Ethics Handbook
In 2008, Danfoss published an internal Ethics Handbook including ethic guidelines for every Danfoss employee globally. The Ethics Handbook describes the unwritten rules for what Danfoss employees should particularly pay attention to, and what is not acceptable.
In addition to the ethics handbook, Danfoss has also set up a call service to answer questions about ethical issues and an Ethics Hotline for the reporting of cases where ethical guidelines may have been violated.
Layoffs and voluntary resignations
Over the past four years, Danfoss has reported layoffs and voluntary resignation caused by unethical conduct which violated the company policies.
In 2007, there were 36 cases of layoffs caused by unethical conduct; in 2008 there were 64. The causes of the 64 layoffs and voluntary resignation due to unethical conduct included: disloyal or threatening behaviour; conflict of interest; theft or fraud with company funds; misuse of confidential information; abuse of alcohol or drugs; and time account fraud. More than one third of the cases concerned unacceptable absences.
Out of 64 cases of unethical conduct, six were reported to the corporate Ethics Hotline.