Professional development within an organization is a standard feature of the modern workplace. Länstrafiken in Norrbotten is no exception. The company is committed to improving its work environment, which, in the long run, makes it a more attractive employer.

ByHart offers training programs across all of our service areas, and we are seeing a shift in the reasons why clients choose to work with us when it comes to specific, pre-packaged training courses. Within our service area Human Resources where Work Environment —where we receive the most requests for support—the trend has shifted from simply providing training on what is “required to be in place” to viewing workplace safety training as a key factor in creating an attractive workplace.

We visited Viktoria Korak, HR Manager at Länstrafiken in Norrbotten, to discuss how they approach workplace safety and what they choose to focus on. Viktoria, together with the company’s safety representative, has also completed our training course Better Work Environment (BAM) E-Learning and we were eager to hear her feedback.

Länstrafiken in Norrbotten is owned by the Regional Public Transport Authority of Norrbotten (RKM) which is organized as a municipal association with Region Norrbotten and the county’s 14 municipalities as members. RKM is responsible for decisions regarding public service obligations, service frequency, and fares, while Länstrafiken i Norrbotten operates public transit through a network of bus routes, as well as, on behalf of RKM, providing paratransit services and medical transport on behalf of Region Norrbotten.

Approximately 2.3 million people travel annually on Länstrafiken buses, which are operated by about 30 independent bus companies. Länstrafiken in Norrbotten itself has about 50 employees and a turnover of 500 million. The bus companies have about 400 drivers and 230 buses.

What are you up to right now?

“We’re currently reviewing our systematic work environment management (SAM) and our compensation process,” says Viktoria. “We’re refining our work environment policy and determining what forms of collaboration we should have, and we’re taking this all the way down to the employee level. Refining the compensation process means we’re developing criteria and integrating our values into the process.” Furthermore, we are focusing heavily on leadership development, leading through values, and working more proactively.

Invest time and energy in the workplace environment. It’s the be-all and end-all.

How do you work to foster a positive culture within the organization?

– Last fall, we conducted a cultural assessment that gave us a good sense of where we stand, what our strengths are, and which areas we need to prioritize in order to make improvements. We’ve identified areas that need focus, held workshops, and created a vision for what we want our culture to look like—all while listening to our employees, working together, and reviewing the opportunities and obstacles that exist in achieving that vision.

She explains that management frequently discusses what they stand for, how they convey that through active communication, and what messages they want to convey within the organization. It should be clear what it means to be a leader and an employee at Länstrafiken, what behaviors are acceptable, and that they are on a long-term journey.

“Internally, we refer to our work as Upgrade 2.0, and this fall we’ll be fully integrating our core values into all our processes,” says Viktoria.

What does that mean in practice?

– We want to establish a set of core values that everyone can embrace and live by, but the process must be allowed to take the time needed to ensure the results are lasting. These core values should be reflected in active behaviors in the workplace, across all roles. The more openness we have, the better our culture will be.

Start with the individual and their personal journey of growth.

Why is workplace safety so important to you?

“Our goal is for every employee to feel seen and heard,” says Viktoria. “We want people to want to work for us—to see us as an attractive employer—whether they’re already on our team or have just discovered us, and we want our focus on collaboration with and among employees to be woven into everything we do.” I want our employees to truly feel that we are making a real difference and that we follow through on our efforts.

Can you name a few areas you’re focusing on specifically regarding workplace safety, as well as in your efforts to become an even more attractive employer?

– Yes, we want to establish a solid foundation where everyone knows what we want and stand for. It has to be rock-solid. And we’ll always live by the values reflected in our behavior. In practical terms, we work with employee surveys, safety inspections, an activity group focused on health, and the concept of “work-life balance”—which means it should be easy to combine your personal life with your work. For example , you can earn energy hours, and much more.

Some of Länstrafiken’s initiatives focus on leaders within the company. Leaders should adopt a coaching style of leadership where, instead of micromanaging from the top, they empower employees to make decisions—because they are the ones with the expertise, Viktoria explains.

You have completed ByHart’s digital workplace safety training (BAM). What would you say it has provided you with?

– Lots of great insights, ideas, and knowledge on how we can improve our health and safety efforts. This will be a huge help to me and our safety representative in figuring out how to structure our health and safety work. A major advantage of your digital training is that you can do it at your own pace, pause whenever you want, and resume the training later. The fact that we have access to it forever and can revisit it provides a really solid foundation that we can then implement internally, either on our own or together with an external HR partner.

Viktoria Korak's Top 3 Tips for Becoming an Attractive Employer

• Invest time and energy in the workplace environment. It’s the be-all and end-all.
• Be attentive to the organization's needs.
• Start with the individual and their personal journey of growth.

Would you like to learn more about how our occupational safety and health training programs can take your business to the next level? Contact us and we’ll tell you more.

Please note that ByHart is an approved training provider through AFA Insurance which means that as an employer, you can receive up to 70% of the participant fee as a subsidy when managers and safety representatives/work environment representatives complete the training. Of course, we will assist you with the process of obtaining financial reimbursement.

📸 Photo: Johan Baggström.