A year of survival and success

Three Port employees on Olympia quay.

The exceptional year had a strong impact on the Port’s passenger services and financial situation. As early as the spring, a reduction plan and adjustment measures were started, which also included temporary lay offs. Indeed, it can be said that the Port’s biggest success of the year is that, despite everything, the port persisted in its tasks even in the exceptional circumstances.

As a result of the cooperation negotiations held in May, it was agreed that, as part of other reduction measures, Port personnel would be temporarily laid off in the autumn for 30 days and, depending on the economic situation, for a maximum of 30 days in the spring of 2021. Management also participated in the measures by waiving their holiday bonuses.

In addition to the temporary lay offs, the reduction plan included postponing projects and investments for the coming years and suspending recruitment, training and business travel.

New working methods

The COVID-19 preparedness group established at the Port of Helsinki was responsible for appropriate  preparation and keeping the management and personnel updated on the situation. Recommendations on working methods were adjusted as required by the progress of the situation: the Port undertook measures such as switching to remote work where possible and wearing face masks both at the terminals and the office, minimising the risk of infection. Meetings, appointments and events were held online or cancelled.

Practices to alleviate the new situation were introduced, such as an electronic signature system, extended leisure-time accident insurance for the personnel and an extension on self-certified sick leave from three days to ten. Furthermore, in the first half of the year, a new flexible time tracking system with mobile access was adopted. The use of employee benefits also shifted to mobile devices. The Port’s personnel have learned to use various digital tools effectively.

A good score for the new occupational health service

In May, the Port’s occupational health service provider was switched to Mehiläinen. With the switch, occupational health services will be available to the personnel around the clock, on mobile devices and at more service locations than before. Based on a survey, the Net Promoter Score (NPS) of the occupational health service is 76, which means that a good many Port employees would recommend their occupational health services to others.

Developing competence

As part of the adjustment measures and as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions, a large part of training was either suspended or postponed. However, new in-house Manager Forums were established to support managing work and leadership. Their activities were carried out remotely online. The management training that was started at the start of the year was also completed.

In addition to this, project competence and its practices were further developed. Project competence has been identified as one of the key priorities for competence development as the Port strives towards its vision of becoming the most functional port in the world.

A new reward model introduced

At the beginning of the year, a new reward model facilitating customer satisfaction and responsibility goals was introduced. As before, the entire staff will continue to be included in the bonus performance system, and it is possible to place the bonuses received in the staff funds.

Job satisfaction decreased

A job satisfaction survey was conducted at the end of the year. Its Liekki index measuring employee experience was 66, which is slightly lower than the previous year (2019: 69). The answers were divided. Although some cooperation indicators rose and the challenges of the COVID-19 year explain some of the results, the results are not acceptable.

Right at the end of the year, it was decided that the development of cooperation would be a priority for 2021. During the coronavirus restrictions, cooperation has been limited. During 2021, new ways of promoting cooperation will be sought, introduced and practised, despite the continuing exceptional circumstances.

Port staff in figures

At the end of 2020, 85 people worked at the Port of Helsinki, one of whom was a temporary worker. The number of staff decreased by three workers compared to the end of the previous year.

  • The number of person-years worked was 79.8 (2019: 89.7).
  • Of the permanent employees, 28% were women and 71.8% were men.
  • The average age of the entire personnel was 51 years.
  • The average length of permanent employment contracts was 16.0 years.
  • The sick-leave percentage for the year was 2.4 on average (2019: 2.7).

 

Personnel 31. December 2019

Regular Temporary Total
CEO 1 1
Passenger business 17 1 18
Cargo business 11 11
Finances, ICT and Development 16 16
Human Resources 3 3
Technical Services 34 34
Communications 3 3
Total 85 1 86