Respect for human rights
Respect for human rights
H
uman rights constitute one of the cornerstones of the UN Global Compact’s ten principles and the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. We respect and are inspired by both across our business model.
anonymise personal data have also been implemented in our settlement system. Verdo is continuously working with GDPR to improve internal procedures and systems to maintain the company’s GDPR compliance.
Verdo’s most important value is ‘We conduct ourselves with decency’. This means that we strive to integrate and respect the universal human rights. In Verdo, human rights translated into employee responsibility also include health cover in connection with illness and a pension scheme. The organisation is characterised by openness and a sense of equality among our employees and in the dialogue between the management and the employees.
As a natural extension of our compliance work, we have enhanced our focus on the new whistleblower directive. It allows employees to report information about unlawful behaviour or serious irregularities without having to fear dismissal. In 2020, we expect to draw up a policy and organisation for the area. The aim of the scheme is to increase credibility and employee confidence in our management and business procedures. However, it is important that the scheme be seen as complementary to the existing internal dialogue and openness.
Efforts and results In 2019, Verdo worked hard to ensure compliance with the updated General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In 2019 alone, we spent around 8,000 in-house hours to shed further light on which personal data are being processed and which data processing agreements we have entered into. In addition, we have developed a number of internal procedures for dealing with security breaches. To ensure a successful process throughout the business, we have carried out awareness training for our employees, and posters have been put up to maintain a constant focus on GDPR. Methods to
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Annual report 2019
In 2019, we continued our internal dialogue meetings in which all employees can ask questions of the CEO, the aim being to contribute to a more open and transparent organisation. Many employees seized this opportunity, and feedback was very positive. In 2019, our values were condensed into three guiding values. Verdo’s fundamental value, with which we first and foremost identify, has not changed: We conduct ourselves with decency. But we also give priority to our three underlying values,
which oblige us to: • see things from our customer’s perspective. • treat each other with respect and trust. • always be one step ahead. The Verdo Code of Conduct for Suppliers stipulates that international suppliers must live up to the human rights as regards, for example, working hours, the prohibition of child labour, health matters and the environment. We continuously evaluate these requirements to assess whether additional requirements should be imposed on our suppliers. The most recent evaluation took place in 2019 to improve our ability to ensure, and not least document, compliance with the Verdo Code of Conduct and our CSR requirements. Conclusion The human rights are observed by both the Verdo management and the Verdo employees. Our dialogue is open and characterised by a sense of equality, and our values aim to ensure that employees and managers treat each other with respect and trust.