During 2007, Atlas Copco has continued to focus on offering a safe, healthy and diversified working environment for all employees. 

Atlas Copco's people management strategy is to attract, develop and keep motivated people, whilst expecting managers to take responsibility for developing themselves and their organizations for new positions. One of the key success factors of this strategy has been the encouragement of diversity as well as the integration of the Group’s basic beliefs and values, with local culture.

All employees shall have access to information regarding the Group’s People Management processes, which include guidance on recruitment, compensation, performance reviews, and people development.
Atlas Copco’s policy is that all employees should have the right to decide whether or not to be represented by a labor union. In 2007, 40% of all employees had a union representative to support them. Regarding minimum notice period of operational changes Atlas Copco complies with national laws and regulations.
Wages and benefits are determined in accordance with market forces. The goal is to be fair, consistent and competitive, and to remain in line with the industry standards, in order to attract and retain the best people.
Atlas Copco encourages mobility across geographical, organizational and cultural boundaries. This is important for competence development, but also for successful integration of newly acquired companies.

Atlas Copco aims to offer a safe and healthy working environment in all its operations. The Group has a target to reduce the number of accidents to zero and to take actions when appropriate. In support of this, the Group measures numbers of accidents and sick-leave days and seeks actively to ensure that these numbers reduce over time.
The number of accidents was 17.4 (17.5) accidents per million hours worked, in 2007.
In 2007, there were no work-related fatalities in the Group’s operations.
The level of sick-leave has decreased slightly, to 2.3% (2.4).

In 2007, the average number of training hours per employee was 37.2 (38.9). Atlas Copco’s training target is 40 hours on average per employee per year.
All business areas have their own competence development programs, for example the AIR Academy for people within the Compressor Technique business area.
Atlas Copco companies have established a competence development program, the Academy, in some countries such as China, India and South Africa.
In 2007, 42.1% (40.5) of the salaried employees had a university degree or higher.

Equal opportunities, fairness, and diversity are fundamental pillars of Atlas Copco’s People Development policy. The Group is chiefly recruiting both managers and other employees from the local communities where it operates. Since 2005, Atlas Copco has an internal mentorship program for female managers in place.
In 2007, the proportion of women overall as well as women in management positions increased slightly.  The ratio of female employees was 16.4% (16.2), and the proportion of female managers was 12.0% (11.8). During 2007, 32.9% (26.0) of the recent graduates recruited were female.