Antero Levänen, Chief Human Resources Officer at HOK-Elanto, says managing ability to work requires clear objectives – as any other systematic task aimed at making an impact. These objectives should include improved daily workflows, fewer sick days, longer careers and better productivity.

HOK-Elanto has developed a structured concept for its employee surveys in collaboration with Corporate Spirit. According to Antero Levänen, modern employee surveys should provide organisations with important data on features influencing engagement levels. This kind of data directly affects the measures to manage and maintain the staff’s ability to work.

“Engagement, management and performance ability are closely linked”, Antero Levänen emphasises. “This can be seen at all organisational levels and is also the reason why understanding the big picture is so essential in getting the best out of every survey.”

HOK-Elanto evaluates the staff’s ability to work on an annual, unit-specific basis. The surveys clearly show a genuine connection between how ability to work is managed and the amount of sick days. Regular surveys are also perceived as a sign of staff appreciation. Since

HOK-Elanto introduced Corporate Spirit’s PeoplePower® surveys in 2011, results have improved annually.

Antero Levänen explains the opportunities to use the process as a tool for better productivity: “When carried out systematically, managing ability to work is an efficient way to tell the staff that their employer cares about their wellbeing. This encourages people to commit to productive work. The surveys – along with appropriate measures – clearly improve engagement. This significantly reduces leaves of absence and the need for extra staff, resulting in notable savings.”

Ability to work should clearly be managed not only by HR but also by the entire top management. When done properly, it supports all operations and significantly improves workflow. As Antero Levänen emphasises, it really comes down to paying attention to quite simple issues at work.

“There are several small factors that enable improvement in every unit, such as general working arrangements, briefings on new duties, continuous improvement of operations, managerial courage to deal with all kinds of problems, as well as uninterrupted communication. Attention to detail enables remarkable achievements.”

Antero Levänen, Chief Human Resources Officer, HOK-Elanto:

TO MANAGING ABILITY TO WORK””BUSINESS SUCCESS IS CLEARLY CONNECTED

HOK-Elanto aims to provide services and benefits for the wellbeing of its members. With half a million co-op members, 6,200 employees and almost 300 retailers (including groceries, department stores, petrol stations and restaurants) it is the largest regional cooperative of S Group and a key employer in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Corporate Spirit Oy carries out S Group’s employee surveys.

Managing the staff’s ability to work is a continuous process that plays a significant role in overall company performance. It is a systematic way of handling daily workflows and job satisfaction.

HR INTELLIGENCE TO SUPPORT BUSINESS SUCCESS.

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EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENTDATA SECURITYEDITORIAL

As opportunities to mobile business management keep evolving, the amount of both users and data increases more rapidly than ever. Security-related tasks from shopping to a wide variety of banking issues can be carried out much easier than before. Also, tablet computers and mobile phones send out more sensitive data than ever into the digital universe.

Mobility is a powerful weapon when it comes to improving user experience and operational efficiency. But just as other weapons, it is dangerous in wrong hands or when used improperly. Shorter time frames and matters handled on the go mean increased risks. Security issues can get neglected, even accidentally – and the consequences can surprise everyone.

To ensure top-notch security, the best choice is to have a watertight and bulletproof platform that enables full mobility and potential. With Corporate Spirit’s technology and knowledge of mobile opportunities, we have developed survey systems to fully meet today’s convenience and security requirements.

The new and commended Cixtranet® feature enables respondents to fill in surveys on mobile devices. Data is securely stored in our own controlled server rooms. The world may be more mobile than ever, but despite that – or perhaps because of that – this kind of information is just too sensitive and fundamental to be stored in cloud environments.

Kind regards,JUKKA POHJOLA

Managing Director

HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR SURVEY DATA BEING STORED IN AN AMERICAN CLOUD?

In information security, a chain is indeed only as strong as its weakest link. The bad guys out there put their effort in discovering that weakest link to attack. Users themselves have become the weakest link – an unwelcome fact for security developers. However, pinpointing weak links is essential to successfully create systems combining convenience in user experience with unrivalled security features.

Information security has always been at the core of Cixtranet3® – which never has and never will be subject to compromise.* All data is securely stored and used and all necessary precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of information flow and communications. In other words, every effort has been taken to prevent users from winding up as the weakest link.

Minimising the room for human error is key to ensuring comprehensive information security. J-P Saarinen reveals some of Corporate Spirit’s tricks to stay a step ahead of the threat.

