Integrity and Ethical Performance
Integrity is of utmost importance to us. We operate in many different cultures and countries where we have to deal with dilemmas, disrespectful behaviour in the workplace and unethical business behaviour. To help our people internalise our values, we continued with dialogues to explore ethical dilemmas in 2023. The 15 dilemma sessions focused on real work situations which could happen to anyone. They invite open discussion on moral dilemmas, attitudes and unethical behaviours which may be encountered in the work environment or with external stakeholders. The interactive sessions stimulated awareness of integrity, openness and transparency covering topics such as equality, diversity and inclusion, speaking up, differences of opinion (especially where there is an imbalance in power or seniority), and controversial projects.
The values, systems and principles that define and guide the behaviour of our people and our business partners are described in the Business Ethics section.
Incidents
In 2023, 136 integrity issues, concerns and requests for advice were registered compared to 169 in 2022. We welcome the reported cases because it demonstrates awareness among our employees of the procedures and policies in our company and supports our efforts to promote integrity in our operations. Out of the 136 cases, 4 cases were considered high-risk compliance issues. After investigation, 1 case was assessed as a breach of our Code of Conduct (PDF). Management followed up on this case and has taken the appropriate measures. The case had no financial impact. Characteristics of the reported issues and concerns included disrespectful workplace behaviour, discussions about working for controversial clients, human rights in a particular country, and involvement in publicly disputed projects. All issues and concerns were investigated, discussed and, when appropriate, mitigating measures were taken.