A people business

Job satisfaction, autonomy and performance at NIRAS

At NIRAS, job satisfaction is not treated as a programme running alongside the business. It is woven into how work gets done: through projects, through leadership, and through the daily interactions that define life in a knowledge- and people-driven organisation. In a year marked by market turbulence, organisational adjustments and external pressure, this foundation has proven both resilient and strategically important.

Anne Francke knows this from the inside. Having spent many years at NIRAS before being appointed Vice President of Global People in 2025, she brings both continuity and a renewed, group-wide perspective.

“What many new colleagues tell us is that they feel the culture from the moment they walk through the door. We say we have a special culture – many companies do – but my experience is that we actually live it.”

A culture that grows from within

NIRAS is often described as a flat, trust-based organisation with a high degree of autonomy. But for Anne, the defining feature is less about structure and more about proximity – between people, disciplines and levels of leadership.

This closeness is reflected in how leadership is practised. Managers are not distant from delivery; they are deeply embedded in projects, working alongside teams and engaging directly with clients. That shared professional reality builds credibility and strengthens collaboration.

“The distance from employee to executive management is short, and that creates both safety and openness.”

Anne Agerholm Francke, Vice President, People, NIRAS

Strong engagement in a demanding year

Despite challenging markets, overall engagement and job satisfaction at NIRAS remained high in 2025.

In the annual engagement survey (conducted in February 2025), the global employee satisfaction score reached 89%, compared with 92% in Denmark, continuing a consistently high level. These results provide valuable insights into how people experience their working life at NIRAS and form an important indicator of our social performance.

Mutual care and shared responsibility in times of change

During the year, many parts of the organisation went through a period of difficult capacity adjustments and tested the strength of NIRAS's culture and values in practice. In a period marked by uncertainty for some colleagues, the importance of leadership close to the business, mutual care and shared responsibility became even more apparent. How the organisation handled this phase – with openness and respect – speaks to a culture that extends beyond surveys and into everyday behaviour.

“Having to adjust capacity was extremely difficult. People were affected directly, and emotions were real. What stood out to me was how colleagues supported each other – with openness, loyalty and a genuine willingness to help, whether that meant exploring new roles inside NIRAS or supporting each other beyond the organisation. That experience made our culture tangible in a very real way,” says Astrid Zeuthen Jeppesen, Vice President Environment east, NIRAS.

2025 was also marked by a profound tragedy – perhaps the most serious workplace accident in NIRAS’s history. The root cause of the landslide causing this fatal accident is still under investigation, and NIRAS supports the investigation in every possible way. In the face of loss, the organisation’s social fabric became visible in a different, deeply human way.

“It was incredibly moving to witness how colleagues stood together in grief and took care of one another,” reflects Martine Baklien, Head of Department in Infrastructure Norway. “In moments like that, culture is not something you talk about – it’s something you feel.”

A high degree of autonomy has always been a hallmark of NIRAS, and it is not something we want to compromise on. It is fundamental to both performance and job satisfaction that our individual businesses can adapt to customers, projects and colleagues, rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. At the same time, this places a significant responsibility on the individual – and makes a strong willingness to collaborate across NIRAS essential.

Lene Holst Kjærgaard, Vice President, Building, NIRAS

Autonomy as a strategic choice

High performance and high job satisfaction are often seen as mutually exclusive. At NIRAS, experience suggests otherwise.

For several years, the business unit responsible for technical building design – employing around 140 colleagues – has been among the top performers at NIRAS, both in terms of financial performance and job satisfaction.

This balance between freedom and responsibility becomes increasingly important as NIRAS consolidates after a period of international growth. The strategic focus is shifting towards capacity, quality and long-term performance – ensuring that the organisation continues to deliver excellence in complex projects while remaining a place where people thrive.

Health, safety and learning as shared responsibilities

Job satisfaction at NIRAS is not framed as an HR discipline alone. It is treated as a shared responsibility across the organisation – from employee representatives and project teams to line managers and sector leadership.

A key milestone in 2025 was the achievement of ISO certification in occupational health and safety in Denmark. Beyond compliance, the certification reflects a broader ambition: to integrate health, safety and well-being into everyday operations and project execution.

“The certification process itself is collaborative,” Anne explains. “It brings together employee representatives, department managers and sector leaders. That shared ownership is essential.” This focus resonates beyond the organisation. Increasingly, clients expect robust health and safety practices from their advisors, making job satisfaction not only a people priority, but also a competitive differentiator.

At the same time, continuous learning remains central to NIRAS’s ambition to be recognised as a project powerhouse. Developing people, strengthening capabilities and ensuring future readiness are seen as inseparable from maintaining a healthy work environment.

Anne Agerholm Francke, Vice President, People, NIRAS

Leadership close to the work

Research consistently shows that immediate managers play a decisive role in employee retention and engagement. At NIRAS, this insight is reinforced by experience. “In societal statistics, it is often the manager who determines whether people stay or leave,” Anne notes. “At group level, we see very high satisfaction with leadership – and that is closely linked to how our leaders work.”

Looking ahead: strengthening the social foundation

As NIRAS enters the next strategic phase, the ambition is to continue strengthening the company’s social foundation. Key priorities include safety, health and well-being, a stronger project delivery mindset, deeper international collaboration and a more global outlook.

Digitalisation and artificial intelligence will also play a growing role – not as abstract initiatives, but as shared responsibilities requiring understanding, reflection and active engagement across the organisation.

For Anne, the essence of NIRAS as a workplace can be summed up simply:

“Autonomy, ambition and interdisciplinarity. NIRAS is a powerhouse where leaders and employees succeed through some of the most exciting projects – together.”

In a year that tested resilience, that sense of togetherness has remained a defining strength – and a strategic asset for the years ahead.