We work ethically and comply with requirements
One of the priorities of the Integration Strategy was to maintain a high level of ethics and compliance and to actively emphasise this in customer and supplier relations. Hansel has a compliance function responsible for the maintenance of ethical guidelines, the provision of training, communication and support on ethical matters.
In 2022, a particular compliance focus area was the training and induction of new employees. In the spring, employees of Hansel and officials from the Ministry of Justice had a training session on anti-corruption activities. During the year, there were also internal and customer information sessions on combating cartels and the shadow economy, as well as on obligations under the Act on the Contractor’s Obligations and Liability when Work is Contracted Out. Hansel is also part of the network of authorities in the Finnish Tax Administration’s Grey Economy Information Unit.
During 2022, twenty new employees started work at Hansel. The induction to ethical and compliant operations has been extended and is offered by the entire compliance team. The induction covers themes such as the ethics principles at Hansel, the compliance function, the principles of equal treatment and zero tolerance in bullying, situations involving disqualification, outside employment permits and ethical behaviour in practice.
Current channels for reporting abuse
Hansel has an internal whistleblowing channel for reporting misconduct, and the email address of the compliance team is available on the website for external reporting. No reports were submitted via the Hansel whistleblowing channel in 2022. However, suspicions concerning a customer and a supplier were brought to the attention of the compliance function through other channels and were dealt with.
A bill on the protection of whistleblowers was submitted to Parliament in September 2022 after a delay of about a year. The Act on the Protection of Persons Reporting Violations of European Union and National Law (Laki Euroopan unionin ja kansallisen oikeuden rikkomisesta ilmoittavien henkilöiden suojelusta 1171/2022) is based on the Whistleblower Directive, which requires organisations of more than 50 persons to have a whistleblowing channel and to protect whistleblowers from retaliation. Hansel’s compliance team has been monitoring the preparation of the law and will ensure that the procedures of the whistleblowing channel and the handling of reports comply with the requirements of the law, which entered into force at the beginning of 2023.
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