At AAK, we work to create a great workplace that enables the well-being of our people. As outlined in our People ambition, we are committed to creating a workplace that ensures health and safety and that sets a high ethical standard for our behavior, where diversity is a priority and where there are ample opportunities to grow.
Our people across the globe
safe, engaged and ethical
The AAK People ambition
- We offer our people the chance to make a real difference by being part of a team that is passionate about Making Better Happen™.
- Together with our people, we take responsibility for health and safety, and for creating a workplace where equality, diversity, and inclusivity are priorities.
- Our leaders are striving to be role models for our Better Leadership principles, and they are committed to unleash the full potential of every member of the AAK family.
- Together, we are guided in our decisions and actions by our Better Behaviors and by the highest ethical standards.
- We share a sense of ownership and pride for the positive impact our company makes.
To deliver on our People ambition, we have put in place relevant policies and codes based on international best practice. During 2021, we updated our values and leadership principles so that they together with our purpose, Making Better Happen™, may help guide and inspire our employees during their everyday activities.
Safety first
At AAK, safety comes first. Our Global Safety Program ensures that we work together on continuous improvement and sharing best practices. With site audits and risk assessments, we are able to outline our safety goals and encourage our people to focus on maintaining strict safety behavior and governance.
As the most common safety risk in AAK is connected to slips, trips, and falls, a need for an intensified focus on these aspects has been identified. We had a total of 26 LTIs (lost-time injuries) in 2022 which corresponds to a 0.61 LTIFR (Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate).
Promoting health through AAKtivate
For the last ten years, AAK Mexico and AAK Colombia have successfully worked with an employee well-being program called AAKtivate. The program focuses on physical and mental health, including key factors such as nutrition. In 2020, we implemented this as a global program, and it has been further developed in 2021.
An important part of the AAKtivate program is to identify physical and psychological work issues, develop mitigation measures, and to follow up on all progress. We believe that this program contributes to a healthier lifestyle and by that increased motivation, increased productivity, lower absenteeism, and reduced health costs.
The program is set to continue with the sharing of best practices and global activities including all AAK employees.
AAK staff, 2021
Diversity and inclusion – important drivers for our business
AAK recognizes that diversity and inclusion are areas that strengthen the company and have the potential to support our future growth.
Today, we employ 56 different nationalities in AAK. Our Executive Committee represents five of them.
Of AAK’s permanent employees, 23 percent are female. At a managerial level, 32 percent are female, which is an increase by 2 percentage points compared to 2021. It is a reflection of our efforts that the percentage of female managers is higher than the total percentage of women in AAK. Combined with the fact that our Board of Directors represents a 60/40 gender distribution, we hope that this will attract more women to the company in the future.
Upholding high ethical standards
Maintaining high ethical standards is a top priority for AAK. We want to foster a corporate climate that supports ethically correct behavior from all our employees, suppliers and business partners.
AAK’s commitment to respect and support human rights is defined in our Group Code of Conduct. AAK is committed to adhering to and upholding the UN Global Compact’s ten principles in the areas of social relations, human and labor rights, environment, and anti-corruption, as well as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and the ILO Core Conventions.
Reporting of misconduct
As a global company with complex supply chains and operations in several countries, it is important that we have mechanisms in place that help us stay clear of any misbehavior. The trust we enjoy from both our stakeholders and our own employees is intimately connected to our ability to uphold high ethical standards in all our activities, and we take all reports of possible material misconduct seriously.
For this reason, a third-party whistleblowing service is available for both AAK employees and other stakeholders. The service gives people the ability to anonymously report on suspicions of misconduct regarding laws, legal requirements, or material violations of our Group Code of Conduct.
The whistleblowing service can be reached here as well as via our Group Code of Conduct and intranet. As necessary confidentiality and anonymity are assured, anyone can report incidents without fear of reprisals.
Zero tolerance towards corruption
AAK has a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption, which are addressed in our Group Code of Conduct, our Group Supplier Code of Conduct, our Group Code of Conduct for Suppliers of Raw Materials, and our Group Code of Conduct for Agents and Distributors. Learn more here.
All relevant employees are requested to take e-learning courses in anti-corruption and competition law. For more information please see AAK’s Group Code of Conduct.
Human rights
AAK’s policies are in line with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), and the ILO Core Conventions, and we are working to fully align our business practices accordingly. As a minimum, we comply with local laws and adhere to international standards concerning human rights and fair employment conditions.
During 2021, AAK together with a third-party expert team, initiated a human rights risk assessment across our operations based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The ambition to assess the full scope of our operations by 2021 was thereby fulfilled and has provided important insights regarding the effectiveness of our Group Code of Conduct. More information can be found in our latest Sustainability Report.
Questions about our sustainability work?
