People

At Ahlstrom we are approximately 6,800 employees connected by our purpose and values, which are integrated in our everyday work. Our purpose brings meaning to our work and guides our decisions across the company.

We want to create healthy, safe, engaging, and inclusive work environments, where people can learn, develop, and grow, and where they are treated and compensated fairly and given equal opportunities. Engaged people in healthy working conditions are more driven and innovative, leading to better business performance and customer satisfaction.

Enabling people

Ahlstrom remains committed to ensuring every employee has the opportunity to a successful career at Ahlstrom with the same standards applied. We aim for an inclusive workforce that represents the communities we work in and the customers we work with. We value and celebrate our diverse and inclusive culture, recognizing its positive impact on innovation, decision making, and engagement. We strive to foster an environment where this diversity can thrive, making Ahlstrom a better place for everyone.

Safety

As an industrial player in the manufacturing industry, Ahlstrom's operations involve processes and work in circumstances where hazards exist and therefore require a systematic and effective health and safety management process. At Ahlstrom, we strive for a zero-injury workplace by setting ambitious targets for continuous improvement and developing consistent safety practices and competencies at every level. To achieve our long-term aspiration, we aim to make safety more than just a consideration and mindset – it should be an actionable part of our daily operations. At Ahlstrom we firmly believe that everyone deserves a safe, healthy, and engaging workplace. This commitment extends to include all, even those not directly on our payroll. Our health and safety rules apply equally to all, ensuring a consistent and secure environment for everyone involved.

Ambition

  • Total Recordable Incidents Rate (TRIR) 0.80 by end of 2025, with long-term goal of reaching zero injuries
  • Engage 92% of all employees in a safety activity every month

Levers: fostering a culture of safety and collaboration 

In 2024, Ahlstrom introduced CARE365, a culture of care closely aligned with one of the company’s core values. A safe and thriving work environment is built on mutual responsibility and own accountability, open communication, and proactive engagement working with our ten leading indicators. We encourage engagement and open discussions about Health, Safety, and Environment components, ensuring everyone has a voice and feels empowered to contribute. By embedding open and constructive communication into daily routines, employees are encouraged to identify issues and actively participate in resolving them.

In 2024, Ahlstrom enhanced its onboarding program by continuing the online training system for new and temporary employees, complementing on-site classroom inductions. This initiative aims to improve onboarding, particularly in manufacturing regions with high turnover and safety incidents. A new, minimum four-week training model emphasizes the importance of proper training and safety as job requirements.

Working conditions

As a labor-intensive industrial operator, we recognize the importance of managing the workforce in a responsible manner with a special focus on workplace health and safety. Ahlstrom positively influences workforce well-being and prioritizes a healthy work-life balance. Its sites are in countries with statutory requirements for working conditions, including reasonable working hours and fair pay, holidays, parental leave, and part-time work. Actions that promote healthier work environments positively impact employees' general physical and mental well-being, employee experience and satisfaction. The company recognizes that poor working conditions could lead to a range of negative outcomes, affecting employee wellbeing, resulting in reduced job satisfaction and commitment.

Levers

At Ahlstrom, we continue to prioritize our focus on improving the employee experience. Through engagement workshops, we prioritized the well-being of our employees by aligning seamlessly with our core values in particular the value of "Care". The initial phase of this program, started in 2023, targets the engagement of operators at a site level. To do this, we gather comprehensive and direct feedback from our employees and their managers regarding their experiences. This feedback then helps our plant management teams to define and implement short- and long-term actions towards enhancing overall employee satisfaction.