Sustainability aspects
- The work environment and safety culture
- Equality, diversity and equal opportunity
- Education and development for the young
Sustainable social conditions for people
Peab’s employees with their skills and engagement build the company. One of Peab’s strategic targets is to be able to offer our employees the best workplace. This means that everyone in Peab should go to work every day feeling safe, included and involved. We want every employee to feel their work is meaningful and developing. Our social responsibility starts in Peab but spreads all the way through the production chain out into the local community.
Safe and inclusive work environment
The work environment and healthy employees is, and will always be, one of our top priorities. There are a lot of workplace injuries in the construction and civil engineering industry but we can never accept that people are injured or get sick because of their job nor can we accept any form of social exclusion at our workplaces. Everyone has the right to a safe, secure and including work environment and our work environment work in this area include everyone at our workplaces.
Last year was characterized by continuing to analyze risks and draw up action plans related to the pandemic. Peab’s specialist team continued to monitor and draw up guidelines on how to assess and handle the spread of the virus at our Nordic workplaces based on the recommendations of national authorities.
The core of our work environment work is our accident prevention measures in which risk observations from employees and partners are one of several important factors. Every remedied risk is considered one less potential accident. Monitoring this by executive management and requiring reporting on work environment risks, incidents and accidents is crucial, along with always resolving identified risks before work begins.
Our zero accident vision and target of a contracting trend in all serious accidents are as of 2021 one of our nine external targets. The target comprises our own employees and everyone at our workplaces. In 2022 we will continue to strive to achieve a contracting trend in all serious accidents and incidents primarily through in-depth analyses and increasing awareness so that similar accidents do not occur again. A Nordic exchange of experiences permeates our systematic work environment work. We also develop various forms of education. Last year 8,000 skilled workers took the industry’s joint safety course Safe Construction Training.
The core of our work environment work is our accident prevention measures. Every remedied risk i considered one less potential accident.
All our employees as well as subcontractors and suppliers are encouraged to report risk observations, incidents and accidents at all our workplaces via support systems or to their closest supervisors. This is crucial information for us in our systematic work environment work. All our employees and non-employed personnel at our workplaces have the explicit right to refuse to do a job if it cannot be done safely. The level of risk observations during the year continued to be high 62,071 (61,238). In 2021 we noted a reduction in the number of serious accidents at our workplaces amounting to 28 (391) of which 10 were among our own personnel and the number of serious accidents at our subcontractors was 18. This, however, is overshadowed by the fatal accident of an employee at one of our subcontractors in our operational area E6 in Kungälv where we have investigated the incident and taken corrective measures.
For our own employees we began to apply a supplemental key ratio that shows accidents with more than four days absence, LTIF42. This is a valuable complement in the work to analyze and reduce accidents.
Gauging our employees
In 2021 we carried out another work environment evaluation where employees were given the opportunity to evaluate their work environment in the categories working hours, workload and equal opportunity. The result continues to be stable and well in line with the benchmark. The area of workloads has improved even if difficulties to relax after work are still reflected in the numbers. Equal opportunity has also improved but the outcome is lower among skilled workers than white-collar workers. Peab’s Nordic annual health and work environment focus week was held in August and this year it spotlighted ergonomics. During the week’s work it became clear that we need to do more in ergonomics to ensure a good work environment and so that our employees can have a healthy and active life even after they retire.
Twice a year we hold our personnel survey The Handshake so that we can continuously develop and improve as co-workers and teams. The questions in The Handshake mainly concern productivity, the team’s sustainability and if employees are willing to recommend Peab as an employer to friends and acquaintances (eNPS). The latter is also one of our nine external targets that we report twice a year.
Participation in the autumn survey was 84 percent in the Group, accompanied by many suggestions for improvement. This shows the great interest our employees have in contributing to developing their teams and our business.
Within the strategic target Best workplace the eNPS (recommend Peab) value should be above the benchmark for the industry (industry and manufacturing). The eNPS value for the Group rose in the autumn survey by five points compared to the previous evaluation and was 24 (18). This is clearly above the Nordic benchmark which is 15 (10). The increase is primarily in Swedish operations while the value in Norway dipped slightly from a high level. The eNPS value rose particularly for female employees but was also slightly higher for skilled workers.
A lot of work remains to achieve equality in the construction and civil engineering industry’s workplaces.
