Social responsibility
The core issues of Alma media’s social responsibility are responsibly delivered journalistic media and the well-being of the personnel and their competence development. The Quality Worklife Index serves as a measure when we evaluate the comprehensive experience of our employees from Alma Media as an employer.
The covid 19 pandemic broke out in spring 2020 and increased the demand for up-to-date and reliable information. Iltalehti has grown into Finland’s largest journalistic news media, bypassing Ilta-Sanomat in readership in terms of readership based on a national FIAM measurement . Following of content related to responsibility has grown, and reading health-related stories in Iltalehti, for example, has significantly increased interest. Extensive societal topics and fact-based studies carried out by the media have also contributed to Iltalehti’s growth to become Finland’s largest digital media. Iltalehti has launched an investigative journalism training program aimed at developing the media’s journalistic ability to ensure the legality of social decision-making, authorities and decision-makers. In economic and professional media, we regularly publish news about the EU’s climate targets, emissions cuts, the transition of funding to sustainable investments and climate innovations.
RESPONSIBLE MEDIA
Our media follow the guidelines of the Mass media Council (JSN), the industry’s self-regulatory body, as well as the journalist’s guidelines, which often set stricter limits on ethical journalism than legislation on freedom of expression or media activities in general.
Journalist’s the guidelines define, inter alia, the principles of obtaining information, the professional status and the rights of the interviewee, as well as the outline of how mistakes in editorial content should be corrected and how journalism and advertising content needs to be distinguished. A reader who is dissatisfied with the content can also always give feedback directly to the editor or make a request for rectification of the case. Contact information to editorial departments can be found on the pages of each media.
The editorial departments of our media are committed to truthful, open and pluralistic journalism.
Maintaining trust in the media is also the lifeblood of the media business.
The editorial departments of our media are committed to truthful, open and pluralistic journalism. Maintaining trust in the media is also the lifeblood of the media business.
At Alma Media, the most important measure of responsible media development is that Alma Media’s media are not subject to more than five condemnatory decisions per year by the Mass Media Counsil (JSN). In addition our media will have an annual development goals for the future. Financial and professional media aim to verify the effectiveness of the media in raising citizens’ and businesses’ awareness of sustainable development solutions. The content providing solutions for sustainable development in our economic and professional media will be classified using spesific keywords or other common descriptors. Iltalehti organizes also training for its journalists aimed at deepening journalistic competence in particularly sustainable development.
Responsible media also bears responsibility for its marketing. Alma Media does not publish advertising that is contrary to good practice and has set a goal for responsible marketing to ensure that its online or mobile services do not publish advertisements that violate the good marketing practices of the International Chamber of Commerce. Alma Media has not received any annotations in its countries of operation from the authorities supervising the ethics of advertising or from the marketing industry’s own self-regulatory bodies.
As a result of the digitalisation of advertising the development of responsible advertising today means focusing more and more towards ensuring the security of the advertising environment and on responsible collection and use of consumer data. The automation and internationalization of advertising and the complexity of the digital advertising ecosystem require significant investments by Alma Media to maintain a high-quality and safe media environment.
We use resources for responsible media and marketing and brand security (eng. Brand Safety) to promote, ensure a high-quality and brand-safe media environment for advertising, and high-quality targeting data for advertisers. We also develop new sustainability-based advertising and content marketing solutions to highlight the importance of corporate responsibility work with our customers. The GDPR and the actions of platform operators also require Alma Media to continuously develop solutions based on user identification and contextual targeting, among other things. We actively develop our digital marketing expertise in the entire marketing communications industry in Finland.
Media, journalism and the principles of responsible marketing include protecting sensitive audiences. For example content that may upset young people is published only on a weighty basis and of such content is warned in advance with appropriate labelling. In addition, targeting content and advertising to persons under the age of 18 is prohibited in Alma Media’s media.
