Culture

Governing elements 

Our governing elements, including our vision, values, leadership expectations, and our Code of Conduct make up the core of our business culture. Excellent governance enhances our brand, our reputation, our ability to meet customer requirements and our compliance with legal requirements. Our future profitability is closely linked to our reputation and requires all Wilhelmsen employees and partners to achieve the right results the right way. Beyond the pure business perspective, we believe that our commitment to a strong governance culture will help us make a difference in the world we live in. In 2018, a refresher was conducted for all employees on the governing elements.

Performance culture

The performance appraisal (PA) is a formal dialogue between manager and employee. In 2018, 91% of the population completed the annual PA, above our target of 85%. 90% also completed a new mid-year review during 2018. In 2019, we will continue to improve our focus on ongoing performance management and robust dialogues between employees and managers.

Engagement survey

In the fourth quarter of 2018, we conducted an employee engagement survey to measure our ability to provide an engaging and safe work environment where employees are motivated to work and achieve their full potential. NorSea Group and Wilhelmsen Chemicals were included in the survey this year. The survey results were positive with an overall engagement score of 72 points, stable against the last survey in 2017. There was also high survey completion rate of 89%.

Regardless of the results, there is always room for improvement. Senior management and individual managers in all locations were required to conduct follow up discussions with their teams. Where results were less than expected benchmark, managers were required to develop an action plan aimed at making a difference in the daily work environment. At the end of 2018, 170 teams had established actions for 2019 and will participate in a follow up survey in 2019.