1 The Group has conducted a Nordic review of our serious accident reporting and established a common definition. We have launched a process wherein each month we go through all accidents to quality ensure and lock our numbers throughout the entire Group, thereof the revised number of serious accidents for 2020.
2 The number of workplace accidents with more than four days absence, excluding the day of injury (LTI4), and workplace accidents according to the same definition per one million hours worked (LTIF4) for our own employees.
Transition in progress
Team promotes safe roadway workplaces
Peab has a large number of construction sites affected by passing traffic which entails a risk that requires special safety arrangements. On the other hand, the way we arrange roadway workplaces affects passing traffic. Our goal is to always design safe workplaces while creating a safe environment for the general public. Therefore Peab has established our own team of traffic engineers tasked with supporting those who work with traffic and safety arrangements in different stages of construction, training colleagues and spreading good examples. Over a year the team visits almost a hundred workplaces, makes random checks and contributes with experience-based suggestions for improvement. For their work Peab’s traffic arrangement team was awarded a silver medal in the Maintain Zero work environment awards.
Target to increase equality
A lot of work remains to achieve equality in the construction and civil engineering industry’s workplaces. The biggest challenge is in skilled worker positions in production. These challenges start in the education system which leads to a limited recruitment base for employers. As a major Nordic community builder we have a role in making a change but we cannot do it without help from schools.
The proportion of women in production at Peab is still way too low, which has a disproportionate effect on gender distribution since we have such a high portion of our own skilled workers compared to other actors in the construction and civil engineering industry. However, there is a good balance between women and men in all the other parts of our organization. In total the portion of women is 14 percent (13.3).
Peab and the industry’s diversity challenge requires further measures, mainly in the educational system so that the supply to the industry and Peab makes it possible to employ more female managers and skilled workers. To speed up this crucial process Peab set explicit targets this year to increase equality linked to the educational system by striving for the percentage of women recruited to Peab for our core skills to always be higher than the percentage of women who have graduated with, for us, relevant degrees on the education markets. The percentage of women in new recruitments was 6.8 percent in production and processing compared to our target of more than 5.0 percent and 34.9 percent in production management and production support whereas our target was 28.5 percent. For 2022 the equal opportunity recruitment target in production and processing continues to be more than 5.0 percent while the target for production management and production support has been raised to more than 30 percent.
At Peab the nature, performance and skills level of an employee’s job decide their pay level. In accordance with Swedish law a salary survey is conducted every year in Swedish operations to ensure that all salaries are factually based. Salary processing in Norway, Denmark and Finland is performed according to national laws and collective bargaining agreements. Peab’s analysis of salaries paid in 2021 detected 19 (16) cases of subjectively set salaries between women and men for comparable professions, skills and positions. These salary differences were rectified.
Peab works actively with education and support for managers and co-workers to ensure no one is discriminated or victimized at our workplaces. We also have an Ethical Council which ensures that reports of victimization and discrimination are investigated by impartial expertise. In recent years around 12,000 employees have been educated in diversity and equal opportunity. The proactive measures for equality, diversity and equal opportunity will continue in 2022. All new employees take a mandatory training which is updated regularly.
Important to develop new managers
Peab has for many years prioritized developing managers on all levels and in 2021, when remote leadership was still a considerable challenge, it was more important than ever. In addition to the ordinary leadership development program, which is offered to managers on four different levels, we arranged a digital course on remote leadership and how mental illness can be prevented. We also had a special program for supervisors which is a group that often goes directly from getting their degree to becoming managers and therefore needs a lot of support. In total 325 supervisors, from Tromsø to Trelleborg, went through this training, and all in all we carried out developmental measures for 400 managers in 2021. On top of that we offered a wide range of seminars as well as coaching and mentorship.
Digital competence development for competent workplaces
We have further developed the digital methodology for competence development we launched during the pandemic and now our ordinary channel for competence development at work is digital learning. We currently have a range of about 650 courses that all our employees can access on their cell phones, then apply to and, to a large extent, participate in online. In connection with annual goal and development discussions co-workers and supervisors can plan for digital courses and add them to the employee’s individual development plan.
In our industry certificates are vital to ensure we have the right expertise available to carry out work with inherent risks. Visibility of these certificates has been digitalized so that every employee can produce them in their cell phone and they are digitally visible at all workplaces. We now also require our subcontractors to be able to display their important certificates digitally.
Focus on tomorrow’s employees
Peab strives continually to attract new employees and prioritizes working together with the educational system in the countries we operate in. This collaboration takes the form of everything from internships and research projects to lectures, mentorship and tutorial help with master theses.
