Human rights

We commit not to undertake projects with an aggressive, destructive, or suppressive purpose towards nature or people. Ramboll commits to respect human rights in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct. Our commitment to respect human rights encompasses all rights and principles included the International Bill of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its 10 Core Conventions.

Our Group Human Rights Policy demonstrates and details our commitment.

Risks and impact assessments are the foundation of human rights due diligence. We use the results of these assessments to inform the operationalisation of human rights due diligence in our value chain, including our own operations and projects, and to embed our commitment in our organization.

Ramboll’s human rights risks and impacts are identified, assessed, and we seek to mitigate them through our due diligence processes, risks assessment, and stakeholder dialogue. The 2023 impact assessment covers our headquarters and other offices in Denmark and identified impacts globally and locally.

Salient human rights issues are defined as those human rights that are at risk of most severe negative impacts through our business activities or our business relationships. Ramboll’s salient human rights issues are listed below with a high-level description of mitigating actions. We track all identified risks and impacts as part of our due diligence.

Any grievances, including adverse impacts on human rights, can be raised through Ramboll’s Speak Up mechanisms, which implement our commitment to identify, assess, and where applicable remediate adverse impacts or to contribute to remediation, in cases where we are directly linked to an adverse impact.

• Safe and healthy working conditions: Ramboll may have an adverse impact through overwork or stressful work, in case of bullying, or otherwise unhealthy conditions at work, by not ensuring ergonomically adapted workplaces, and by not ensuring safety equipment and training is used when visiting project sites.
• Rest, leisure, and paid holidays: Ramboll recognises that the professional services sector is impacted by challenges such as overwork and stressful work, which can also impact us. We seek to track overtime through our time-registration system, especially with regard to project work. In addition, we have various local initiatives to prevent or mitigate impacts in this area, including informing employees of vacation availability, seeking to ensure a work week follows the local standards.
• Adequate housing: Ramboll provides building- and architecture services and considers it a strategic aim to contribute to livable and resilient societies. We thus assess that we may have severe impacts on the right to adequate housing if we in our services neglect to consider accessibility, acceptability, availability, and the quality of buildings that we contribute to the establishment of (e.g., through design decisions). The quality of our services determines our success as a company working with buildings and architecture, which is why we have a significant focus in our services on building high-quality buildings that matches the expectations and needs of inhabitants and intended users of such buildings.
• Freedom of information: Ramboll is a knowledge-heavy institution. The quality of our services depends on the quality of the information we have access to, and our ability to utilise and manage knowledge within the company and in projects. Ramboll’s services and solutions contribute to society’s transition to a more sustainable future. To stay competitive in enabling the sustainable transition, we are highly dependent on our in-house knowledge and ability to access and share information. We can have adverse impacts on this right by not ensuring employees have access to the information they need to perform their job duties, by not enabling effective and easy knowledge sharing across departments, or by not ensuring the quality of information for the services or projects we deliver. We ensure effective information flows and knowledge-sharing on our internal communication platforms, including our global communication channels where employees can connect and collaborate. We also host monthly all- employee ‘brown-bag-sessions’ where colleagues across the company share insights from their work and good practices to inspire each other across the company. There are other offerings such as the Young-Professionals network, allowing employees to engage with peers on issues that are particularly relevant to them.
• Health: We may have impacts on the right to health through design decisions, e.g. materials used or decided in building designs, or using chemicals or other materials that negatively impact the health of users of our designs. Product designers working with Ramboll need to focus on sustainable designs, which include healthy and non-toxic design. We ensure that all employees have access to a database of which materials to use and stay updated on new developments on toxins and chemicals of materials. We have specific training for employees on this topic and ensure that we have highly educated engineers in our company who are responsible for the quality of our products.
• Not to be subjected to discrimination, degrading treatment or punishment: Ramboll may have an adverse impact on harassment or bullying since it could occur in the office or in engagements with business relationships. This includes sexual harassment and other types of harassment, that also relate to discrimination. Ramboll has a strong emphasis on creating and enforcing a healthy and positive working environment. Employee wellbeing is assessed through an annual employee satisfaction and engagement survey. A dedicated Equality Diversity & Inclusion team is running programmes to ensure an equal, diverse, and inclusive workplace. We also offer EDI training for all employees.

Ramboll has a dedicated team managing cases reported through our Speak Up mechanisms. The grievance mechanism is accessible to internal as well as external stakeholders through Ramboll’s website and allows for anonymous reporting. We encourage reporting of all observed or suspected misconduct related to Ramboll’s operations, incl. adverse impacts on human rights. All reports are handled confidentially, and according to strict procedures and governance to secure compliance with laws and standards regarding case investigations and whistleblower rights. All employees have received mandatory training on our Speak Up mechanisms including how and what to report. The grievance mechanism is designed and maintained to fulfil the effectiveness criteria defined in the UNGPs.