Health, safety and well-being
The health, safety and well-being of our employees is our highest priority. We believe that when employees return home to family, they must be as safe and sound as when they left for work; anything less is unacceptable.
According to our group-wide DHI Health & Safety Policy, implemented in 2021, each country in which DHI has offices and facilities must apply a system compliant with their own local requirements. In 2023, we will additionally implement a group-wide system focused on those offices performing field work as a known high-risk activity.
Each geographical region has its own health and safety officer to ensure that our operations follow local regulation. Our occupational health and safety management system (OHS) is compliant with the requirements of the international ISO 45001:2018 standard and is implemented in offices where employees perform field work or out-of-office work. It is currently voluntary to implement the system in offices where employees perform desktop and office work only. Our Health & Safety Process covers topics such as providing optimal work conditions for employees by preventing workplace accidents with our office risk assessments.
Potential health and safety risks that may be present at our workplaces and in our activities or undertakings are continually evaluated. Where potential risks are found, a documented risk assessment will be completed to describe measures that must be in place to effectively eliminate or control harm from happening. Since the implementation of our Health & Safety Process in 2012, no serious incidents involving fatalities or high-consequence injuries have occurred. In 2022, three work-related injuries were documented (2021: 4), all related to office and workshop-based work. No one was injured while performing work in the field.
As part of our global employee engagement process, DHI monitored employee engagement monthly during 2022 to drive continuous feedback and foster development of teams and individuals. The overall engagement rate remained stable during 2022 despite the many changes implemented as part of our new strategy. It shows we have a robust organisation that has been ready for change.
Skills, development and training
At DHI, we continuously strive to establish an organisational environment that stimulates employee learning and development. The professional and personal development of each employee development is facilitated through a blend of avenues, which include the annual Performance and Development Dialogue (PDD), on-the-job training and courses and learning activities at the DHI Campus, our internal platform for learning and development.
Our PDD process is the cornerstone in our employees’ career and competency development. In 2022, 93% of all employees completed the mandatory PDD. We continue to aim for all permanent employees to have a yearly PDD and quarterly follow-up dialogues. Jointly, the plan and the dialogues enable managers to take an active role in helping staff fulfil their career aspirations with DHI.
The DHI Campus offers knowledge-sharing and learning activities and has more than 1,000 registered users. In 2022, a total of 70 courses were completed in a combination of self-paced and instructor-led sessions mostly facilitated by internal instructors.
To promote opportunities for career development within DHI, we have launched the Global Mobility Scholarship programme, which was rolled out globally in the second half of 2022. A scholarship allows employees to spend one to three months in another country. With the overall objective to develop experts and leaders within DHI, the programme is intended to expose colleagues to different working cultures and technical approaches and to support them in building relations and networks globally. A total of nine scholarships were granted in 2022. The programme continues in 2023.
In 2022, DHI entered a three-year ‘Growth Partnership’ with the Danish branch of Young Water Professionals (YWP) to support, connect and engage with young talents in the global water community. YWP is part of the International Water Association (IWA) and aims to share knowledge between young professionals in the water sector. As a Growth Partner, DHI is building a long-term collaboration with YWP and is involved in both regional and global YWP activities.