2013-vinci-annual-report

COMPLY WITH ETHICAL
PRINCIPLES TOGETHER
We commit to ensuring total transparency in our
own practices and in those of our subcontractors.
26 GROUP / SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Ethical standards form the
bedrock of mutual trust
between our customers and us.
It is therefore essential that our
employees everywhere share
and apply rules that ensure
compliance with these
standards. Moreover, as a
major player in the sector,
we have a duty to constantly
raise the level of ethical
standards and transparency
beyond the requirements set
out in legislation.
Main actions
•
In 2010, VINCI published its
Code of Ethics and Conduct,
which forms the basis for its
view of this subject. Additional
to the general directives issued
to the heads of VINCI business
lines, this document sets out
all the rules of conduct
applicable to all companies
and employees. These rules
are circulated to all levels of
management in the business
units, and in particular to each
new manager taking up his or
her duties. The code also spells
out the rules for external
partners. It has so far been
circulated to 6,909 managers;
6,589 acknowledged receipt,
giving a response rate of 95.4%.
Each division has introduced
appropriate training and
follow-up procedures. For
example, Eurovia introduced
quarterly checks on compliance
with the code; at the end
of 2013, 100% of employees
involved – head office employees
and agency managers –
applied the rules of the code,
which is available on the
Group website (*) .
• VINCI has also appointed an
Ethics Officer, who operates
under considerable autonomy.
The Ethics Officer’s task is
to work with the operational
and functional departments to
ensure that the code is
understood and applied.
Any employee who encounters
difficulties or has questions
about the scope and implementation
of these rules may consult
the Ethics Officer, especially
with regard to operations in
countries considered as
potentially at risk. In 2013, the
Ethics Officer directly handled
all cases submitted, in
accordance with clear and
explicit guidelines: confidentiality,
inquiry, and internal and
external investigation, if
required. Additionally, internal
audit resources and comprehensive
audit plans govern the
overall system.
• The Ethics and Compliance
Club, which brings together
the Group’s legal affairs
directors and the Ethics
Officer, continued its work.
Its remit is to foster exchanges
of best practices in the field of
ethics, to perform a legislative
and regulatory watch, and to
review cases.
• VINCI companies operating
in sectors in which specific
ethics procedures apply have
appointed their own specialised
compliance officers.
The resultant ethics arrangements
therefore comply with
the standards applied by the
most stringent clients and
countries.
• VINCI established a Human
Rights Committee in 2013.
Its members are in particular
the human resources managers
of companies located in
potentially sensitive regions.
It produced a review document
that identifies the risks
and conduct to adopt for each
of the various human rights
(see p. 182).
(*) www.vinci.com/vinci.nsf/en/page/
code-of-ethics.htm
95.4%
of employees concerned
by the Code of Ethics
and Conduct have signed
up to it.
PROGRESS
TARGETS
VINCI aims to have 100% of
the employees concerned by the
Code of Ethics and Conduct
signed up, especially newly hired
managers and managers from
companies acquired by the
Group. In addition to this target,
the other areas of progress
concern mapping the signatories
to the code and management
training in this area.