NCC Building Finland's General Counsel, Marja Vanhala, works in her organization as one of the so-called internal navigators, from whom colleagues can ask for advice on questions regarding operating principles. NCC has an Ask me channel, through which you can ask questions, and a completely anonymous Tell me channel, where you can report suspected abuses, for example.
NCC is a leading Northern European company in construction, real estate development and infrastructure. NCC Building Suomi builds apartments, offices and public spaces in Finland.
NCC's ethical principles are complemented by a tool called Kompass, which guides the behavior of NCC members, especially in situations where it is difficult to decide how to act ethically correctly. In the following, Marja Vanhala tells about NCC's practices, which ensure that everyone works according to the common rules of the game.
What kinds of abuses are commonly encountered?
Abuses are often very small situations where the matter has not been thought through to the end. Thoughtlessness and inadvertence, which the author himself is very sorry for in the endgame.
How has addressing abuses in the construction industry changed over the years?
The general operating culture of the construction industry is currently quite different from 30 years ago. Culture measurements also confirm that the change has been big. The Me too campaign serves as a good example of the operating culture of the moment. There are things that are only seen when they come to the fore and start a change campaign, and then the situation changes completely.
Already in the 90s, the construction industry strongly intervened in the fight against the gray market and strongly raised the issues of the gray economy. At that time, significant attention was already paid to competition legislation, cartel proceedings and ethical regulations.
Things that were allowed in the past are no longer allowed today. On the other hand, what is allowed today may not be in the future. Concrete examples from the past are, for example, girls' calendars, which were already banned at NCC several years ago. Invitations from subcontractors were treated more liberally in the 80s, and now we think very carefully about what content the invitations relate to. The surplus material on the construction site is also being looked at in a new way. The question is, is it allowed to distribute the surplus stuff to the employees, is it taken to the waste or is it recycled? The ethically correct course of action is thoughtfully considered from different perspectives.
How do companies deal with abuses at the moment?
At NCC, we deal with all abuses that come to our attention. Criminal and disciplinary sanctions run their own course. We start from the suspicion of abuse. We investigate whether we have all the information, whether the information is correct, whether some of the information is possibly incorrect. Investigating the matter will reveal whether it is a mistake or abuse. The options for intervention ultimately depend on the outcome of the study.
What kind of good practices and operating models does NCC have for building an ethical and responsible operating culture?
NCC's Compass is available to everyone, instructions and help can be found on the intranet. The compass helps the personnel to act according to the principles and make the right decisions. The guidance is based on the organization's values and ethical rules of the game. The Kompassi instructions give concrete instructions for example on giving and receiving invitations and gifts and how to act in conflict of interest situations.
The Ask me and Tell me channels are at your disposal. What are your experiences with them and what have the channels brought more?
We want to have a direct discussion about things. The questions that arise on the Ask me channel are partly country-specific and business-specific questions related to day-to-day operational management.
Navigators, designated trained individuals in each country and business area, answer questions from staff about what is allowed and what is not, as needed. Everyone can also ask questions from the manager. If necessary, key questions of what is right - and what is not - are then discussed in the navigator network. At the same time, we can collect a centralized data bank on different subject areas.
In addition, we present compass questions on our own intranet related to both imaginary and practical ethical situations. Dilemmas are discussed and dealt with in the management team as well.
What is essential is an open discussion and joint reflection. Things are not always black and white. As the world changes, situations become more complicated and the rules of the game change. If new interpretations are given on an issue, they will be informed and told how to act in the future and how not to. We are in constant discussion about what is right and ethical at the moment.
The channels are relatively well used. The Tell me channel is a completely anonymous channel where questions or notifications are handled by a foreign operator. From there, the question is transferred to further investigation. The existence of the channel itself creates more consideration in the operation.
How did the introduction of the channels go? How have they affected the absence of abuses?
There have been many changes in people's attitudes. Basically, people want to act in accordance with their values and to work for a company that also operates ethically and in accordance with acceptable values.
Ethical guidelines are based on values and are a natural part of values. They are a wide-ranging umbrella that includes, among other things, topics related to diversity, equality and justice.
The world is changing. The application principles and policies of the ethical guidelines also change, become more precise and take shape over time. For example, social media channels create new ethical problems, questions and perspectives that must be taken into account.
We train, instruct, assist and support personnel constantly so that they are able to follow instructions and take responsibility.
What do you think is the importance of the ethical principles of the construction industry?
It is very important that the construction industry speaks publicly about ethical mirror rules. After the recession, the construction industry was the first to take action against the gray economy. The Construction Industry also has the opportunity to play a strong role when it comes to the ethical rules of the game.
Publishing ethical guidelines is not enough. Continuous discussion related to the guidelines should be surfaced with stakeholders. Training and being involved in continuous development is essential. Ethical rules of the game must not remain just talk, but the principles need to be implemented in real action.
See also
- Ethical principles in practice: 7. Address abuses
- Other parts of the Ethical Principles in Practice writing series
More information
- Merja Vuoripuro, Construction Industry RT ry
tel. 040 587 2642, merja.vuoripuro@rakennusteollisuus.fi - Sari Puurtinen, Juuriharja Consulting Group Oy
tel. 040 676 3772, sari.puurtinen@juuriharja.fi
Root brush is a coaching company specializing in ethical management.