We believe that a sustainable business starts with a strong, supported workforce, built on two pillars:
That means creating workplaces where safety is second nature, fair pay is a given, and work-life balance is promoted. Next to that, we’re committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone has the same opportunities, feels valued, and can grow through training and personal development.
From putting rigorous safety systems in place to introducing inclusive hiring and flexible work policies, we’re shaping a culture where everyone can grow, speak up, and belong. Because sustainability doesn’t just happen in operations, it begins with the people behind them.
No task is more important than protecting people. We prioritize a culture of safety that supports the physical and mental well-being of all employees and contractors. This commitment is embedded in our policies, systems, and daily operations to ensure a safe and compliant working environment across all locations.
We seek to ensure that employees are paid an equitable and just wage that reflects the value of their contributions, skills, and experience.
Across our entities we have embedded proper compensation into our company that states our team must be paid fairly and competitively for their hard work. This approach promotes financial well-being, fosters employee loyalty, and reflects our values of fairness and inclusion across all operations.
A balance between a professional and personal life is not a perk, it is a core part of respecting and retaining valuable workers. We understand that when employees have room to recharge, reconnect, and grow outside of work, they bring their best selves to the job. That’s why we design our working culture to fit real lives, not just job descriptions. Creating space for balance, flexibility, and fulfillment alongside performance.
Our diverse workplace is one of Samskip’s greatest strengths. A collective environment shaped by different cultures, perspectives, genders, and life experiences.
We believe inclusion goes beyond access. It means ensuring genuine equity and giving everyone a voice at every level. We are intentional in building a culture where no background becomes a boundary and every employee, regardless of gender, identity, or origin, has equal access to remunerations, representation and opportunity, respect, and recognition. Fairness is not left to chance.
Although there is still work ahead, we are united in building a future that ensures everyone’s right to social and economic inclusion is fully taken into account.
Efficient and fulfilling career development is about finding your direction and having the tools to get there. We want to make sure that every employee feels valued, with their unique strengths, aspirations and areas of improvement. This provides a dual benefit: helping our employees grow personally while also bettering company operations and strategies.
All demographic data is managed by our People department and stored centrally in our systems. For employee satisfaction, Samskip makes use of the MoodUp system, which sends quarterly surveys to all employees. Training data is taken from our company-wide Samskip Academy.
According to the 2024 employee feedback, our company's current strengths are centered on our strong interpersonal relations and the supportive environment that encourages employee recognition and commitment to their roles.
I put a lot of effort into doing a good job
I give compliments to my colleagues when they do a good job
I am happy with the mission and goals of my employer
I enjoy working with my team
I trust my colleagues and the people on my team
In terms of areas for improvement, employees have expressed a need for the organization to enhance its support for employees' mental and physical well-being. Furthermore, as an advocate for equal opportunities, Samskip acknowledges the feedback indicating potential concerns regarding fair promotion practices and is committed to ensuring transparency around these actions.
The organization cares about my physical and mental wellbeing
I learn a lot from my coworkers
My peers inspire me to do my best work
The systems and processes of my employer help me perform well in my role
My employer offers me support to improve and develop in my role
Note: Total employee count represents all individuals directly employed by Samskip. The breakdown by gender and contract type includes employees across all entities, with the exception of truck drivers.
Note: Serious incidents include any incidents related to the transport of goods which results in fatal or serious injury to a person, or major property or environmental damage. This data point was derived from Nav-Tech, the inhouse ship managing company of Samskip. Therefore, non-serious injuries are any incident that does not result in long-term harm or significant medical treatment.
Workers' safety is integrated into our Code of Conduct and Vessel Safety Management System, providing formalized guidelines. Safety principles are actively communicated across teams and geographies to foster shared accountability. Policies and safety systems vary depending on the type of operation and operating region.
Training plays a critical role in maintaining a safe working environment. Operational employees undergo occupational safety briefings before starting work, in accordance with legal requirements. These briefings are repeated annually, with employees confirming their participation through signature in our health and safety journal. A dedicated health and safety coordinator oversees the delivery and documentation of this training process, ensuring compliance and consistency across all locations.
These trainings equip employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to work safely and efficiently. Equipping employees to handle occupational risks, including hazardous substances, and making sure employees understand how to apply safe practices in their day-to-day work.
These trainings equip employees with the necessary skills and knowledge to work safely and efficiently. Equipping employees to handle occupational risks, including hazardous substances, and making sure employees understand how to apply safe practices in their day-to-day work.
We provide our employees with appropriate safety equipment and resources as necessary; this includes adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) for specific job roles.