RESPONSIBLE EMPLOYER
In an ever-changing business environment, competence development is the key to ensuring our future competitiveness. The company’s hr strategy supports Alma Media’s business by means of developing personnel’s goal-oriented competence, for example.
At Alma Media, the starting point for human resource development is competence objectives, defined at least at team level. The company’s goal is to have a personal plan for each employee to develop their own competence. Goal-oriented competence development is monitored in one-to-one discussions between supervisors and employees. Alma Media organises coaching modules to support the increase in employee skills and invests in learning and sharing competences together by organizing mentoring programs, competence workshops and thematic events. The company develops supervisor work on a long-term basis through coaching and has built an international network of supervisors to share best management practices.
Alma Media has a mentoring program for supervisors across the countries and units. We also organise a joint Growth Day event for all operating countries, where employees share their knowledge and know-how with each other in a variety of ways. The company also operates the “Growth Path of Management” program, which aims to support the capabilities of supervisors in a digital and multi-location work environment. In addition, our shared sales organisation, Alma Media Solutions, has implemented a concept of Alma Academy, where the key topics are growth, enthusiasm and creativity, as well as interaction and impressive communication.
Alma Talent’s Seduo e-learning environment is also available to all personnel in Finland.
In order to secure our talented personnel of the future, we implement trainee programs for newly graduated technology and marketing experts. Through the programs, we increase business-oriented skills and employ young people in the early stages of their careers.
In cooperation with occupational health, we regularly carry out webinars, recently related to mental coping and the ergonomics of remote work. In order to facilitate work, we organise regular virtual motion moments. Our staff use a low-threshold mental wellbeing service, Auntie, which aims to reduce stress levels, improve coping, increase efficiency and provide concrete tools for managing everyday life. The use of the service is also supported by a series of wellbeing lectures. In 2021, Alma Media introduced a multi-location work operating model that enables more flexibility and better work-life balance.
Alma Media measures its success in engaging experts and developing competence with annual personnel surveys, which examine the employees’ experience of the functioning of the work community and Alma Media as an employer. The largest of the surveys is the QWL , Quality Work Life -survey, carried out annually in all units. It sets a target of a QWL index of at least 82 per cent, which Alma Media surpassed with a result of 85.4 per cent in the reporting year. The state of the work community is also measured annually by determining how likely employees are to recommend Alma Media as an employer. The company aims to get a rating of at least 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. In this measurement, Alma Media received a rating of 8.1 (eNPS 32). In addition to surveys, Alma Media assesses its success as an employer by monitoring how many new employees remain in the Group after the two first years. In 2021, more than 90 per cent of the employees continued to work for the company after two years. Alma Media’s self-motivated determination level was on average 7.6 per cent in the countries in which the company operates.
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY OF PERSONNEL
Alma Media provides a basis for the development of an equal and diverse work community
including regular staff surveys. Survey results, salary analyses and other personnel data are the starting point when the Finnish units update their diversity and equality plans every two years under hr guidance. The plans cover, for example, wage differences, the criteria for fixed-term employment contracts and the gender balance per job in the unit.
Alma Media hires new employees solely on the basis of their skills, abilities and suitability. All personnel have the right to fair and supportive remuneration, competence development, feedback, information about the company, a safe, pleasant, renewing and evolving work environment, and respect for privacy and private life. According to our Code of Conduct, everyone must respect the fundamental rights: Alma Media does not allow discrimination in relation to age, gender, race, colour, nationality or ethnic origin, religion, belief, family relationships, sexual orientation or possible work restriction.
Alma Media is committed to building a pluralistic organizational culture that supports diversity, offering every employee equal opportunities, rights and treatment. In 2022, the company will conduct a personnel survey on the implementation of equality, diversity and inclusion in the company. The survey is used to identify potential development targets and to draw up the necessary development plans based on the findings.
The importance of diversity will be emphasized in 2022 in supervisor communications and in the development coaching of the supervisor and work community to be carried out. Online training on themes of diversity and inclusion for all personnel is also planned.