In Norway we work extensively with developing how to school interns as a way to ensure our own access to engaged, proficient skilled workers. Through our own concept for the education and development of Peab Life (see below) we also reach a number of primary and secondary schools every year. Peab’s efforts are rewarded – Peab was once again in 2021 rated high in Universum’s student survey and was also announced the year’s Employer Branding Company. In its motivation Universum spotlighted Peab’s work on equality and inclusion.
Transition in progress
Safe schools together with Friends
When we build we like to have in mind how what we build will be used. For example, for us building schools means incorporating a child and student perspective into the construction. One expression of this is the partnership with Friends Foundation we started to augment a secure environment for students in the schools we build or renovate. Together with the students we design places that need to become safe and in the first school partnerships we focused on restrooms.
“One of the most important factors for successfully making a school feel safe is that the work is permeated with participation and students are involved in working to prevent bullying and creating a more secure environment in the school. We’re really happy to have this partnership between Friends, Peab and schools where we take advantage of each other’s strengths to improve school environments, and that everything is built on what students have to say and their experiences,” says Calle Gustavsson, Head of Education at Friends.
For a modern vocational education
Peab’s Finnish operations are deeply committed to contributing to modern vocational education. For several years now Peab has participated in Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki by contributing to the composition of the education and by leaders from Peab lecturing on the demands made on managers in the construction industry. Since 2020 we also have our own construction teacher who assists in the national education of young skilled workers in Finland. This year we launched a supervisor course led by our construction teacher in eight different places. These courses increase the possibility for us to take on more interns at our workplaces.
Peab strives continually to attract new employees and prioritizes working together with the educational system in the countries we operate in.
Engagement in educating and developing youths
We want as many Nordic children and youths as possible to have equal access to leisure activities, the education they dream of or a step up into the labor force. Our social responsibility in the local community is aimed at providing equal access for as many youth as possible to education and development. This is an important part of our strategic target to be a leader in social responsibility.
The Peab School – fifteen years old
The Peab School, Peab’s three independent upper secondary schools, concluded its fifteenth school year and in June 77 (68) students graduated. In 2021 there were about 219 (220) students in the construction and civil engineering program and 73 (65) in the introduction program for vocational training. This means that since the start in 2006, 1,413 youths have received their upper secondary education through us.
The child’s perspective is important in community building
Peab is the Nordic Community Builder and we build for everyone. When we build homes, schools, swimming facilities and hospitals or construct infrastructure and courtyards it’s important for us to take into consideration the perspective of those who will spend time there. A large and significant target group is children and youths. Therefore Project Development decided this year to include the child’s perspective in its strategic work, in close collaboration with Peab Life and according to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which is now Swedish law.
New programs for youths
In 2021 the concept Peab Life really began to unfold in Peab. Peab Life is a collective name for how we contribute to youth’s development and education in the local community and it’s part of our sustainability aspect education and development of the young. By making it possible for young people to participate in local building projects we want to build away inequalities and contribute to greater diversity, community and participation amongst Nordic youths.
Despite the limitations due to the pandemic during the year nine (17) projects were conducted with 1,000 (880) young people. In one of them we designed secure schools with the Friends Foundation, built a schoolyard together with The Rescue Mission, trained 200 youths in Biskopsgården in community building with Vasakronan and Gothenburg City and helped ten high school youths get a summer job. In 2022 we plan to reach at least as many youths in the Nordic region, in even more places.
Steering in the Social area
Peab’s Code of Conduct regulates several parts of the social area such as human rights, the right to organize, prohibition of forced and child labor and non-discrimination. The Code of Conduct with the associated Work Environment Policy and equal opportunity plan encompass Nordic work environment and discrimination laws. Work environment work is systematic and planned and several sections of our business are certified according to ISO 45001. Steering in the social area is supported by several collaborating systems that include HR and health and safety.
Strategic work on the work environment is done on Group and business area levels, together with the relevant expertise on all levels of the organization that is responsible for turning strategy into reality. Our work environment priorities are the same in all four countries we are active in, albeit taking national legal differences into consideration. Work environment work is completely integrated with the Group’s work against discrimination and victimization. Responsibility for the work environment ultimately lies with our managers, who in turn are supported by experts. During the year Peab more sharply defined role allocation to clarify the responsibility of different managers regarding the work environment. In addition, managers have around 150 specialists in work environment matters spread out in the business areas and on Group level. We place great importance on cooperation and our safety representatives play a vital role in work environment work. We currently have around 1,000 safety representatives but we always encourage more employees to take on this role.
