DNA has won trade union Pro’s Equality Award 2020. The winner was selected by trade union Pro’s Board based on a proposal from the union’s supervision of interests team. The basis for granting the award was DNA’s continuous development of family-friendly practices. Pro’s Board paid special attention to how DNA acknowledges both DNA’s own and temporary workers in matters related to family friendliness.
“We applied for the award almost by accident when I saw a bulletin on the subject. I asked our Senior Vice President of Human Resources if we should join as we have so many good practices for balancing work and family life. It was a great moment when we found out that we won. It’s even greater that the award comes from our own union,” says DNA’s Chief Workplace Steward Mika Oja.
“When the personnel is doing well, the company is successful."
The selection of the winner was based on actions that promote equality in the working life, such as equal salaries, balancing work and family, equality planning as well as preventing and addressing harassment based on sexuality and gender.
“Promoting equality in the working life is an important part of Pro’s operations and influencing. With the award, we want to highlight good cooperation and examples from workplaces. This year, we are awarding DNA for their praiseworthy equality actions that promote the balance of family and work,” says President Jorma Malinen from Pro.
Trade Union Pro’s members and staff were able to propose the Equality Award for workplaces or members of Trade Union Pro or for parties who have distinguished themselves in equality work. The proposed action could be, for example, a completed development project, a good workplace practice, an operating method that led to results or cooperation within the workplace or with other actors. In 2019, Pro’s equality award was granted to Nokia and Ramboll Finland; in 2018, to Valio.
Flexible work concept and other significant actions
“When the personnel is doing well, the company is successful," says Senior Vice President, Human Resources Marko Rissanen from DNA.
DNA has been developing its family-friendly practices, with focus on freedom, responsibility and trust, for a long time. The Family Federation of Finland granted DNA recognition as a Family-Friendly Workplace in 2018, and the recognition was renewed in the spring 2020. DNA remains the only large enterprise in Finland to receive the recognition.
At DNA, the flexible work concept means that employees whose work is not tied to a specific location by their duties can decide when and where they want to carry out their work without a separate agreement with their supervisor. Remote work is preferably done from home. Parents with young children and, similarly, employees who help ageing parents with everyday tasks, are particularly grateful for the flexible work concept.
In addition, DNA has introduced paid grandparental leave. The grandma or grandpa leave should be used to spend time with the family within a year of the grandchild’s birth. Since early 2020, DNA has started supporting its employees in caring for elderly family members. The goal of the benefit is that DNA’s employees can delight their aging loved ones with unhurried and reliable company on a regular basis, even if they themselves cannot meet the parents as often as they wish. In addition, DNA’s employees have the possibility to utilise a home care service if their child is sick.
Image: The award was accepted by Deputy Workplace Steward Katja Komeza (left), Chief Workplace Steward Mika Oja and Senior Vice President, Human Resources Marko Rissanen.
