NF4 Whistleblowing (Speak Up)

Employees and external parties who witness a violation of the Code of Conduct, laws or our policies can report the violation, anonymously if preferred, through the global reporting tool Speak Up. The possibility to speak up is an important part of the Sandvik culture, helping to build trust, improve the work environment and to reduce risk for the company.

Our Speak Up training increases awareness and trust in the Sandvik whistleblowing process. In 2022, we trained 4,534 new employees. In our employment engagement survey 93 percent of the employees responded positively to the question “I am aware that Sandvik has a whistleblowing process (Speak Up) for reporting violations of our Code of Conduct or company policies”.

Speak Up is available through the Sandvik internet and intranet portals, as well as through telephone hotlines 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in all major countries where Sandvik operates. Speak Up reports are screened and each case is then assigned an investigator that conducts the investigation, supported by a specialist investigation function.

In 2022, 290 Speak Up incidents (199), excluding inquiries, were reported (see distribution in chart). 91 percent (87) of the cases were closed within 90 days and the substantiation rate of closed cases amounted to 35 percent (31). 1 percent (1) of all Speak Up reports related to human rights matters and six cases related to bribery and kick-backs. All Speak Up cases are investigated and concluded as either substantiated or unsubstantiated based on the allegations. A substantiated case would in the first instance be a breach of the Code of Conduct, other policies and procedures or a contractual obligation. Depending on findings and the nature of supporting evidence it may also imply a breach of law. The consequences of a substantiated case range from warnings and improvements of controls and trainings up to dismissal of an employee, termination or non-renewal of contract with a business partner or referral of a case to relevant authorities for further investigation. The execution of the consequences are carefully managed within the remit of the law and our policies including the obligation to protect the identity of the whistleblower and relevant data privacy regulations.