N
ORWAYVoluntary Partnerships as a Social
38 Jan-Olaf Willums
dustry. Corporate Responsibility is regarded part of the political and social tradi- tion. Authority is seen as something to continuously question and engage with.
Since the industrial revolution trade unions have had a strong position: dialogue between employers, workers and government law-makers is part of the industrial tradition. It creates a “dynamic environment where problems can be raised, dis- cussed and dealt with” (McCallin & Webb, 2004).
This tradition of dialogue contributed to the more transparent communication within society, and the negotiating framework between labour unions and employers explains the public opinion that corporations must play a double role: that of a pro- vider of employment and that of a powerful entity in the economic and political life.
Long periods of labour government and the collective bargaining culture are major influences on Norway’s present business structure and its approach to CSR.
The Norwegian Confederation of Business and Industry (NHO) underlines that
“Economic measures can be motivational, but such initiatives must be carefully targeted to avoid unintentional and/or undesirable effects. Regulation and control mechanisms are therefore required to prevent dangerous and unacceptable con- duct, and to ensure predictable general business conditions that promote innova- tion and wealth creation” (NHO, 2003).
On the other hand, both the government and industry in Norway agree that the use of legislation and regulations alone is not appropriate for promoting continuous improvement since it is hard to predict which solutions will be the most effective.
Interestingly, small and medium-sized companies in Norway rank highly when it comes to social responsibility, according to the European Commission’s recent research on the topic. An estimated 95 % of all Norwegian SMEs with between 50 to 249 employees are involved in social activities, making Norwegian SMEs of this size the most socially responsible in Europe (CSR Europe, 2004).
This may be somewhat misleading, as it is now mandatory to include a simple envi- ronmental report in enterprises’ annual reports. But more enterprises are also using their ordinary annual reports to report on corporate social responsibility, ethics, their involvement in their local communities and matters that affect their activities abroad.
A survey of Norwegian top managers (Argument, 2003) showed that 42 % had never or barely heard of CSR or knew what the concept stands for. This is a fairly high number considering that the governmental and NHO initiative, Kompakt, has been active since 1998. So how does that fit in with the fact that Norwegian com- panies rate above average on surveys listing the number of companies publishing other than financial reports?
Norway has a long-standing tradition of global commitments. Whether through its superior levels of development aid or facilitating peace processes in areas of con-
Norway – Voluntary Partnerships as a Social Asset 39
flict, Norway has worked to further sustainable development and international stability, which by Norwegian corporations is seen as a business advantage:
Human Rights have therefore been a major topic of CSR in Norway: In 1997, the Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry launched its human rights checklist for Norwegian businesses operating in the South. The checklist, which was prepared in cooperation with Amnesty International, provides Norwegian companies with a guide to the rights that are guaranteed by the various interna- tional rights conventions that Norway has committed to. Since half of Norway’s GDP comes out of international trade, Norwegian businesses have had a long his- tory of working overseas, and often in countries where human rights violations are a concern.
In 1998, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched a discussion forum called Kom- pakt (The Consultative Body for Human Rights and Norwegian Economic In- volvement Abroad), which also has produced a number of reports and guidelines for corporations. It is said to have been one reference to the Global Compact at the UN. Its task is to look further into the role of business in promoting human rights overseas. Members of this body are representatives from the business sector, trade unions, NGOs, the research community as well as government officials.
In the field of Ethical Trade, the Norwegian NGOs have also played a central role since the very early discussions about CSR. One group of NGOs working under the umbrella organisation, ForUM, have launched a set of human rights and envi- ronmental guidelines for Norwegian businesses working overseas. The guidelines are seen as a set of minimum standards based on the oft-cited (UN conventions on human rights and labour rights. These minimum standards are to be upheld by all businesses regardless of where they are operating.
Workforce Diversity: Compared to other countries, the Norwegian CSR history has also engaged much debate abound diversity of the work force, i.e. having a labour force consisting of individuals from different walks of life and with differ- ent capabilities. Diversity in working life is made up of individual differences, e.g.
geographic location and education, in addition to factors over which individuals have no control, e.g. gender, age, racial/ethnic background, sexual orientation and mental or physical attributes.
Employers in the private and public sectors alike have been alerted to how diver- sity can be achieved through good procedures for recruitment, career planning and human resources development. In Norway, the public and private sectors face spe- cial challenges related to the recruitment of employees from non-Western back- grounds and the recruitment of women to executive positions and directorships.
A sponsorship scheme for immigrants: NHO co-operates with HSH (the Federa- tion of Norwegian Commercial and Service Enterprises), LO (The Norwegian
40 Jan-Olaf Willums
Confederation of Trade Unions) and Aetat on a sponsorship scheme for immi- grants. This involves the labour market authorities subsidising the wages of job- seekers with immigrant backgrounds. The employer undertakes to sponsor the employee by providing training and an introduction to Norwegian working life.
Through the programme “Women in Industry”, NHO aspires to get more women into business and industry in general, and to augment the number of women in executive positions in particular. The organisation aims at encouraging the re- cruitment of a higher percentage of women at all levels of business and industry, also to directorships. To that end, NHO has drawn up a ten-point list containing practical advice for nominating committees and corporate boards.