07 ESG with Tone

For us at 4Service, it is important that this work be systematized, feasible, and capable of creating measurable value. Even though public authorities’ requirements on reporting and documentation continue to increase, we have always been extremely concerned with what we call “practical sustainability”. This involves creating ownership of the various challenges we face and turning this into practical measures and procedures in daily operations.

2023 was a year of renewed awareness around sustainability, where big words and visions are increasingly being replaced by clear actions and standards. In meetings with our customers, particularly within the public sector, expectations grew. Last year was a year where cooperation and accountability were assessed with fresh eyes. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is expected to be adopted by Norway in 2024. Even though reporting requirements do not fully affect us as a company before 2025 figures have to be reported in 2026, we at 4Service took the initiative to start this work early. For example, anticipating future challenges caused by climate and environmental change became a part of our strategic thinking. Based on this work, two main tracks emerged: fulfilling the basic right to play requirements and cooperating closely with our customers to achieve our common sustainability goals. Last year therefore not only involved meeting various requirements, but also building strong sustainable values that both tell a story and are supported by the figures.

A good example of such a story is our commitment to Permanently Arranged Work (VTA in Norwegian). The goal of VTA is not just to create jobs, but to improve the development and skills of people with physical disabilities through tailored work tasks. In 2020, we established our four pillars for social sustainability: recruitment, creating new jobs, develop skills and cooperation, and the VTA project covers all of these. In 2023, we took these efforts to new heights, which has led to the creation of the role of welfare hosts. Through this role, which is adjusted to the individual’s situation, interests, and skills, we have been able to employ twelve participants nationally, most of them younger people with physical disabilities. The VTA project is important to us because it embodies our ambition to be a leader in innovative approaches to practical and social sustainability. Our managers have been crucial for realising these plans thanks to their understanding of our customers, their willingness to cooperate with those in charge of the measures and, perhaps most importantly of all, their personal commitment to inclusion.

In 2024, we are looking forward to an exciting new chapter in our social sustainability work, represented by YTE, our umbrella for inclusion initiatives. YTE will be more than a mere programme: It will also be a seal of quality that covers services, measures, and locations. One of the most prominent projects under YTE is the leadership certification for inclusion competence. This certification will initially involve 17 selected managers from across the organisation. These managers, who already incorporate inclusion into their day-to-day work, will expand their knowledge through a full certification. Our ambition is for this certification to not only serve as a skills development tool, but also to become a regular development and top-up course for our employees. This is how we will maintain and strengthen the inclusion culture we at 4Service stand for.