women are needed across the industry and because it is a natural way to broaden, or rather double, the recruitment base. This initiative has yielded results in Nobina Finland. The target here is that eventually, women should account for 40 percent of drivers. Before the targeted recruitment initiative began, this figure was 6 percent. Nobina has also secured several new contracts in Finland and therefore needs more drivers. Experience has shown that female drivers are increasingly considered as something self- evident and positive, and that they can also persuade other women to consider the profession. As part of the recruitment initiative in Finland, Nobina mainly focused its efforts on trying to attract new drivers from female-dominated sectors, where employees are already accustomed to shift work and have extensive experience of customer service.

A new career

Together with a training partner, Nobina Finland held three courses as part of the recruitment process that provided an introduction to the profession. The courses were marketed on social media, on Nobina’s website and through trade fairs, in advertising and newsletters. Special recruitment events were held in 12 locations in southern Finland. In the marketing material, a few of Nobina Finland’s current female drivers talked about their own career development at the company. The results show that significantly more women than previously showed an interest in the driving profession and were chosen to take part in Nobina’s courses. On average, 23 percent of participants in the three courses were women. Nobina Finland still has some way to go before reaching the goal of 40 percent female drivers, but is definitely moving in the right direction.