Working together against corruption

The United Nations Convention against Corruption assigned 9 December as the annual International Anti-Corruption Day. At Höegh Autoliners, we believe that creating a culture of compliance and integrity will drive value for our company and in society in general. One way of preventing corruption and promoting transparency is to provide a tool to report any concerns anonymously. Our whistleblower helpline is created to lower the barrier to rereporting issues that could be questionable.

“We need everyone’s support to achieve a corruption-free maritime community. We encourage our employees to report something that doesn't seem right. New of this year is that we have an anonymous reporting channel, available for anyone through our website. The option to report anonymously is believed to both deter and detect wrongdoing while at the same time reassuring and protecting the person reporting. Anyone can anonymously report on malpractices, corruption, and other wrongdoings through our whistle-blower hotline,” says Renate Lystad, General Counsel at Höegh Autoliners.

Employee whistleblowing

If our employees have any concerns regarding other employees’ violations of the law and regulations, this can be reported internally to either the line manager, Legal or to the Chief HR & Communications Officer. Höegh Autoliners also has an external whistleblowing hotline available on the Intranet webpage and on höeghautoliners.com. Our Whistleblowing Policy recognizes the importance of reporting anonymously and protects the ones reporting from retaliation for raising concerns and violations. The concerns can include failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations, and improper or unethical behavior.

Höegh Autoliners Policy

Höegh Autoliners applies a zero-tolerance policy towards bribery and corruption. We take a stand against corruption and work in several arenas to abolish the use of corruption, bribery, and facilitation payments. Corruption has a negative impact on economic development and is inherently wrong.

We believe it is important for the shipping industry to come together and work proactively against corruption. As an international industry, we have the power to make a change and it is our responsibility to take this opportunity. In line with our work against corruption, Höegh Autoliners takes pride in being one of the co-founders and an active member of the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN). MACN is a global business network working towards its vision of a maritime industry free of corruption that enables fair trade to benefit society and for all.

By adopting the MACN Anti-Corruption Principles, communicating progress on implementation, sharing best practices, and creating awareness of industry challenges, we are promoting good corporate practices for tackling bribes, facilitation payments and other forms of corruption.

Building a culture of compliance

Building a culture of compliance means embedding good behaviours at all levels in the organisation. It also means guiding people to make better decisions in following regulations and policies. Emphasizing compliance from the start helps cement its importance and benefits all employees. Monitoring compliance is important, but it’s equally vital to develop an atmosphere of trust. Encouraging employee engagement is an essential part of building a culture of compliance. We believe that working against corruption is a collaborative effort and by implementing systems and measures we can mitigate corruption.

Read more about the International Anti-Corruption Day here.