Sustainability Report: Employees

Greater job satisfaction results in lower turnover and helps create a corporate culture that attracts top talent to the company. An active, engaged workforce is more productive and capable of realizing their fullest potential at work and at home. SFPNA understands that by creating a dynamic and encouraging environment, we are not only supporting our employees’ health and well-being, but building a better future as a company.

We Care for Our Safety
Safety comes first at Sappi and remains a constant priority in day-to-day operations. This company-wide commitment, however, goes beyond compliance with rules and regula­tions. Each of the three paper mills in Cloquet, Westbrook and Somerset are all certified to meet the Occupational Health Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) standards.

All employees and contractors are responsible to work better as teams in order to achieve the ultimate goal of working in an environment free from incidents. Every year, Global Safety Awareness Day serves as a reminder that we can achieve safety goals through teamwork and by looking out for each other. From training demonstrations to workshops and educational support, this annual cele­bration is observed across sites worldwide as a day that we recommit to safety.

This year’s theme, “We care for our safety,” highlights the fact that safety is in all of our best interests. We under­stand it is better to work together and to proactively identify potentially unsafe situations and behaviors. And we’ve maintained focus on improving our positive track record.

Our steady progress in safety is always an indicator that our overall business is operating with the attention to detail that is needed for success.

Hiring Veterans
As a supporter of American manufacturing growth, Sappi Fine Paper North America is also a strong proponent of getting veterans back into the workplace. At our mills in Maine and Minnesota, human resource teams have observed the valuable skills veterans gain during service that transfer into a variety of roles in the forest products industry.

To access former military candidates, Sappi works with local veteran’s affairs offices and communicates in job postings that military experience qualifies as prior work experience for many of our open mill positions. While being a veteran does not automatically mean that you will be hired for an open position, Sappi considers military experience as a tie-breaker if two candidates are equally qualified for a job.

Health and Wellness
Sappi is committed to introducing new ways for all employ­ees to improve their well-being. Over the course of the past year, SFPNA invited Cigna’s Mobile Learning Lab to literally bring wellness into the workplace. The travelling 18-wheeler truck stopped by multiple sites where employees participated in hands-on wellness stations. Promoting the importance of preventative health and positive lifestyles, the interactive exhibit helped raise awareness of daily decisions that can help create paths to healthy living.

On a regular basis, Sappi also additionally hosts various lectures and webinars exploring a variety of important wellness topics from managing stress to diet and exercise. Registered dietitians and fitness coaches often visit our workplaces so employees can learn helpful tips on healthy eating, stretching, massage, and other preventative health benefits, all while earning training hours. Activities like these are just some of the ways we are supporting and inspiring employees to take charge of their well-being.

Training for Tomorrow
Investing in training and education prepares our employees for the challenges and opportunities we face today and tomorrow. With more than half of our employees over the age of 50, our current workforce is highly skewed toward an older age demographic. As such, we must work harder than ever to attract college graduates and retain young professionals to ensure a sustainable workforce as our long-term, seasoned employees start to retire.

In 2013 we announced a new leadership development program entitled Enhancing Development and Growth through Engagement (EDGE). Approximately 100 of our newest employees have been selected to receive this training. Participants have an opportunity to enhance their self-awareness, acquire valuable coaching skills and learn best practices for project management with the help of our Lean Six Sigma team. Through the EDGE program, Sappi has taken a proactive stance on bringing development opportunities to the newer members of Sappi’s salaried team—early on in their careers when they can more readily benefit. Newer employees will also learn from a network of experienced mentors as they grow into their roles.

Skill-building programs like these are the key to success not only for emerging professionals, but for all skill levels. Two years ago, the Organizational Development Department developed a unique curriculum tailored for our salaried workforce called LEADS (Leadership Excellence and Development). The curriculum serves to meet the specific needs of mid-level SFPNA employees who receive in-depth training in everything from prioritizing work effectively to emotional intelligence and understanding how to adapt to personality types on the job.

Since the program’s inception, over 90 percent of our salaried employees have attended at least one LEADS session, which has recently expanded to include programs for all salaried employees. Overall, the improvements are tangible. As an example, when our Sales Managers par­ticipated in a “Leadership Styles and Climate Feedback” survey for the second time around, the climate data for the entire Sales force showed progress over the prior survey, with the largest improvement in the area of flexibility.

Read the full SFPNA Sustainability Report 2013 by downloading an online PDF version directly from our website here or for more on sustainability, check out our eQ microsite at: http://www.na.sappi.com/eQ/index.html