HUMAN RESOURCES POLICY
The aim of Brimborg’s human resources policy is to ensure its staff come from diverse backgrounds, thus providing the company with exceptional expertise in all areas of the automotive and industrial equipment industry and customer needs, as well as enabling it to fulfil its mission, role and values and achieve the objectives set in its quality policy.
The policy is based on the company’s motto – A Safe Place to Be – and on the values aimed at creating a culture where staff are success driven and solution oriented, initiative is highly valued and staff show passion in their work and strive for sustainability in terms of the environment, social aspects and governance in all decisions they take.
Values
- Success driven:We want our customers to reach their goals and achieve outstanding results – as we do – through effective co-operation both within and between teams.
- Solution oriented:We listen to customers and staff and use our skills to find the best solutions quickly and efficiently.
- Initiative: We are curious, unafraid of change, bold and open-minded, and we learn from mistakes and rejoice in success.
- Passionate:We are proud of our work, happy to be doing what we are doing, and do it with respect, fidelity, transparency and trust.
- Sustainable:We consider the future in our decision-making, focusing on orderliness and care for the environment. We ensure that our decisions have a positive impact on social aspects and respect laws, rules and good business practices with good governance.
Human resource development
Brimborg operates in a highly competitive field, where great demands are made on the skills of each team member to provide customers with outstanding professional service, to enable to the company to achieve excellent results in all areas of the automotive and industrial sector. This makes continuous development of human resources – by means of professional recruitment, proactive feedback and motivation, and targeted training – very important.
- The application process, job requirements and recruitment process are transparent and in line with our human resources policy and sub-policies.
- Job advertisements are clear to ensure that there is no ambiguity as regards the requirements made of staff.
- The application process is electronic – this is both environmentally friendly and saves everybody time in the process.
- The same process applies to both internal and external recruitment.
- The director of the relevant business division and the manager of the department looking for a new recruit are responsible for conducting a professional assessment of candidates with the aim of ensuring that the most suitable candidate is hired. This assessment considers whether the applicant’s personal values match the values enshrined in Brimborg’s human resources policy and Brimborg’s quality policy, how the applicant could enhance the team and its culture, e.g. by means of increased diversity or unique skills, and how well the applicant meets the specific requirements of the job.
- The applicant’s application is considered with reference to the requirements for the job. Great importance is attached to ensuring that there is no discrepancy between the applicant’s description of their own skills and their actual ability. The recruitment process involves an in-depth assessment of applications, online and in-person interviews, tests and assignments. The main focus is to determine whether or not the applicant meets the requirements of the job.
- The Human Resources Department assists the relevant business division during the recruitment process and reviews the process before recruitment is confirmed to ensure the involvement of an independent party.
- All applicants receive a reply once recruitment is complete.
- Upon recruitment, a written employment contract is entered into with the applicant before they commence work. Their job is based on a written job description. Once the employment contract has been signed but before the applicant starts work, they must submit all relevant documents and certificates, as stipulated in the recruitment process.
- Shortly after recruitment, new recruits attend a newcomers’ presentation and receive training in the department where they are starting work. The focus is on enabling them to become operational quickly.
- Decisions on termination of employment are made in a professional manner, based on job performance, experience, importance in the team and personal outlook. As regards retirement, the same factors are considered, plus other specific factors, with the aim of achieving a successful outcome for both parties.
Success-driven, exciting environment of equals
One of the features of the work environment at Brimborg is the ambition of its staff to achieve results by co-operating within and between dynamic teams. In this way, we provide our customers with excellent service to help them achieve their goals just as we do. We listen to customers and staff and use our skills to find the best solutions quickly and efficiently. We are curious, unafraid of change, bold and open-minded, and we learn from mistakes and rejoice in success. We are proud of our work, happy to be doing what we are doing, and do it with respect, fidelity, transparency and trust. We focus on sustainability in terms of the environment, social aspects and governance in our work.
We give professional feedback and encouragement, based on data-driven management. We constantly strive to develop the skills and abilities of employees and improve our working methods and processes to achieve excellent results. This, in turn, further enables interested staff to benefit from career development, new projects and opportunities.
We encourage managers and staff to monitor training needs for themselves and their teams; take initiative; attend high-quality, relevant courses and conferences; read interesting material in books, magazines or online; and pass on new knowledge to their teammates.
We attach great importance to balancing work and private life and ensure equality by means of our equal opportunities policy, equal pay policy, equal pay certification and our Equality Committee. We are sympathetic to unexpected family situations, we have shortened working hours in all departments where this is stipulated in collective wage agreements, we offer flexible working hours where possible and we ensure that all work-related events and work-related courses are held during working hours.
Brimborg complies with all laws and regulations on occupational safety, and health and safety committees are in place to ensure that risk assessments are carried out regularly in all of our business divisions.
Great importance is attached to staff welfare in the workplace. We promote health by providing appropriate support, our work facilities are of the highest quality, we respond quickly where there is room for improvement and we offer transport subsidies and a free annual flu shot. Dynamic employee associations are active in all of our business divisions, and Brimborg also organises an annual staff party.
Bullying, gender-based violence, gender-based harassment, sexual harassment and any other type of violence, whether psychological or physical, are not tolerated. Preventive measures are taken, and incidents of this kind can lead to dismissal. Any staff member falling victim to such harassment should report it immediately in accordance with the relevant procedure.
