Together we lift job satisfaction
As a health and safety representative, you get out of the local 'silo' and can try out different roles. The work is rewarding, and it provides valuable reflections on your approach to things. Read Bettina Hansen's and Niccolo Mesquita Skovgård's experiences and consider whether you should also sign up as a health and safety representative
The health and safety representatives carry out an important task to ensure a healthy physical and mental working environment. However, 15 places are vacant, especially outside the head offices, as you can read in this article.
Bettina Hansen, who is a senior financial advisor for the housing advisory team at PeB Roskilde, was elected as a health and safety representative in March this year, but has also been a health and safety and union representative several years ago.
"I'm passionate about a good working environment. ' Happy people, happy customers', as we say, because employees who thrive also benefit the customers."
As a health and safety representative, she has recently experienced that a manager reached out so that they could follow up on the workplace assessment (WPA) and action plan that had been made before Bettina was elected.
"I'm really happy about that. I find that together with the management, we can lift job satisfaction even more when we play ball against each other."
Energized by different roles
Bettina thrives on having influence and lifting a task, and with the new structure for the health and safety representatives, the role also means that she gets out of the local 'silo'.
"Here I will work for a good physical and mental working environment across the bank in several business areas and at several locations in Central Zealand."
As a housing advisor, the working day consists of contact with customers.
"I get energy from testing myself in different roles, and as a health and safety representative, I get the opportunity to use my skills and my drive on something that helps to develop me personally and professionally."
Psychological safety in focus
Niccolo Mesquita Skovgård is Associate Director and has been an occupational health and safety representative in Large Corporate & Institutions (LC & I) since 2024. He wants to focus in particular on psychological safety and has been a member of Nordea's Working Environment Committee (AMU) since the spring.
"I want to influence the work environment work from the top down. There is a lack of structure, so too much depends on the local health and safety representative. There is a need for a stronger culture where the work environment is given higher priority and where there is clearer responsibility," he says.
Last year, all employees were asked to respond to a WPA about the psychological, physical and ergonomic working environment.
"There are many comments about the physical working environment – everyone knows that they need a proper desk chair. When it comes to the psychological working environment, the answers are less clear. I miss a debate about expectations. What is a good leader, what is reasonable to expect, and what do the development plans look like for the individual? Unless there are very clear problems, it is rarely clear what the problems are, and thus how the working environment can be improved."
Different reflections and patience
The work environment work has helped to develop Niccolo personally and professionally.
"Personally, it has been good to get in touch with others and become part of a new network. It provides a different kind of connection to the workplace. We have a greater focus on solving something together, and the work environment work has meant that I reflect on how I go about things, in a different way. For example, about which goals I am also personally happy to achieve. The work environment work requires a different kind of patience, where we make an effort to be curious about and understand other people's perspectives. It has been very rewarding."
Key tasks of health and safety representatives
- Represent colleagues in a collaboration on safety and health, including participation in accidents and near misses
- Carry out and follow up on risk assessment
- Participate in health and safety meetings
- Engage in dialogue with local management and colleagues about working environment issues and handle inquiries within one's area
- Identify and prevent risks and contribute with suggestions for prevention
- Collaboration with other health and safety representatives and management on improvements and challenges in the working environment
- Have an eye for the mental and physical working environment
If you want to hear more about the role of health and safety representative, please contact board member Marianne Bjørn Winther from Finansforbundet in Nordea or occupational health and safety manager Shannon Bøgkjær from People
Health and safety versus union representatives
At Nordea, there are a number of local working environment groups with health and safety managers (AMR). Compared to union representatives (TR), AMR discusses the physical working environment. When it comes to the psychological working environment, TR will typically handle person-specific cases, while AMR has an eye on conditions that affect larger groups of employees. While TR only helps members of Finansforbundet in Nordea, AMR helps all employees - including those without membership.