WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND SATISFACTION

Job satisfaction at Veidekke remains high

Occupation health services (BHT) at Veidekke measures job satisfaction through employee surveys. In reply to the question: "How satisfied are you with your workplace?" the employees in 2009 gave an average of 5.7 points on a scale of 0 (low) to 7 (high), the same score as in 2008 and better than all previous surveys. It is gratifying that both salaried staff and craftsmen gave a score of 5.7 on average, and with such a high job satisfaction the possibility of further successful improvement is very good.

Monitoring sickness absence is important

Veidekke has good routines for following up sickness absence among our employees, and most of our managers with personnel responsibility have taken a five-hour course in absence follow-up arranged by Veidekke's occupational health service and in-house training centre, Veidekkeskolen. The goal is to achieve a close and constructive dialogue with those on sick leave, and facilitate work-related activity if possible. The use of graded and active sick leave is good, and some employees have organised work in varying lengths of time to avoid passive sick leave. Leaders, who know their craftsmen well, can often identify reassignment possibilities.

Good follow-up needed for employees on long-term sick leave

In 2009, occupational health services in Norway, followed by 277 craftsmen on sick for more than four weeks. Of these 57 per cent of the employees reported musculo-skeletal disorders as the cause, eight per cent psychological distress, six per cent, cardiovascular disease, and two per cent cancer. The corresponding figures for 91 long-term sick leave staff were 31 per cent musculo-skeletal disorders, 32 per cent mental health problems, 16 per cent cardiovascular disease and four per cent cancer. The reason that salaried staff are less often on long-term sick leave for musculo-skeletal disorders, is that they can easily adapt their work to such disorders. By using available national health service schemes such as free hospital choice, Veidekke's occupational health service has helped many employees to reduce unnecessary waiting time for evaluation and treatment, sometimes by several months. The absence and rehabilitation committees in Veidekke work actively to facilitate and possibly reassign employees when necessary.