Governing documents are more important now than ever
LIVE, ACT AND BEHAVE LIKE A STENA EMPLOYEE
In turbulent times such as these, stability and a sense of community are of utmost importance. At Stena, our governing documents serve as the glue that holds our organisation together, providing a framework to enable us to live and act according to our shared company values.
These are difficult times. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home, and the general uncertainty in the world, most of us have experienced moments of unsteadiness while navigating in 2020. This is also a time to reflect on our own behaviour in our lives and at work.
“At Stena, showing respect and care is key to our culture,” explains Stena’s Head of Corporate Governance, Caroline Jakobsson.
As Dan Sten Olsson, CEO of Stena AB, emphasises in The White Book, the Stena spirit is characterised by the golden rule: we should do for others what we expect from them, while our capacity and willingness to care is what unites us in everything we do.
“Our governing documents are there to keep these values top of mind and make sure they are present in all our activities and operations,” she adds.
In early 2020, all Stena AB’s group policies were updated to reflect the present-day reality and the world in which the company currently operates. As the framework that provides guidance to all Stena employees, it is more important than ever for these documents to be up to date in these turbulent times.
Stena’s governing documents and policies are designed to help its employees make decisions and achieve the agreed objectives, while complying with all regulatory requirements. The policies are the guiding principles that support Stena employees in their daily work, reflecting what the company stands for and providing insights into the business. Different areas have different policies – from Information Security to Health Safety and Environment, Tax, and so on.
Additionally, there are three key governing documents within Stena: The White Book describes Stena’s business philosophy and its main purpose is to provide guidelines for how to behave when doing business. The Code of Conduct describes how employees should act and behave with each other, and the rules and responsibilities that exist within the Stena AB Group, while the Code of Governance describes the governing rules and responsibilities for all companies in the Stena AB Group.
“Our governing documents should make business easier and offer a sense of certainty in how to act and make decisions. They not only protect the company and the assets, but also you as an employee,” continues Caroline Jakobsson.
Caroline Jakobsson
This winter, all Stena employees are being asked to complete a series of mandatory nano training sessions by email. The weekly sessions provide awareness and understanding of the governing documents and policies. Each session takes no more than five minutes to complete.
The training emails also include relevant links to the Intranet, for anyone wishing to engage further with a specific topic, review the company policies, or re-visit the e-learning on Stena’s Code of Conduct, which all Stena employees are required to complete.
“The nano trainings won’t teach you the content of every policy, but what they hopefully will do is to provide important awareness and insights – including where to look for more information. It’s the responsibility of each and every one of us to be aware of our policies and act accordingly,” concludes Caroline Jakobsson.
