Social sustainability

We advance a fair and digitally inclusive society

We work every day to build a secure digital environment, so that everyone's equal rights are realised. Respecting human rights and our principles of doing right in our own operations and within our supply chain we can work together for our employees and with our partners to create a sustainable future. Non-discrimination, equality, good leadership and occupational wellbeing and -safety are important topics in our operations.

Elisa Social Sustainability in brief

Material topics

We advance a fair and digitally inclusive society

  • Being responsible employer 
  • Ensuring responsible sales and customer communication
  • Ensuring sustainable and ethical supply chain
  • Driving accessibility and ease of use services

KPIs

See performance 2021

  • Employee engagement
  • Customer satisfaction in relation to NPS 
  • Share of completed Code of Conduct trainings
  • Supply chain sustainability development
  • Elisa’s high-speed connection availability to all Finnish households (new, 2022)
  • Share of women supervisors (new, 2022)

Risk Management

Policies and Guidelines


Governance bodies

Responsible employer and equality

  • Elisa Executive Board > Human Resources

Sustainable supply chain

  • Elisa Executive Board > Finance > Procurement > Sustainable Supply Chain Working Group

Accessibility

  • Elisa Executive Board > Corporate Responsibility Management Board > Accessibility Working Group

Employee awareness

  • Ongoing mandatory trainings on Code of Conduct and anti-corruption
  • Targeted trainings for selected employee groups about human rights, diversity and inclusion training about unconscious biases as well as trainings about sustainable procurement. 

Focus areas

Responsible employer

We employ thousands of professionals in Finland and internationally. Our success now and in the future is based on our continuous learning and our skilled and adaptable employees.

Already for several years we have been developing our facilities, working culture and work equipment to support safe and equal well-being at work in both physical and virtual working environment. 

Elisa’s management principles are based on coaching, having clear goals and shared values. Coaching leadership, regular learning discussions and jointly agreed goals allow Elisa employees to freely choose the way and place that suits them and their work best. 

It is important for us that everyone feels they can work in an equal and safe work community. We do not accept any form of discrimination or harassment in the workplace.

Elisa Corporation also has one of Finland’s best relocation programs in cases where positions need to be rearranged.

Promoting diversity

Internationalisation continues to emphasise the importance of equality for Elisa from the perspective of employees, different customer contacts and partner cooperation. By appreciating diversity in the world of work, we are improving well-being at work, productivity and customer satisfaction. The experience of an equal working community strengthens the feeling of psychological safety, which promotes communication and important innovation. Respect for one another is also an essential element of our cooperation.

By means of common principles, we are promoting an inclusive community in which no one is discriminated against or unfairly treated for reasons such as race, age, religion, language or nationality, and in which everyone can equally experience participation. For us, this is not only a key effort, but also our principles and ethical standards.


In line with the Elisa Code of Conduct, Human rights Policy and the principles of equality, we treat all our employees with respect and equal treatment in terms of recruitment, access to employment, pay, career development and termination of employment. We do not accept any form of discrimination, harassment or sexual harassment. 

These principles also apply to advertising and marketing, to which we have drawn up guidelines and a process to ensure ethical behavior. Elisa's employees and our partners have a duty to inform us of violations of these principles.

The measures and objectives of Elisa's management of equality are adopted by the Elisa HR Management Board. Elisa's Equality Working Group contributes to the achievement of the agreed objectives and ensures the implementation of the principles of non-discrimination. The Working Group reports to the Elisa HR Management Steering Board. We gather feedback and measure our success with an employee survey twice a year.

Wellbeing and safety

Elisa's internal operating instructions cover proactive occupational well-being, safety training, as well as operating instructions in the event of anomalies and threats, and safety risk management. Our employees and subcontractors have the right to work in a healthy and safe working environment. They are obligated to take responsibility for the development of working community.

Elisa's occupational health and safety system includes occupational health care, job entry and health examinations, eye examinations, vaccinations, reimbursement for physiotherapy, rehabilitation. In Finland we offer high-quality healthcare with services considerably in excess of the statutory requirements. We also provide sports and leisure activities to support wellbeing at work in Finland.

