Latin America was the first region to roll out the Ethics at Electrolux Program. Europe is next in line.
The greatest challenge of any policy is bringing it to life. And this is exactly what the Ethics at Electrolux program aims to do. Translating the Code of Ethics, Workplace Code of Conduct and Environmental Policy into action and practices, the program features a guidance booklet, an internal web portal with additional policy information and a training module.
Latin kick-off
The program kicked off in 2011 in Latin America through an extensive campaign covering 8,100 employees in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador.
The aim of the program is to further strengthen the Group culture of ethics and integrity and to promote the Ethics Helpline – a reporting channel for suspected misconduct, operated by a third party. Training is built around ethical dilemmas employees might come across in the course of their work.
The Latin American rollout was delivered using a train-the-trainers approach involving HR teams and internal communication professionals throughout the region. Training modules were tailored to different employee groups, from VPs to blue-collar workers, and were also available in sign language.
Full package
Apart from presentations, the communications kit included posters for bulletin boards, an interactive quiz to check understanding among participants and a Q&A sheet for managers. Comments from participants in the first wave of training indicate that they felt it covered an important topic. They also underlined that the program's clarity made them more comfortable addressing any potential misalignment of ethics, and it reinforced the Group’s core values.
On call
Cases reported through the helpline since its launch in mid-2011 have helped Electrolux identify and appropriately address ethical issues. The company is now building on this experience for further rollout to the Group.
Thirty-eight suspected incidents of ethical misconduct were reported to the helpline in 2011. The bulk of reported cases arose from interpersonal issues.