The Hiway Anti-Discrimination Policy is based on our obligations in applicable national law, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Principle 6 of the ten principles of the UN Global Compact and the Hiway social guide.
Hiway is committed to the creation and maintenance of an open, inclusive and discrimination- and harassment free work environment throughout every aspect of our business summarized in this policy. We believe not a single person, internal or external, should ever experience discrimination or harassment in any form in recruitment, promotion or daily operations.
Hiway's policy is to provide anyone a fair opportunity for employment regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, political opinion, or union status. As a company, Hiway condemns any form of discrimination on any grounds. The only selection criterion Hiway uses is their individual merits and skills. At last, there is a zero tolerance against discrimination and harassment in all work-related activities and interpersonal relationships at work.
This policy applies to the Hiway Board of Directors, management, employees, agency workers, contractors, business partners and suppliers. All of these parties shall receive this policy along with the Hiway social guide. This policy shall be read and understood on a regular basis to ensure full compliance and respect throughout Hiway.
This policy applies in relation to all work-related activities including but not limited to recruitment and selection, conditions and benefits, training and promotion, task allocation, shifts, hours, leave arrangements, workload, equipment, as well as to interpersonal relationships at work related situations such as travels, events, parties and after-work gatherings
Definition of discrimination
Discrimination is defined by treating people differently or less favorably because of characteristics that are not related to their merit or the inherent requirements of the job. This includes, but is not limited to, any less favorable or differential treatment or the violation of a person’s dignity based on: race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, political opinion, or union status.
Discrimination can be either intentional or unintentional and even if a person does not intend to discriminate, it could be considered an act of discrimination if it puts another person at a disadvantage.
The following examples constitute examples of discrimination:
An employee has a lower salary than a colleague of the opposite sex with same or equivalent tasks;
A woman is dismissed solely due to her pregnancy;
An employee is refusing to work with a co-worker due to the colleague’s religious beliefs;
A job applicant is not offered an interview due to her foreign name;
Harassment can be considered a form of discrimination, which is, in line with our policy, strictly forbidden within Hiway. In general, there are two types of harassments:
Harassment of improper behavior: Improper behavior can be defined by advances, requests, and other physical, verbal or non-verbal misconduct that are related to a person’s race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, political opinion, union status or other ground. This behavior, and therefore the harassment can involve one or numerous incidents causing a person to feel offended, humiliated, or intimidated. Examples of harassment are the following; deliberate insults, physical threat or abuse, unsubstantiated complaints, continued interference of personal work space, display of offensive material, exclusion from normal work communication, and intrusion into personal life. Please note that these are solely examples, harassment is not limited to the above.
Sexual harassment: Sexual harassment can be defined more specifically by unwelcome sexual advances, requests, verbal conduct, non-verbal conduct, physical conduct, and other forceful or coercive misconduct. In any of such cases, all individuals must carefully consider how their behavior is perceived given the fact that the victim of harassment decides what is unwelcome or offensive.
Victimization is defined by all acts that are directed to one or several individuals and are of an offensive character. Such acts do not need to relate to any special characteristic of the individual for example ethnicity or gender, and may include for example excessive or insufficient workload or level of demands, bullying, being moved to a position with lower responsibility without objective reasons for it, ostracizing, defamation, insults, violence and withholding information.
Hiway continuously strives to create an inclusive workplace and does not tolerate any kind of victimization.
Responsibilities
All Hiway employees and any other parties involved with Hiway's operations are required to thoroughly go through this policy frequently during their employment to ensure understanding of and compliance with this policy.
Managers' responsibility
At Hiway, managers have the responsibility to:
Monitor the working environment to ensure that acceptable standards of conduct are observed at all times. If managers observe discrimination, harassment or victimization in the workplace in any form, they should take appropriate steps in response to ensure the behavior stops and is appropriately dealt with;
Model appropriate behavior themselves, including ensuring they do not engage in conduct in breach with this policy;
Ensure employees and other relevant persons understand and agree with this policy;
Treat all complaints seriously and take appropriate action in response to complaints.
At Hiway, employees have the responsibility to:
Ensure that they do not engage in any discriminatory behavior, harassment or victimization or otherwise breach this policy;
Report any incidences of discrimination or victimization in and surrounding the workplace;
Offer support to anyone who is being discriminated against or victimized and let them know where they can get help and advice (without directly approaching the person complained against);
Maintain complete confidentiality of information and cooperate during the investigation of a complaint.
This policy is a resource for all of Hiway providing guidance on how to behave ethically towards one another. It also gives clear guidance of Hiway's values and how Hiway believes a good work environment free from misconduct and wrong behavior can be achieved.
Retaliation against anyone reporting a known or suspected ethical compliance concern is strictly prohibited. Ethical values and integrity are of greatest importance to Hiway and cannot be preserved if individuals are reluctant or afraid to raise or report a concern or a suspected breach of this policy, the social guide, or the international law.
Any employee who engages in retaliation will be subject to disciplinary action. Anyone that believes to have experienced retaliation, should report it as a suspected misconduct.