APC 2014 Annual Report Download - page 65

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
GREEN AND RESPONSIBLE GROWTH DRIVING ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
A common frame of reference: Our Principles Four tools accessible to employees
ofResponsibility foreducational and prevention purposes
Our Principles of Responsibility is a 15-page document, published An intranet site accessible to all employees from the global
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for the first time in 2002 and updated in 2009 and again in 2013, intranet home page, providing all information on the program
synthesizing the Group’s common commitments to its employees, (process, teams, key contacts) and Our Principles of
partners, shareholders, the planet and society. Our Principles of Responsibility document accompanied by the comprehensive
Responsibility do not claim to cover all ethical dilemmas, but rather policies that are related to it, as well as news on the program.
serve as a general guideline to be adopted. They are Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs. This tool was introduced
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complemented by global and local policies to provide a precise following a collection of reports written by the managers after
response to the legal specific and local practices, as well as sector the program and Our Principles of Responsibility were presented
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policies (purchasing, quality, environment, etc.). to their teams.
Our Principles of Responsibility were prepared in compliance with An online training module. The aim is that, at the end of the
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the 10principles of the Global Compact of the United Nations, the session, the employee will be familiar with Our Principles of
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and standards issued by Responsibility and capable of using them in his or her job. At the
the International Labor Organization and the Organization for end of 2014, more than 65,000employees participated in the
Economic Cooperation and Development. As a result, they module. Once again, this training is ranked number one for
address the issues related to respect for human rights, working online training.
conditions, protection of the environment and the anti-corruption Educational kits for managers. This new tool, developed in
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principles. 2014, presents ethical dilemmas collected from employees
whose professional experiences have added depth and realism
Today, Our Principles of Responsibility have been translated into
to the scenarios. Managers are encouraged to use these case
30languages and sent to all Group employees. They are also
studies to facilitate discussions about ethics with their teams at
accessible on the Group’s official website and intranet. In addition,
least once per quarter; the goal is to create a space for open
a clause was added to employment contracts of new employees
and free discussions to address complex issues and to ensure
to ensure that they are aware of this document from the time they
that no employee has to face issues of this type on his/her own.
join Schneider Electric. In addition, from 2015, all managers must
sign a formal commitment to respect and promote Our Principles These kits address two themes in particular:
of Responsibility. Finally, this deployment is completed by a
the infringement of Human Rights, particularly child labor,
–
mandatory online training module and education and awareness
hygiene and safety conditions and discrimination issues,
days are organized regularly. A policy on the role of agents and
anti-corruption and financial fraud, especially conflicts of
–
intermediaries is scheduled to be implemented from early 2015.
interest, the role of intermediaries, and accounting
Adapted processes
manipulation.
These kits are now being rolled out, particularly in the functions
that are most exposed to these ethical issues. At the end of 2014,
The Responsibility&Ethics Dynamics program provides each 24kits were available to managers, in particular for departments
employee with a method for asking the right questions and seeking with the greatest exposure to ethical risks.
out the right people according to two approaches:
A professional alert system: the R&ED Line
a detailed questioning process to take the right steps in delicate
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situations where necessary. This may be broken down into three
stages: When an employee is a victim or witness of an event that touches
consulting the program’s intranet site,1.
on ethical issues, a professional alert system has been available
since 2012 to report information on such events. This system
contacting a manager and/or a member of the concerned2.
ensures the confidentiality of the exchanges and protects the
department (Legal, Financial, Human Resources (HR),
anonymity of the whistleblower (unless there is legislation to the
Environment, etc.),
contrary).
contacting the entity’s Principles of Responsibility advisor;3.
In compliance with local legislation, this system is provided by an
an alert process to guide employees towards the right bodies:
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independent company and proposes alert categories, a
contacting a manager, or1.
questionnaire, and information exchange protocol between the
using existing in-house outlets (legal, financial, HR,2.
person issuing the alert and the person responsible for
environment, etc.), or
investigating it. Each alert is reviewed by the Group’s Fraud
contacting the Group Fraud Committee via the professional3.
Committee, which appoints a two-person team to take charge of
alert system (accessible via Internet or multilingual telephone
the investigation, consisting of a Compliance Officer and an
line).
investigator from the Schneider Electric Bureau of Investigation
(see «Dedicated teams and organization»). Based on the findings
of the investigation, management take appropriate measures to
punish or exonerate the party or parties involved. Each year a
detailed report with statistics (number and type of alerts by region)
is presented to the Audit committee and the Group Executive
Committee, which reviews and approves the preventive and
corrective actions to be taken.
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