Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2019
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Code of Conduct

GRI:
  • [103-1] Explanation of the material topics and their boundaries
    Material topic: The role of values and ethics in the organizational culture, including building responsible employee attitudes.     Explanation of the material topics and their boundaries
    Material topic: The role of values and ethics in the organizational culture, including building responsible employee attitudes.

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  • [103-2] The management approach and its components
    Material topic: The role of values and ethics in the organizational culture, including building responsible employee attitudes.     The management approach and its components
    Material topic: The role of values and ethics in the organizational culture, including building responsible employee attitudes.

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  • [103-3] Evaluation of the management approach
    Material topic: The role of values and ethics in the organizational culture, including building responsible employee attitudes.     Evaluation of the management approach
    Material topic: The role of values and ethics in the organizational culture, including building responsible employee attitudes.

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  • [102-16] Values, principles, standards and norms of behaviour Values, principles, standards and norms of behaviour

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Other guidelines:

The goal of all the companies from the Santander Bank Polska Group is to consolidate ethical standards among the employees and to further develop a culture of responsible and ethical actions in the spirit of our values: Simple, Personal, Fair.

General Code of Conduct

The Code which is the foundation of our ethical framework:

  • defines the ethical principles applicable to all employees,
  • represents our values,
  • contains provisions applicable to specific situations,
  • presents the consequences of a violation of its provisions,
  • determines the responsibility of individual entities for implementing ethical principles – sets out the responsibilities of the management of the Compliance Unit, the Santander Group Compliance Committee, the Internal Audit, Audit and Compliance Committee, the Supervisory Board, the Human Resources Unit and the Business Ethics Board.

The Code can be accessed here.

Ethical principles in force in the Santander Group – how we implement them in practice?

Equal opportunities, diversity and non-discrimination

  • We ensure equal opportunities for employment and professional advancement.
  • We have no tolerance for any discrimination based on sex, age, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, ethnic origin, marital or social status.

Respect for people

  • We create a friendly working environment based on mutual respect.
  • We respect the dignity of others and observe the principles of equality, commitment and cooperation.

Compatibility of work with personal life

  • We support our employees in achieving the maximum balance between professional duties and personal and family life.
  • We support our employees in their personal development.

Prevention of occupational risks

  • We provide safe working conditions.
  • Our employees are obliged to follow the rules of occupational health and safety.

Environmental protection and social and environmental responsibility

  • We comply with the applicable laws on environmental protection and social responsibility.
  • Our activities follow the principles of the Santander Group’s policies: Sustainability Policy, Climate Change and Environment Policy, Human Rights policy and a set of policies for risk-sensitive sectors.

Collective rights

  • We observe the laws on unionisation and collective bargaining.
  • We respect the activities undertaken by organizations representing employees.
  • We focus on open communication and exchange of views with trade unions.

The organisational culture of the Santander Bank Polska Group is based on 8 values:

  • Show respect

  • Keep promises

  • Be part of change

  • Work with passion

  • Cooperate actively

  • Support others

  • Speak openly

  • Listen attentively

For more information on our values in the working environment, please go here.

Other important documents governing standards of ethical conduct

The provisions of the Code were elaborated in the Conflict of Interest Policy adopted by the Management Board of Santander Bank Polska in February 2019. The Policy obliges and imposes obligations on management and employees to identify, prevent, escalate and manage conflicts of interest.

Principles of Conflict of Interest Policy – how we implement them in practice?

Responsibility

  • Management bodies, managers and all employees are obliged to act in good faith, in accordance with the applicable internal regulations, within the limits of competence assigned to their positions.

Transparency

  • We take a fair and transparent attitude in line with our values.
  • We avoid conflicts of interest. When such conflicts arise, we develop the best possible countermeasures in order to minimize their negative impact.

Independence

  • We act in each case at our own discretion, maintaining loyalty to the bank, its shareholders and customers, regardless of our own or related persons’ interests.

Refraining from action

  • We refrain from participating in or influencing decisions concerning employees or independent entities where a conflict of interest may arise.

Communication

  • We report internally all situations that may arise or have arisen from conflicts of interest.

The ″Respect and Dignity″ policy is one of the elements of building a culture of openness within the organisation. It regulates, among other things, the manner of reporting violations of ethical principles and any irregularities by employees through dedicated channels and defines the procedure for handling reports. In 2019, we updated the policy and implemented new tools for recording and managing reports. For more information, go here.