Peab’s crisis organization is activated in the event of a serious accident. It consists of 116 (110) employees in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark.
All Peab’s some 15,000 employees (100 percent) are covered by an internally reviewed health and safety management system, supported by several tools, as well as all others (100 percent) at Peab’s workplaces, for example visitors and subcontractors, that we have a coordinated work environment responsibility for.
Continuously developing our employees is essential for Peab. All employees have the right to at least one formal goal and developmental discussion with their supervisor annually but the really crucial employee development work takes place in the day-to-day dialogue between supervisor and co-worker. Everyone at Peab should take an active part in their own development planning and this is enabled by the Group’s career mapping and system support.
Peab has contracted company healthcare in the countries where we have employees. With continuity we carry out a number of activities primarily focused on preventive measures and identifying health risks at an early stage. All employees at Peab are offered regular physicals. In 2020 we began using a new model in Sweden, HealthCheck, where employees first answer question about their experienced health, lifestyle and work environment from which a health profile is generated. Based on this result employees are given an individual program that can include a medical exam or help to quit smoking or sleep better. There are even group programs based on collective results such as training or stress or conflict management. Through our optional group insurance we also offer all employees the opportunity to sign up for health and/or accident insurance.
All Peab employees have access to Peab’s range of benefits which includes contributions to activities that help keep employees healthy and other subventions. Peab Leisure is part of Peab’s benefit package intended to help employees thrive and feel good. Peab’s foremost starting point is the desires of the individual and their active involvement. Peab Leisure is also part of creating opportunities for employees to do things together that generate better health, well-being and a feeling of unity in the company, which strengthens us as an organization. These activities can take on different forms since our life puzzles and interests differ.
Peab’s sponsoring is steered by guidelines for sponsoring. Peab’s sponsoring is rooted in the local community with the requirement that all sponsored activities must generate some kind of return to society. A central Group Sponsoring Council meets once a month to decide on sponsorship requests. Peab Life makes up part of Peab’s more extensive local association sponsoring (read more here).
Information on employees/other workers
GRI 102-8
Data has been retrieved from the HR systems in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark and totaled thereafter.
Number of employees per country and gender
The diagram shows the number of employees per December 31. At the end of 2021 Peab had 14,895 (15,252) employees of which 14.0 percent (13.3) were women and 6,879 (7,028) were white-collar workers and 8,016 (8,224) were skilled workers.
Employment status for all employees
| Women | Men | ||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||
| Kvinnor | Män | ||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||
| Permanent employees | Tillsvidareanställda | 2,040 | 1,955 | 1,860 | 12,441 | 12,730 | 11,954 |
| Project/temporary employees | Projekt-/visstidsanställda | 45 | 81 | 66 | 369 | 486 | 378 |
Employment type of permanent employees
| Women | Men | ||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||
| Kvinnor | Män | ||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||
| Full-time employees | Heltidsanställda | 1,958 | 1,845 | 1,773 | 12,380 | 12,650 | 11,872 |
| Part-time employees | Deltidsanställda | 82 | 110 | 87 | 61 | 80 | 82 |
Employees divided by employee category, gender and age
Diversity in the Board of Directors and executive management (gender and age)
GRI 405-1
Number of training hours
GRI 404-1
Peab’s own disclosures
Equal opportunity recruitment
Percent of women recruited during the year in relation to the education market
Sick leave
Sick leave %
| 2021 | 2020 | ||
| 2021 | 2020 | ||
| White-collar workers | Tjänstemän | 2.7 | 2.1 |
| Skilled workers | Yrkesarbetare | 7.1 | 5.0 |
| Total | Totalt | 5.1 | 3.7 |
Accident reporting
Number of serious accidents
| 2021 | 2020 | ||
| 2021 | 2020 | ||
| Own employees | Egen personal | 10 | 19 |
| Subcontractors | Underentreprenörer | 18 | 20 |
| Total | Totalt | 28 | 39 |
Serious accidents
Peab defines a serious accident (category 4) as a workplace accident that results in serious personal injury. Serious accidents can be injuries such as bone fractures, effusive bleeding or nerve, muscle or tendon damage, injuries to inner organs or second or third degree burns.