ANNUAL REPORT 2003 INEX PARTNERS OY

INEX AND ITS STAFF
The purpose of the Inex Group’s
human resources strategy is to provide
expert, motivated employees
who constantly renew their skills
and are committed to our corporate
goals. In this respect, a key task is
to turn the Group companies into
employers of choice, which motivate
their current employees and
attract those of the future.
Our personnel strategy emphasises
the provision of suffi cient,
high-quality human resources. To
achieve this goal, we are continuously
developing our operational
processes, and improving management
skills and the interaction between
management and other staff.
Occupational health is promoted
by maintaining and improving the
mental, social and physical wellbeing
of our employees.
In 2003, the Inex Group employed
2,242 people on average, 2,015 of
whom were employed by the parent
company, Inex Partners Oy. The
company’s average number of personnel
increased by 8 per cent and
Meira Nova’s by 14 per cent. This
increase was attributable to the
growth in product volumes.
The development of incentive
schemes within Inex Partners Oy
and Meira Nova Oy continued as
planned. In the long term, our aim
is to increase working effi ciency
and promote incentive-based pay.
Inex is actively responding to the
obligations set by the Occupational
Safety Act which came into force
at the beginning of 2003. As part
of a national employment accident
prevention programme for 2001–
2005, Inex has set a zero target for
employment accidents.
Developing Expertise
The Inex Group emphasises the
continuous and goal-oriented development
of expertise. This development
work, which is in line with the
Group’s key goals, is focused on the
strengthening of the Group’s core
competencies.
All Inex employees have the opportunity
to improve their professional
skills and develop their competencies
through three learning paths:
the Inex path (in-house courses),
the College path (diploma studies)
and/or the Learning at Work path.
The key goal of human resources
development is that the employee
is able to apply the newly-acquired
skills within his or her own work. An
evaluation model is currently being
created in order to assess whether
related goals have been achieved in
such a manner that the practical effects
of training can be identifi ed in
operational performance.
Multi-modal training provided by
the employer through various channels
is supplemented by self-initiated
learning at work. This enables
employees to learn new things by
gaining experience from different
tasks and working groups and taking
advantage of the organisation’s
pool of experience-based expertise.
Inex’s operational process descriptions
were updated. In this
area, the future aim is to further
strengthen process work skills within
the organisation.
The development of supervisory
and leadership skills is a continuous
process. As part of this work,
confi dential performance reviews
between employees and supervisors
were extended to cover the entire
organisation. The purpose of this
is to upgrade the interactive development
of the individual and the
organisation and to increase motivation.
Well-being at Work
The Vire project, aimed at maintaining
and improving the physical,
mental and social well-being
of staff, continued in the form of
everyday, supervisor-led activities.
As part of this work, more than 80
Inex employees participated in a
national weight control programme
in January–April 2003, designed
to encourage participants to lose
10
weight, obesity being identifi ed as
harmful to health.
Kilo logistics centre’s occupational
health services, the Social Insurance
Institution and Orton Rehabilitation
created a rehabilitation
programme tailored to the special
needs of logistics centre employees.
A pilot group steered by the occupational
health services focuses on
the prevention of back problems
by providing guidance and activating
participants to take personal responsibility
for the care of the back.
A rehabilitation task force dedicated
to logistics centre employees’
well-being at work and its general
advancement was established at
the end of 2003, consisting of the
representatives of various co-operation
partners.
Co-operation
Employee representatives selected
by the various staff groups participated
in consultative meetings between
employees and management,
and in a number of (skills) development
projects at Group level. This
regular co-operation, which has
been both constructive and fruitful,
is aimed at the ongoing development
of the working community and
the company’s operational preconditions.
Staff representatives and the
Group’s management convened
twice during the year to discuss
current issues in a participative
seminar.
Inex Partners Oy’s Board of Directors
has two staff representatives.
Staff have maintained a positive attitude
and high motivation, despite
the exceptional workload pressures
that they have recently experienced.