Human Rights,Equality and Diversity
We treat all employees and applicants equally regardless of their gender, age, ethnic background, political views or other background factors. Our equality plan is based on the Finnish Act on Equality Between Men and Women. We evaluate the realization of equality at work from the perspective of pay, career development and recruitment.
A separate equality and non-discrimination survey was conducted in late 2018 and the results were processed in 2019. The survey had a response rate of 51%. Equality and non-discrimination were given good ratings in the survey. The overall score of the survey was 5.3 on a scale of 16. The responses to open-ended questions indicated that further development is needed on issues related to pay, the allocation of duties and the filling of new positions. Based on the results of the survey, the company made updates to the equality plan and action plans, which were approved by the OHS Committee.
From the aspect of managing and developing diversity, it is important to take into account different backgrounds and skills and to put them to good use. Participatory and coaching supervisor work plays an important role in this.
The principles concerning the diversity of the Board of Directors are defined in the Corporate Governance Statement.
The vast majority of Bittium´s employees work in countries with progressive human rights legislation. Human rights monitoring mainly concerns Bittium´s subcontractors and suppliers, and Bittium has issued framework agreements and Supplier Requirements that serve as guidance in human rights issues. Bittium´s main partners are evaluated by means of self-assessments and audits in accordance with an annual plan. In 2019, no violations or significant non-conformities related to the use of child labor, forced labor, inappropriate disciplinary action, physical punishment, or health-related discriminatory practices were observed in Bittium´s or its subcontractors´ operations.
Enhancing the Employer Image
The technology sector is characterized by intense competition for high-end talent, and Bittium is involved in that competition. Bittium´s strengths as an employer include diverse tasks and development opportunities through work on various technologies, products and projects.
The importance of meaningful work is emphasized among our existing and potential employees, and we pay special attention to this by trying to be better at taking into consideration individual expectations and experiences regarding the factors that give work meaning.
In the future, we will focus even more on enhancing our image as an employer, improving the application experience and clarifying our employer promise to ensure our ability to attract and retain the best people.
Active Engagement
In addition to performance reviews and employee surveys, our internal engagement channels include discussion-based orientation training and team meetings, events for the whole staff as well as our social intranet. We place a particular emphasis on events for the entire personnel. We support our employees´ community spirit and activities also outside working hours in the form of various clubs, physical exercise and activities. We engage in active cooperation with educational institutions. We are keen to showcase the fascinating opportunities that our sector provides for young people as early as possible. Cooperation with schools is also an important recruitment channel for future professionals. Company visits are a good way for young people to get a concrete idea of the content and nature of the work. More than a thousand students have visited Bittium during the past couple of years. In December 2019, we received special recognition from the city of Oulu for our efforts in this area.
In 2019, we organized our second official “bring your kids to work´ event. Our employees´ children visited us in the morning to see where their parents work. The event program included general presentations on Bittium´s operations customized for young audiences, Bittium product demonstrations and children´s meetings.
