44 Vodafone Group Plc Annual Report 2024
Strategic report
Governance
Financials
Other information
Maintaining Trust Purpose (continued)
As an integral part of our purpose, we need to ensure that we are maintaining trust in everything that we do. This section of the Strategic Report covers the elements underpinning our responsible business strategy. On this page, we explain how we embed an understanding of our Code of Conduct throughout the Group and provide our people and suppliers with access to a whistleblowing hotline (‘Speak Up’). This section also summarises our approach to protecting data and people, as well as how we ensure we behave ethically, lawfully and with integrity Our Code of Conduct sets out what we expect from every single person working for Vodafone, regardless of location. We also expect our suppliers and business partners to uphold the same standards as set out in our Code of Ethical Purchasing. Click to read our Code of Conduct: vodafone.com/code-of-conduct Our Doing What’s Right (‘DWR’) training and communication programme is key to embedding a shared understanding of the Code of Conduct across Vodafone. Throughout the year, the DWR communication programme promoted different areas of our Code of Conduct, including Speak Up, anti-bribery, privacy, competition law, security, and health and safety. This year, we shared a message reminding everyone about our responsibility to act ethically through a special message featuring our leadership members. Training on our Code of Conduct is included in our standard induction process for new employees. We expect every employee to complete refresher training when assigned, and this is typically every two years. Of those employees assigned induction or refresher DWR training during the period, 93.6% had completed the training as of 31 March 2024 1 . To keep the knowledge of our Code of Conduct fresh, we launched assessment tests this year across areas like the Code of Conduct, anti-bribery, health and safety, privacy and security within selected markets. The newly launched refreshers have helped us test and refresh knowledge of key concepts. These tests have received a high Net Promoter Score of 86-93%. Those who did not pass are required to complete learning in the relevant subject area. These assessment tests will also be launched across other markets in FY25. wherever we operate. Code of Conduct This year our competition law learning module was also upgraded. This course was assigned to select learners who are closest to competition law risks. It had a completion rate of 88% as of 31 March 2024 1 . We also strive to make compliance easy for our employees and continue to improve our digital Code of Conduct and global policy portal, the internal platform where employees can find information about our policies and procedures. A programme is underway to streamline our policy environment and optimise the number of policies so that we can effectively address our risk environment. Our digital Code of Conduct and policy sites continue to be accessed widely by users across the Group with over 200,000 visits to the policy portal in the last quarter of FY24 1 . Our Code of Conduct is well understood throughout Vodafone. In the April 24 Spirit Beat employee survey, 95% of respondents agreed with the statement ‘Our team lives by the Code of Conduct’.
Speak Up Everyone who works for or on behalf of Vodafone has a responsibility to report any behaviour at work that may be unlawful or criminal, or could amount to an abuse of our policies, systems or processes and, therefore, be a breach of our Code of Conduct. Employees are able to raise concerns with a line manager, with a colleague from human resources or through our anonymous confidential third-party hotline, Speak Up, which is accessible in local languages online or by telephone. We have a non-retaliation policy when a genuine concern has been reported. Everyone who raises a concern in good faith is treated fairly, with no negative consequences for their employment with Vodafone, regardless of the outcome of any subsequent investigation. Speak Up reports are confidentially investigated by local specialist teams, with a senior team in place to triage reports. Each grievance is monitored to verify that any corrective action plan or remediation has been conducted. Our Group Risk and Compliance Committee reviews the effectiveness of the Speak Up process and trends once a year, and the Audit and Risk Committee receives an annual update, with additional ad hoc reviews carried out where appropriate. Our employees trust our Speak Up process, as evidenced by our April 24 Spirit Beat survey, with 87% of respondents agreeing that they believe appropriate action would be taken as a result of using the process. We also track the proportion of ‘named’ versus ‘anonymous’ reports as a higher number of named reports suggests higher levels of trust in the Speak Up process. During the year, 52% (FY23: 58%) of reports were ‘named’ and this was higher than available industry benchmarks. This year, 649 1 (FY23: 505 1 ) separate concerns were reported using Speak Up. These concerns could relate to matters of unlawful behaviour or matters of integrity, such as bribery, fraud, price fixing, a conflict of interest, or a breach of data privacy. Reports could also relate to people issues such as discrimination, bullying or harassment, danger to the health and safety of employees or the public, or potential abuses of human rights. If we decide to proceed with an investigation, a corporate security investigator or member of HR will investigate, keeping the person who raised the concern informed throughout the process. Where reports made to Speak Up require remedial action, this could include consequences at the individual level or changes to internal processes and procedures. Speak Up is owned by the Chief Human Resources Officer and overseen by the Group Risk and Compliance Committee. Speak Up is also made available to our suppliers and is communicated through our Code of Ethical Purchasing. For suppliers that decide to maintain their own grievance mechanisms, we require that they inform us of any grievances raised relating to work done on behalf of Vodafone directly. Speak Up topics raised during the year Topic 1 Speak Up reports Requiring remedial action People issues 2 77% 36% Integrity 18% 51% Other 3% 41% Health and safety 2% 43% Notes: 1. There were was one report relating to modern slavery concerns reported during the period (FY23: zero reports). 2. Diversity and inclusion topics accounted for 2% of the People issues reported during the year.
Note: 1. Includes our discontinued operations in Italy and Spain.
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