Sustainability footprint

The footprint of operations consists of the negative ecological, social and financial impact of the organisation and its activities on the operating environment. One of the goals of our sustainability activities is to minimise this negative impact.

In accordance with the central government’s guidelines for sustainability reporting, we also present information about our personnel in this connection.

We take care of our employees and the environment

At the end of 2023, we employed 5,315 people in 56 locations all over Finland.  

Job satisfaction remained at a good level (3.78 on a scale of 1 to 5), nearly unchanged from the previous year. Of the subcategories, the highest scores were given to the work community culture (4.13), the employer image and values (4.04), and the working and operating environment (3.98).

We had 9.6 days of sick leave per annual work unit (in 2022: 11.0 days/AWU), which is the lowest score over a longer period of time, except for the years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fall in sick leave from the previous year was largely due to a reduction in infectious diseases. Most sick leaves were less than 10 days, which accounted for 6.3 days/AWU, or over 65% of all sick leaves.

According to the VMBaro job satisfaction survey, the experience of gender equality at the workplace was at a very high level (4.30). The trend has been favourable since 2016, when the score was 3.87.

The employees also feel that equality in the work community has improved. The VMBaro statement “Equality is realised in my work community” was given a score of 3.6 in 2016, compared to 4.16 in 2023.

We monitor the gender wage gap using an equal pay index. We are able to achieve good gender wage equality in the same or equally demanding positions. In equally demanding positions, the gender wage gap is small and can be explained by the wage component based on personal performance.

Carbon footprint has been reduced

We started calculating our carbon footprint in 2010. Our employees find the reduction of our carbon footprint and our other environmental targets important.

Between 2017 and 2025, we are committed to reducing:

• Electricity consumption by 7.5%
• Paper consumption by 30%
• Business travel by 32%
• Waste volumes by 18%

The Finnish Tax Administration’s carbon footprint in 2023 was 3,822.70 tCO2 (2022: 3,999 tCO2), consisting of CO₂ emissions from energy, paper, waste and business travel. The carbon footprint has continued to decrease after a slight increase following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decrease in the use of facilities and the permanent increase in working from home have decreased the use of electricity and heat. Waste volumes have risen from the previous year but are still lower than before the pandemic.

Survey highlights

3.76 (on a scale of 1 to 5) is how employees rate the extent to which the workplace values are realised in their daily lives. The average score has increased from 3.41 in 2016.

Source: The Finnish Tax Administration job satisfaction survey 2023

Metrics and goals

We monitor our successes and develop our operations using the following metrics and goals:

Change in carbon dioxide emissions (CO₂ index, compared to 2017)

Case: New code of ethics tells us what we expect of ourselves

Compliance with laws and commitments is not enough: we must demand more from ourselves. We also want to do the right thing from the ethical viewpoint, and that is what Finnish citizens expect of us.

In November 2023, we published our code of ethics, which specifies how we want the Finnish Tax Administration to operate.

Our code of ethics is based on respect for our employees and the work community, acting fairly and ethically, and the Finnish Tax Administration values of trust, working together and embracing new ways of working. We want to ensure good governance, prevent conflicts of interest and ensure the objectiveness of our employees.

Any behaviour that is perceived unethical would undermine the reputation of the Finnish Tax Administration and erode the trust our customers and stakeholders, which in turn would make it harder for us to perform our core task of collecting taxes to maintain the welfare state.

We created the code of ethics to support our day-to-day work and to guide us, especially when we make decisions or interact with our stakeholders. The code is explained in more detail in an online training course that is mandatory for all employees of the Finnish Tax Administration. The code of ethics is also covered during the induction of our partners.  

We regularly communicate information about the code of ethics to the employees. In addition, we have introduced an internal whistleblowing channel through which anyone working in the Finnish Tax Administration can confidentially report suspected misconduct or unethical behaviour.

Our code of ethics:

• We comply with the law and our commitments.
• We respect human rights and the rights of our employees.
• We are a responsible employer.
• We take care of the assets within our responsibility and appropriately process data.
• We take environmental responsibility into account as part of our operations.
• Our procurement is sustainable.
• We avoid conflicts of interest.
• We do not condone any bribery, corruption or misuse.
• We act ethically during our collaboration with other public authorities.
• We respect our obligation to remain silent and our obligation not to benefit from non-disclosable information.
• We comply with the principles of good and ethical governance.
• We tackle corruption and the grey economy in society.
• We report causes for concern and malpractice.