Elisa’s HR department is responsible for development of wellbeing and health and safety operations, and employee training for Elisa employees accordingly. The facilities services and the IT department, in turn, are responsible for working conditions. 


Environment committee, having employee, employer and occupational health representatives, meets regularly and coordinates occupational health and safety work. The committee takes care of the measures under the occupational safety and health program, including monitoring of working conditions and risk assessments.

Daily management by coaching is key contributor to ensure employee wellbeing and occupational health and safety. Modern ways of working set special requirements for management. Measures to avoid employee burnout or work-related stress as well as ways to ensure work motivation and social networks are focus areas of the management.

Early intervention is an essential part of Elisa’s daily and wellbeing management. It supports Elisa’s personnel strategy and business goals. Systematic, correctly timed and correctly targeted cooperation in the different sectors of health management guarantees that employees of all ages remain capable of working and increases the personnel’s value in the labor market.

We act responsibly also in business or organisational changes, which are affecting to personnel. It´s important that the personnel is invited to take active collaborative participation to the change process. This operating model clearly exceeds the requirements of the Act on Cooperation within Undertakings in Finland.

Industry level cooperation with all key players in OHS field is established to improve common industry procedures and safety guidelines. In Finland major part of maintenance work in our telecommunication networks, like upkeep operations in masts is done by our subcontractors' assemblers. For us the regular performance management and follow-up in OHS is important part of our cooperation with subcontractors. In Estonia the maintenance is mainly done by our own employees. 

Diverse customers 

Elisa serves more than 2.8 million diverse consumer, corporate and public administration organisation customers in Finland, Estonia and internationally. Customer orientation is one of our guiding values and customer satisfaction in addition to understanding their needs is an important factor steering our operations.

An in-depth understanding of the needs of our diverse customer base is a prerequisite for the development of our services and for achieving equality in changing circumstances. Changes in society impose special requirements on customer interface services, products and communications. These changes include the multiculturalism of internationalization, the aging of the population, the requirements of sustainable development and the accelerated renewal cycle of media and communication services brought about by digitalisation.

The significance part of our customer care are safe data management and data protection.  More at elisa.com/dataprotection

We follow the law, rules of the sector and good practices in our marketing. The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority supervises and provides guidelines for marketing in the industry. Our customers have the right to opt out of direct marketing. Our Marketing Unit handles our marketing activities.

We apply the Consumer Protection Act, the Personal Data Act and certain other special acts, as well as guidelines and regulations from the authorities, in our telephone marketing. Elisa’s subsidiary Enia is responsible for Elisa’s telephone sales service. Its quality monitoring ensures compliance with the agreed rules.

Our customer support pages give guidance and support. Elisa OmaYhteisö chat area provides answers for questions about our products and services. Elisa is also active in social media (such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter). 

Services accessible for everyone

Including everybody into digitalisation in the society is utmost important for us.  

Our goal is to design services according to the needs of our most challenging customer, so that the services are certainly accessible to everyone (Design for all).

We also work continuously to develop online services to ensure an equal service experience, accessibility and ease of use. We collect targeted feedback on this development work, e.g. senior citizens and special groups, such as the visually impaired.

The feedback is analysed and utilised in development plans and business operations.

Sustainable supply chain and partnerships 

A sustainable and transparent supply chain is an important part of Elisa's social sustainability. It is also a relevant issue for our stakeholders. Our procurement consist mainly of purchases of electronics and equipment, equipment for network construction and various services, mainly from the EU, but also partly from outside the EU. Approximately 80% of Elisa's purchases are from Finnish partners.

We work closely with suppliers and subcontractors to improve accountability throughout the supply chain. The risks in our supply chain include, in particular, child labor, poor working conditions, forced labor, security breaches, emissions from product manufacturing, poor waste treatment and corruption, and corruption. These risks are identified and reduced  through audits.


We are members of the International Association of Telecommunications Operators, The Joint Audit Cooperation (JAC). Its aim is to improve accountability and transparency in supply chains by carrying out social and environmental responsibility assessments and audits along the supply chain in line with jointly defined criteria. JAC cooperation and cooperation in Working Groups (Climate, Human Rights) will improve the management of supplier relations, our audit capabilities, increase transparency in the supply chain, and enhance skills on best practices in supply chain accountability.