Discrimination 

DHI strives to be a great place to work for all employees and to have zero discrimination or harassment grievances. As we make it clear in DHI’s Code of Conduct, we do not practise any form of discrimination in hiring and employment practices, including access to training, promotions and rewards on the grounds of race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, health condition, political opinion, nationality, social or ethnic origin, union membership or marital status.

Our Non-harassment Policy and guidelines, established in 2020, states that no employee or manager should silently tolerate or witness unwelcome conduct that leads to a hostile work environment. There was one incident reported of discrimination in 2023 (2022: 0). This reported incident was handled by the involvement of global HR.

Health, safety and well-being 

The health, safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority. According to our global DHI Health & Safety Policy, each country in which DHI has offices and facilities must, as a minimum, implement a system that complies with local regulations. This will be ensured by the Country Manager, supported by designated regional health and safety officers.

In 2024, we will build on our existing health and safety management system to meet the requirements of ISO 45001, the international standard for occupational health and safety. We will implement this enhanced management system in offices where field work or out-of-office work is carried out as a known high-risk activity.

Potential health and safety risks that may be present in our workplaces and in our activities or ventures will be assessed on an ongoing basis. Where potential risks are identified, a documented risk assessment is completed to describe the actions that need to be taken to effectively eliminate or control harm. Since the implementation of our health and safety processes in 2012, there have been no serious incidents involving fatalities or serious injuries. In 2023, three work-related injuries were recorded (2022: 3), of which one occurred in the field and two in the office.

As part of our global employee engagement process, DHI is monitoring employee engagement on a quarterly basis to drive continuous feedback and foster development of teams and individuals. The overall engagement rate increased in 2023.

Skills, development and training 

At DHI, we 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.

In 2023, 97% of all employees completed the PDD, and a total of 1,759 participants attended the internal training courses at the DHI Campus where 90 courses and webinars were completed, an increase of more than 25% compared to 2022. Our Global Mobility Scholarship programme promotes opportunities for career development within DHI and allows employees to spend one to three months in another country to get exposed to different working cultures and technical approaches and to build relations and networks globally. A total of 12 scholarships were granted in 2023, and the programme continues in 2024.

All new employees at DHI are required to undertake a mandatory onboarding curriculum. During 2023, a total of 200 new employees completed the virtual training programme. New employees are also trained in the DHI Code of business conduct and ethics, anti-corruption, cyber and information security, and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Annual refresher training is provided for all employees. Key health and safety policies and processes are also communicated on an office-specific basis, depending on their local requirements.

Recruitment and retention 

The talent, expertise and resources of our staff are cornerstones in DHI’s growth and progress. Talent management is essential to retaining and recruiting the best people, and in 2023, we developed and launched a new career path framework to further stimulate and unleash the innovation potential in our organisation. It is a roadmap for advancement and skill development, defining how an employee can grow and achieve specific professional milestones within DHI, and describing the required competencies for each role and how they are linked. The career path framework will be fully implemented during 2024.