Data-driven management, feedback and life-long learning
In light of the ever-changing competitive environment, we are constantly developing our work and acquiring knowledge to achieve outstanding results. We are solution oriented; we listen to our customers and staff and use our skills to find the best solutions quickly and efficiently. We are pioneering, curious, unafraid of change, bold and open-minded, and we learn from mistakes and rejoice in success.
We create strong, passionate, independent, teams with dynamic leaders who adopt and live our values. Managers use data-driven management to provide professional feedback, give encouragement and take professional decisions. They are open-minded, constantly willing to rethink how things have been done in the past, encourage staff to take advantage of training opportunities and diligently share information in a spirit of transparency by means of regular communication with staff.
Staff are encouraged to take the initiative as regards retraining, but also to undergo retraining initiated by the company’s management, suppliers and other partners. Staff are encouraged to make use of vocational training funds and other opportunities to enhance their skills. Non-Icelandic staff are given special support for Icelandic tuition, should they apply for such.
Competitive employment conditions, equal opportunities and human rights
Brimborg adheres to a formal equal opportunities policy. We ensure that equality prevails in all areas and respect general human rights. We also require our partners to respect equality and general human rights. Staff are not discriminated against on the basis of sex, nationality, sexual orientation, age, religion, religious or political beliefs, marital status, colour, disability, ability or economic status. Our Equal Opportunities Committee monitors compliance with the Equal Opportunities Act. It investigates all reports of alleged breaches of the Act and responds appropriately.
Brimborg adheres to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as regards the rights of children and young people and complies with the relevant legislation. We do not tolerate child slavery or forced labour.
Whether it concerns human rights, child slavery or forced labour, Brimborg makes the same demands on suppliers, and it is not compatible with Brimborg's policy to do business with parties who are exposed to forced labour, child slavery or human rights violations.
The competitive employment conditions of the Board of Directors, managers and staff aim to attract and retain highly qualified staff. These conditions include competitive salaries, subsidised lunch, good availability of coffee in all departments and benefits for the purchase of cars, tyres and other car-related products and services.
Our equal pay policy states that gender and other personal attributes not related to the content or performance of the job may not affect salary or salary development and that all staff are to enjoy the same employment conditions for equally valuable or comparable jobs. Pay gaps may be justified only on the basis of different responsibilities, work contribution, education, work experience, skills, the nature and value of the job and job performance.
To ensure fairness and consistency in wage matters, Brimborg has implemented an equal pay policy and related equal pay certification. Managers have access to central benchmarks for the company’s pay structure at any given time and salary developments on the external market. They respond to developments and work on improvements, on the basis of regular reviews and reports received. When advertising vacant positions, recruitment or transfers, equality in gender balance shall be pursued, where the field of applicants enables such.
All staff are encouraged to avail themselves of their right to maternity/paternity leave, and every effort is made to accommodate flexible maternity/paternity leave. Great importance is attached to staff being able to return to work easily after taking maternity/paternity leave.
We also attach great importance to partners, such as our contractors and subcontractors, complying with legislation on the rights of their staff, whether they are employees or their subcontractors.
Good governance and good business ethics
The Board of Directors has approved the company’s formal organisation chart, governance statement, the Board of Directors’ rules of procedure, the quality policy, the human resources policy, the equal opportunities policy, the equal pay policy and the privacy policy. It strongly encourages Board members, managers and staff to observe the company’s motto – A Safe Place to Be – and its core values of respect, fidelity and caring. To this end, Brimborg’s Board of Directors, managers and staff must observe good governance in accordance with laws, rules, sound and normal business practices and in compliance with competition law, with the aim of ensuring strong infrastructure, transparency and responsibility.
Good governance leads to the Board of Directors, managers and staff taking greater responsibility towards all stakeholders, such as shareholders, customers, staff, suppliers and society as a whole, and reduces the likelihood of conflicts of interest. Business ethics towards all stakeholders are highly valued, and neither bribery nor corruption is practised or tolerated. We have implemented procedures and rules to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing, which have been signed by relevant staff. We respect the right to privacy in accordance with our formal data protection policy.
Board members, managers and staff may not accept large gifts, services, hospitality or personal favours that might reasonably be expected to influence decision-making and lead to conflicts of interest. Small gifts may be accepted – the same applies to hospitality which is within the limits of recognised business hospitality. Such gifts or offers must, however, be declared to the person’s immediate line manager. If a staff member receives an offer that does not comply with the law or normal business practices or even threats in connection with their work, they must notify their line manager immediately.
Staff must report any incident to their immediate line manager or directly to senior management which they believe is a violation of the law or pushes the boundaries of good business practice or good ethics. Full confidentiality is guaranteed upon request, and staff do not suffer any consequences of having made a report in the workplace.
Via the digital channels on Brimborg websites or by answering quality surveys, customers and other parties can submit suggestions, praise or complaints. This feedback is immediately dealt with by informing the relevant staff and managers so that improvements can be made to processes, procedures, training and services.
The company regularly supports goods causes linked in some way to its activities.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Brimborg’s human resources policy is already linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and this will be formalised in the course of 2022.
Policies and committees
- Human resources policy and safety committees
- Equal opportunities policy, equal pay policy and Equality Committee
- Environmental policy and Environmental Committee
The Human Resources Manager is responsible for the company’s human resources policy, which is presented to newcomers and regularly to employees. All policies are available to consult in the company’s quality system and on its website.
Updated on 15.2.2022