Ethics code of conduct

The objective of our Ethics Code of Conduct is to state the requirements for business practice and personal conduct. The target group is all working for ECC, including the members of the Board of Directors.

 

Main Purpose

The Ethics Code of Conduct describes our commitment and requirements in connection with issues of an ethical nature that relate to business practice and personal conduct. These codes of conduct appliy to the organization and our individual employees, board members, hired personnel, consultants, intermediaries and others who act on our behalf, hereafter referred to as "the individual". Ethics are a matter of behaving with integrity in relation to a values base. The values base is the sum of the feelings people have for what is "right and proper", or – on the other hand – "wrong and improper".

 

Ethics for us are a matter of being rooted in a common values base which is entrenched in the organisation. These ethical guidelines are intended to formulate the values base and to provide the necessary guidance. This in turn will ensure that each individual is familiar with the values base and knows how it is to be put into practice in their daily work in order to ensure a healthy development of the business in a good working environment.

 

Commitment

In our business activities, we will comply with applicable laws and regulations and act in an ethical, sustainable and socially responsible manner. Respect for human rights is an integral part of our values base. We shall be known for its high ethical standards. Breaches of laws and ethical requirements are therefore a threat to the company's competitiveness and reputation.

 

Responsibility and Respect

Managers at all levels have a particular responsibility for clarifying and creating acceptance for ethically acceptable behaviour, and for creating the conditions in which it can be practised. Every individual is responsible for seeking advice and guidance from their superior when they are uncertain about the acceptable way to practise our ethical guidelines. The individual also has a personal responsibility to report any breaches of the ethical standards which are observed. Violations of the ethical guidelines could cause substantial damage to our financial position and reputation.

 

Activities and the business

Our infrastructure, tools and equipment will contribute to the efficient performance of our assignments and to the provision of products and services in accordance with the contract. The individual has a shared responsibility for ensuring that resources are used as efficiently as possible to reach our goals. No activities will be pursued or resources used which are incompatible with our business.

 

Working environment

Private use of infrastructure and equipment must be approved in advance by the chief executive, and returned to their original condition by the agreed time. Such use must not hinder our operations. The individual will comply with and follow up the guidelines specified in the personnel manual and particularly observe routines for time registration, travel management, sickness absence and personal conduct.

The individual will treat colleagues and the company's partners in a respectful and objective manner, and cause no harm to their reputation. Everyone in the company must respect each other's work, and help to promote collaboration and the transfer of expertise between individuals both within and across work teams and disciplines.

The whole workforce is responsible for contributing to a working climate where personal distress is not encouraged by allowing dissatisfaction, conflicts and the like to fester. Slandering or bullying colleagues is wholly incompatible with a healthy working culture. We will be a learning organization, which seeks answers and sees positive opportunities for development and improvement in the experience gained from trying something new – whether that leads to success or failure.

A systematic survey and evaluation of the overall working environment will be conducted annually as the basis for developing specific targets and action plans. Active participation by the individual and a clear division of responsibility for and organisation of this work is essential for achieving an optimum working environment. The management will keep the individual regularly informed about operations, development and visions.

 

Loyalty and conflicts of interest

Each individual has the right to be a private individual with their own views, wishes and interests, which they may seek to fulfil as far as possible. As individuals and colleagues, however, they have a duty to comply loyally with decisions taken by the management and the board, and with applicable laws and regulations.

 

  • The individual must report to their superior if actions or decisions in which they are involved could confer special benefits on them personally, their close associates or their business contacts. 
  • No individual must accept or provide any form of service, gift or payment, or anything which an impartial observer could perceive as a bribe. Individuals who find themselves subject to such pressure or attempts to apply it must immediately inform the chief executive.
  • The individual must not engage in business activities which compete with ECC.
  • The individual must contribute actively to a working culture in which confidential information received about the business is treated with respect and stored securely.

 

Consequences

Knowledge of any breaches of these ethics code of conduct must be reported to chief executive. Failure to do so will be regarded as a breach of the guidelines.