Husqvarna – It’s about giving our employees a bright future

Occupational pensions are important to Husqvarna. And it’s not just about complying with collective agreements. It’s about caring for employees, both during and after their working lives. That’s why occupational pension administration is a priority and an important part of Husqvarna’s employee offering.

Occupational pension administration can be a very time-consuming task. And if your workforce includes manual workers covered by SAF-LO, the switch to monthly reporting has probably had a significant impact on your administrative workload.

FörsäkringsGirot works to give all customers peace of mind, simplicity and efficiency when managing occupational pensions and benefits. We have been doing this since 1994. When regulations and directives change, we can draw on past experience to create solutions tailored to new needs.

Husqvarna has long used FörsäkringsGirot’s support with monthly reporting for ITP. So when SAF-LO also switched to monthly reporting, it was an easy decision to seek help with that too. Otherwise, around two and a half working weeks a year would have had to be spent on SAF-LO reporting alone.

A 300-year-old start-up

Husqvarna describes itself as a 300-year-old start-up. Over its long history, it has produced many different types of products, from weapons to sewing machines. Today, the focus is on garden and outdoor products.

– Today, Husqvarna is an international company operating in around 40 countries, with almost 14 000 employees. In Sweden, we have around 3 000 employees, a mix of white-collar and manual workers, says Hanna Hjelte, Pensions & Benefits Partner at Husqvarna. This means that, as an employer, we need to work with both ITP and SAF-LO.

Hanna Hjelte has worked with occupational pensions at Husqvarna since 2019, and today handles pensions, insurance and benefits in her role as Pensions & Benefits Partner. When Hanna joined Husqvarna, there was already an established partnership with FörsäkringsGirot for occupational pension administration.

– As a new graduate, FörsäkringsGirot gave me reassurance and was a partner I could learn from. And we have worked closely together to safeguard and strengthen our procedures and setup, Hanna explains.

“FörsäkringsGirot’s expertise in insurance management has been invaluable to us.”

Hanna’s top tip for anyone working in occupational pension administration:

Ask for advice
“You don’t need to do or know everything yourself to get results. There is always so much new information to learn, and in my kind of role it’s impossible to keep track of everything. What matters is finding a partner who can help you, act as a sounding board and provide external expertise.”

Would you like to know more about how we at FörsäkringsGirot can support you?

Changes to regulations brought new challenges

When the SAF-LO regulations changed in 2024 to require monthly reporting, there was some concern about what this meant and how it would affect day-to-day work. Around 700 of Husqvarna’s 3 000 employees in Sweden are manual workers, and are therefore affected by the revised SAF-LO directives.

– The new regulations brought some uncertainty for us, as we couldn’t clearly see what we needed to do, says Hanna. We also lacked the internal resources to handle the change.

The new regulations meant more administrative tasks and an increased workload for HR and payroll. Tasks that would take time away from existing duties, and for which there was no in-house specialist expertise.

– As we have worked with FörsäkringsGirot on ITP since 2008, we felt confident about also asking for help with monthly reporting for SAF-LO, says Hanna, continuing;

– If we had chosen to handle the monthly reporting for SAF-LO ourselves, we would have needed to set aside around one day a month of internal staff time. Just for SAF-LO reporting. So getting help has saved us a great deal of time, and allowed us to devote those resources to other projects and activities.

Get in touch to find out more about how you can reduce the internal administrative work involved in SAF-LO monthly reporting.

“Working with FörsäkringsGirot has really helped us reduce the time spent on administration and improve accuracy.”

A complex area that requires specialist expertise

Pension administration is a complex area, requiring considerable knowledge even to gain a basic understanding of the subject. Bringing in external help to handle the administration has been an important decision for Husqvarna in ensuring accurate and efficient management of occupational pensions.

– As I’m the only person working on pension matters, being able to call and ask for advice when needed is extremely valuable, says Hanna. It’s reassuring to have access to expert help, and if a solution isn’t immediately available, there is always a willingness to work together to resolve the issue.

“FörsäkringsGirot’s support and training have been crucial in ensuring that our staff can use the systems effectively.”

Although FörsäkringsGirot’s solution makes much of the work more efficient, it’s not just about saving time and improving efficiency. For Husqvarna, it’s also about being able to offer equal benefits, regardless of which collective agreement an employee is covered by.

– It gives us peace of mind to know that all our occupational pension agreements are administered consistently and correctly. We can stop worrying about the administration and feel confident that our employees receive what they are entitled to, says Hanna, continuing;

 – Ultimately, for us it’s about being able to ensure a bright future for our employees, even after their last working day with us.

Streamline your SAF-LO monthly reporting

Would you like to know more about how you can reduce the internal administrative work involved in SAF-LO monthly reporting? Read more about how you can free up time for work that makes a real difference.

Tailored pension and insurance administration to meet your needs

From experience, we know that occupational pension and insurance administration can vary greatly between employers, and so can their support needs. If you need help or support with any of the following, we could be the right partner for you:

Payroll:  ensure correct pensionable pay, accurate calculations and reporting, the right insurance cover, a reliable monthly process, etc.

HR:  ensure benefits are in place, fulfil the employee promise, save resources, etc.

Finance:  cost control, payroll tax, tax deductibility, invoice management, accurate bookkeeping, etc.

Contact us to find out how we at FörsäkringsGirot can help you simplify and streamline your administration, saving you time and ensuring your employees receive the correct benefits.