Sappi Increases Employee Engagement Efforts

Nov 15, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Our people are critical to our operations. A key component to any successful employee engagement program is communication. At Sappi North America, we prioritize our communication efforts to ensure that all of our associates are informed of, and feel connected to, the organization’s business, mission, strategy and values. To this end, we utilize a number of resources, including email, social media, newsletters, events, video and printed collateral, to maintain organizational alignment and morale.

Employee Health and Wellness

Maintaining and enhancing the wellbeing of our employees continues to be a top priority at Sappi. A major component of our employee wellness philosophy is to provide prevention and education opportunities that promote a healthy lifestyle. At Sappi North America, our wellness program is effective because it is approachable and incentivebased. For example, employees and their spouses that are enrolled in our medical plans have the ability to create a wellness profi le with our insurance provider to earn a gift card. Extra gift cards can be earned by scheduling annual physicals and recommended screenings. Knowing your biometric numbers for things such as blood pressure and cholesterol is key to maintaining a healthy life style. Additionally, every site holds different events based on the needs and preferences of the employees— ranging from healthy cooking and equipment safety demonstrations, to free fl u shots and mindfulness activities.

Building a Successful Ergonomic & Injury Prevention Culture at Westbrook

Over three years ago, Sappi’s Westbrook Mill identified an opportunity to improve employee wellbeing by developing an Ergonomics and Injury prevention program. Sappi partnered with a local medical group, InterMed, to assist onsite safety fi eld teams and departments with ergonomic tool and process design, the development of ergonomic guidelines as well as job physical demand assessments in order to reduce the risk of injury. The mill also opened an Office Ergonomics Lab to promote proper equipment fit and assist with office setups.

For those seeking additional assistance, the mill recently opened a wellness center so employees can use exercise equipment and meet with licensed physical therapists who can perform preventive musculoskeletal assessments as well as design an exercise program that is specific to the their needs. Additionally, Sappi is providing shock-absorbing innersoles so employees can put their “best foot forward” in the workplace.

Read more from Sappi North America's 2017 Sustainability Report here: http://bit.ly/Sappi-SR17