Record interest in Smart City Sweden

DIVERSITY AND EQUALITY In order to achieve our vision of a sustainable society, it is important to possess knowledge and creativity. For this reason, we need a wide range of employees with diverse backgrounds and experiences. At IVL, we focus on expertise when recruiting staff, and over the past year we have brought in new employees with various nationalities and backgrounds. However, we have recruited sparingly during 2020 due to the pandemic. Development is important for us, which is why IVL makes it possible for staff to obtain a Ph.D. and work one day a week at a university/college. We believe that this development will benefit IVL in the future.

When it comes to gender equality, IVL is at the forefront. Our CEO, who took office during the year, is a woman, as is the Chair of our Board of Directors. Approximately 56 percent of our employees are women, and this is also reflected in IVL’s management team, where 67 percent are women.

ATTRACT, DEVELOP AND RETAIN EMPLOYEES IVL receives many spontaneous applications, but has also worked actively during the year to spread awareness of IVL on LinkedIn and Facebook. Our operations attract many skilled candidates, which is pleasing to note. During 2021, IVL will be continuing to work on spreading the message about IVL as an employer.

In order for IVL to be able to deliver applied research and consultancy assignments that meet the needs of society and our customers, while at the same time remaining competitive, the expertise and skills of our employees are absolutely crucial. A large proportion of our skills development takes place on the basis of the development plan, which is drawn up in the annual performance review. This development commonly takes place by means of participating in seminars, conferences and various types of training, although primarily through the day-to-day work. IVL conducts internal project management training courses that are carried out several times a year at various levels. In 2020, we have spent 837 hours on internal training with the aim of developing our project managers.

A new HR system from CatalystOne has been implemented during 2020. Digital performance reviews are conducted in this system, which makes the process more vibrant and visible. We believe in regular follow-up discussions, and these are also carried out in the HR system. These discussions are incredibly important as regards the dialogue with our employees, especially during the pandemic, in order that we can monitor how they are doing and how well their projects are going.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT It is important for IVL to offer a working environment that promotes the creativity and the commitment necessary to be able to provide high-quality research and consulting services.

The systematic working environment activities within IVL are governed by a working environment policy and our working environment manual. Every year, targets are determined by the Working Environment Committee, which consists of the principal safety representatives as well as representatives from the management team.

The work is led by IVL’s CEO (GRI 403-4). The Working Environment Committee monitors the systematic work (GRI