DATA SECURITY

STORING DATA

In Cixtranet3® all records are stored in a secure physical and electronic environment. To protect the records against direct online attacks, required data storage equipment runs in a standalone internal data network. Both equipment and related systems are continuously reinforced with the latest security updates. The human threat is minimised by limiting the number of persons with physical or network access to equipment containing sensitive data.

Lately, contradictions between global activities and local legislations have raised attention. Though easily assumed, user rights to information provided by EU are not subject to EU legislation if stored in U.S. cloud services. Another concrete problem arises when physical data storage of U.S. companies containing data on citizens of another country is placed outside of the U.S. What legislation applies in this case?

EXERTING DATA

From an information security perspective, records need to be securely converted for user comprehension. It is essential to ensure that users

only get to view authorised data. Cixtranet3® includes several built-in restrictions that enable precise usage rules and are designed to prevent human mistakes from happening. Privacy features prevent access to other customer’s data.

SECURE COMMUNICATIONS

All communication between Cixtranet3® and user browsers is secured to prevent eavesdropping (Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) 3.0 protocol). For example, survey results forwarded as unsecure email attachments would create communication vulnerabilities and might even find their way to wrong recipients in perfectly readable format. This brings us back to the issue of users and their role in information security. Open workstations, data stored on flash drives and printed survey forms left out on desks are just some examples of situations that unfortunately contribute to humans being the weakest link of information security chains.

JUHA-PEKKA SAARINENIT ManagerCorporate Spirit

In the words of Mikko Hyppönen, CRO at F-Secure corporation:

”Corporations should not store their data in American cloud services – we know for a fact that U.S. intelligence services have access to them. We can only hope that the information they are viewing does not happen to be ours.”

Cixtranet3® is Corporate Spirit’s web-based survey and reporting system, the state-of-the-art multilingual tool for planning employee surveys and 360 assessments, designing questionnaires, mapping organisational structure, collecting data, analyzing results, reporting, distributing results and action planning.

*

Valkjärventie 7 A, 02130 Espoo, Finland, ☎ +358 9 452 0730 Läntinen Pitkäkatu 33, 20100 Turku, Finland, ☎ +358 2 274 3100Birger Jarlsgatan 2, 5 tr, 114 34 Stockholm, Sweden, ☎ + 46 8 505 65 171Dronning Eufemias Gate 16, 0191 Oslo, Norway, ☎ +47 2 389 888020 Broadwick Street, Soho, W1F 8HT, London, UK, ☎ +44 870 366 93 35Av. Golf de Manquehue 9750, Lo Barnechea, Santiago, Chile, ☎ +56 9 5628 8292

EMPLOYEE SURVEYS

360 ° ASSESSMENTS

INTERNAL CO-OPERATION SURVEYS

SOLUTIONS FOR UTILISING THE SURVEYS

AND ASSESSMENTS

www.corporatespirit.eu

Editor-in-chief: Jukka Pohjola | Editor: Mari Kaarnavaara-Puutio | Layout: Mainostoimisto Dynastia | Printed by: TEMA-TEAM 12554-14 | Circulation: 7 000

Corporate Spirit CS Ltd

Corporate Spirit’s inaugural year in Sweden is just about complete. Now there’s a good reason to celebrate! If you happen to be in Stockholm on 3 April, you are welcome to join us for our Anniversary Lunch at the Finnish Embassy at Gärdesgatan 11.

Celebrations begin at 11 a.m. with a toast and reflecting experiences of our first year in Sweden. Buffet lunch begins a bit after noon, followed by Mr. Oskar Henriksson’s keynote presentation. The guests can also enjoy musical performances by the famous Scary Cherry band. The event ends around 2 p.m.

» RSVP by 25 March to malin.alm@corporatespirit.se

ONE YEAR IN SWEDEN

Time to clear that schedule and make room for a comprehensive information package on HR trends and expectations for 2014 and beyond! Our annual Back-to-Basics seminar will be held on 7 May. Keynote speaker Kirsi Matero of Lassila & TIkanoja shares her knowledge on how to make the most of employee survey results. The subject will also be addressed in small workgroups led by Corporate Spirit’s professionals and discussed further over brunch.

» RSVP by 25 April to info@corporatespirit.fi

TIME TO GET BACK TO BASICS!

ANNUAL EVENTS

WELCOME! 3.4.2014 Ettårsjubileum, Stockholm, Sweden

6.5. 2014 600Min Human Resources, Oslo, Norway

7.5.2014 Back-to-Basics, Helsinki, Finland

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