ETHICS

Ethical dilemmas on the net

Doing things right has always been an important internal guideline at Veidekke. By extension, ethics is a central issue for us, and we are constantly striving to challenge and discuss the ethical dilemmas associated with our daily work. In 2009, we took taken this important work a step further through the introduction of a new internet-based tool for dilemma training. The tool consists of numerous realistic cases in which users are constantly faced with different choices with alternative consequences. Is it ok to ask a customer to join you for salmon? What if the customer insists on taking with them their spouse? Or what if they want to bring an "acquaintance" from the municipality? This is just one of seven practical dilemma situations our employees face, and which provides a solid basis for making correct decisions in their everyday work. In addition to interactive movies, there are also 38 supplementary written cases available on the website. The tool is very flexible, and can be used by both individuals and groups. The idea is for this to be a living tool developed by users over time. There are opportunities to update the database with users' own comments and experiences related to the ethical dilemmas of our industry. The tool is currently on the internet, and is available to anyone who registers as a user.

Visit: veidekkehuset.no | veidekkehuset.se | veidekkehuset.dk (in native languages only).

The values of being professional, honest, enthusiastic and groundbreaking form the basis of our organisational culture, and therefore our work on ethics in the Group. Our values are communicated consistently in HR and leadership development forums, on project courses and in introduction programmes for new employees. Many of the problems we encounter in our everyday life, have no definitive answer. Therefore, openness, dialogue and discussion are essential factors for sustaining cultural awareness over time. The new programme for dilemma training is supported by print collateral such as "Ethical Guidelines in Veidekke" and "Under the Table" play an important role.

Anti-corruption efforts

Problems of corruption in the Nordic countries, according to Transparency International and in relation to the rest of the world, are relatively few. In the annual survey Corruption Perception Index (CPI), Denmark, Sweden and Norway came in 2nd, 3rd and 11th places respectively in 2009. Although problems are most likely marginal, because the construction industry has previously been perceived as having considerable problems in this area, corruption is something we are very aware of. The extent of corruption in our industry will always be difficult to determine. Nevertheless, we take this issue very seriously, and have absolutely zero tolerance for corruption in the Group. The combination of our ethical guidelines, dilemma training and a good warning system helps to prevent any attempt to gain inappropriate benefits.

A theme we are particularly aware of in Veidekke is possible price collusion. In 2001, the Competition Authority investigated several asphalt industry players which, five years later were fined under the auspices of the Norwegian Authority for the Investigation and Prosecution of Environmental and Financial Crimes fines. We have zero tolerance for crime in Veidekke, and when early in 2010 we suspected possible similar conditions in our Trøndelag operations, we immediately contacted the Competition Authority and requested investigation.

It should pay to run a professional building and construction operation. Through the Norwegian National Construction Industry Association, we are engaged in the project "Veracity in the Building Sector", in which the partners commit themselves to working actively to familiarise themselves with and follow industry rules. In order to make it easier to identify serious players in our industry, a joint qualification system for suppliers, called StartBANK, has also been established. All approved suppliers are assessed according to a set of objective acceptance criteria and registered in the system, which has been established in cooperation with a recognised quality assurance company, Achilles.