Compliance function five years
Hansel’s compliance function was established in 2019. Everything was fine before, but in 2019, ethical and compliance activities became more emphasised, systematic and organised. Our compliance function is now five years old – we consider the code of ethics that we apply to everything we do to be a competitive advantage and an integral part of our operating culture. The code of ethics has been taken into account in operations such as HR guidelines, business processes, financial guidelines, tendering procedures and procedures to prevent the shadow economy.
Our compliance team monitors legislative developments and social debate, updates guidelines, supports the personnel in various issues, and receives and provides training. In the autumn of 2024, we arranged training for all employees on practical ethics in conflicts. The training course included a preliminary survey, a lecture by Nina Ratsula (Code of Conduct Company) and a panel discussion.
The compliance theme was also highlighted from an HR perspective: training on topics such as psychosocial stress factors at work and a sense of community was arranged. In addition, the guidelines on the prevention of inappropriate treatment and early intervention were updated. More instructions on the use of the Finnish Transparency Register were also added. Hansel registered in the Transparency Register maintained by the National Audit Office of Finland, and we submitted our first disclosure of activities in the spring of 2024.
We actively participated in various events, such as a national workshop of the EU Network against Corruption, an event organised by the Ministry of Justice on whistleblower protection and an Anti-Corruption Day seminar. We also presented our compliance function to the Advisory Body on Civil Service Ethics.
No reports were submitted through our whistleblowing channel in 2024. However, the compliance team did receive an anonymous report that was investigated and reported to the Board of Directors.
Read next: Towards an excellent service experience
You may also be interested in
Towards an excellent service experience
Hansel regularly monitors customer and supplier satisfaction.
Functional impact assessment model
The impact assessment model has proved its worth and was complemented by a third stage.
New code of ethics for service procurement in Finland
In the spring of 2024, Hansel introduced a new contract annex, the code of ethics for the joint procurement of services.