Our people
In our role as a responsible employer, Mölnlycke’s work to establish a culture of care for our colleagues starts with safety. We achieve our vision of becoming a sustainability leader in our industry with a healthy, safe and engaged workforce which embraces diversity and inclusion. Our ambition is to achieve zero injuries and harm by reaching a leading level of Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) standards, performance and capability.
We strive to create an inclusive and equitable workplace where we consistently recognise, leverage, and celebrate the power of diversity.
In 2022 annual culture survey we achieved global response rate of 87% and an overall engagement score of 80%
Letting everyone thrive
By embedding and fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in the way we do business, we become a stronger partner to healthcare professionals and suppliers around the world and better able to provide patients with inclusive solutions that meet their needs.
We are committed to creating an environment where every employee in every country has a sense of belonging and is self-authentic regardless of their culture, age, gender, religion, language, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, education, occupation and socio-economic background. All employees also have the right to equitable compensation, benefits and opportunities for development and advancement.
Mölnlycke US has business resource groups that provide professional growth and leadership development, such as the Professional Women Alliance, African American Resource Group, Veterans, and Be You.
To strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion in 2022 we have:
- identified and eliminated unconscious bias in the company’s people processes
- increased employee engagement with rigorous action planning and specific emphasis on improving well-being of employees
- strengthened leadership diversity through inclusion of gender balance review in our annual talent reviews.
Safety first and on everyone's mind
We encourage and empower all our employees to contribute to a positive OH&S culture. This year Mölnlycke colleagues at the Mikkeli manufacturing site established a ‘safety pledge’ board, displayed in the main entrance area (see picture). All employees contributed to the safety pledge and publicly committed to achieve the objective of zero injuries and harm, by never compromising their individual safety or the safety of their co-workers to get the job done, actively looking for hazards, promptly reporting them, and taking appropriate action to warn others, as well as act as safety role models also outside work.
Timo Saahko, General Manager, Manufacturing Finland explained: ‘A pledge is a practical and visible way to say this is something I am ready to commit to, whether someone else returns the pledge or not. I am willing and ready to prove that this is important to me. Employees came together in their teams to discuss safety and were encouraged to post individual safety related commitments, with the first pledges given by Mikkeli’s leadership team. The board is a living, changing piece of art and a sample of our creativity and commitment. We all are very proud of our safety pledges.’
Making sure everyone is heard
We go beyond offering employment conditions compliant with local labour laws and employment regulations in the countries in which we operate and focus on creating a positive impact on all employees’ wellbeing. For example, Mölnlycke Malaysia offers 120 days maternity leave, far more than the standard 98 days required by law in that country. The company also offers greater rights to short-term incentives while on maternity leave.
The Gloves Business Area in Malaysia is at the forefront of promoting a culture of responsiveness and catering for the diverse needs of employees representing various religions, genders and age groups. For more than a year, informal meetings to listen to employees’ needs and wishes have been taking place between operators at all four Malaysian factories and the Gloves Operations and Sourcing Leadership team. As a result, a lactation room for nursing mothers with all the necessary equipment has been set up. This is very appreciated as women constitute 65% of total Malaysian workforce. The new factory in Kulim Hi-Tech Park also boasts a gym and a futsal (indoor football) hall with the potential to organise tournaments.
We have also launched an employee assistance program, run by a third party, to support employees in dealing with issues like stress management, anxiety, legal and financial questions, relationship difficulties and family issues.
As a result, the Business Area Gloves employees achieved an engagement score of 90% in the 2022 annual culture survey, already substantially exceeding the company target of >80% by 2025.