A Whistleblowing Procedure allows employees to report safety concerns confidentially and without fear of retaliation. Reports are reviewed promptly, with corrective actions implemented where needed.
Regular audits and inspections further ensure compliance with safety standards and drive ongoing enhancement of safety protocols. Samskip audits its warehouses and terminals throughout different regions on a wide range of topics, focusing largely on health and safety.
Samskip started developing a company-wide compensation framework designed to ensure employees are paid fairly and competitively. This is expected to roll out at the end of 2025.
Since 2020, for our Iceland operations, we have an accredited Equal Pay Management System that complies to the requirements of Icelandic Standard IST 85:2012. This certification confirms that employees have equal opportunity to use their skills in a job and be compensated accordingly, regardless of gender or any other non-relevant criteria.
We support flexible working arrangements, including hybrid schedules and adaptable start/end times.
Additionally, employees are encouraged to take full advantage of their annual leave, recognizing the importance of rest for sustained performance. Managers actively monitor leave usage and promote time-off planning to prevent burnout.
Discrimination and harassment have no place in our culture. This is strictly stated in our Code of Conduct which has zero-tolerance approach through clear protocols, because every single person deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued.
For our Iceland operations, an additional anti-bullying committee provides extra support and resources to employees who may feel hesitant about reporting misconduct.
Our Whistleblowing Procedure allows employees to report misconduct safely and confidentially across all locations.
Our hiring process is based on competency analyses aligned with job requirements, ensuring decisions are made purely on skills and experience.
We apply equal opportunity principles to every stage of the employee lifecycle: recruitment, promotion, and professional development. Decisions are guided by competency-based evaluations, ensuring that merit and skill remain the only criteria for advancement.
Candidates are assessments rely on standardized interview forms and multi-reviewer panels to reduce unconscious bias. We explicitly remove factors such as gender identity, race, religion, age, or sexual orientation from influencing hiring decisions.
At Samskip, our commitment to people goes beyond our direct employees. It equally includes the wider network of workers who keep our operations running, especially our vessel crew and truck drivers.
Whether directly employed or subcontracted, these individuals play a vital role in delivering reliable services every day. To us, ensuring safe working conditions, fair treatment, and respect for their work is equally important in all cases.
The next section explains how we manage these social topics within our value chain.
Our values, principles, and standards apply not only to our direct employees but also to everyone working throughout our value chain. We believe that all individuals deserve the same rights and protections as our own team members.
That’s why we are committed to conducting thorough due diligence across our value chain, ensuring that the same key social topics we prioritize internally are also upheld by our partners and suppliers. The workers within our value chain consist of truck drivers, vessel crew, rail providers, terminal and port operational workers, and many more indispensable people that keep our operations going. These workers are hired as sub-contractors or third-party employees and are an essential part of our daily operations.
Our commitment to health and safety covers everyone in our value chain. Protecting and promoting fundamental human and labor rights such as providing safe and fair working conditions for all individuals is a core responsibility at Samskip.
We recognize that ensuring safe working conditions for these workers is not only a matter of compliance, but a reflection of our values.
Through collaboration, clear expectations, and shared systems, we work with partners to uphold high safety standards and respond to risks across all tiers of our operations.
While we do not directly manage all workplaces in our supply network, we influence conditions through our procurement practices, contractual standards, and ongoing engagement with partners.
Our strategy centers on responsible sourcing and continuous supplier evaluation to ensure respect for workers' rights and well-being. Given the work-intensive nature of many roles within our value chain, it is especially important to address this topic, as workers in these positions may be at higher risk of overwork.
At the end of 2024 we identified this subtopic as material through our DMA. As this is a new initiative we want to focus on, there are no strategies in place to assess progress in this area.
We are currently working on measures to improve this area.
Data regarding suppliers to Samskip’s multimodal operations is managed centrally by our Procurement Team. Additional data is provided by relevant operational regional departments, covering the full scope of our company.
Note: We are taking steps to better align with the material subtopics identified in our DMA. By 2025, we expect the data to more accurately reflect the key impacts, risks, and opportunities relevant to this area.
- 67% have established ESG targets.
- 71% have investment plans for sustainable technologies.
- 91% have a Health & Safety policy in place.
At the end of 2024 we identified this subtopic as material through our DMA. As this is a new initiative we want to focus on, there are no KPIs in place to assess progress in this area. We are currently working on measures to improve this area.
Our commitment to health and safety covers everyone in our value chain. Protecting and promoting fundamental human and labor rights such as providing safe and fair working conditions for all individuals is a core responsibility at Samskip.
We recognize that ensuring safe working conditions for these workers is not only a matter of compliance, but a reflection of our values.
Through collaboration, clear expectations, and shared systems, we work with partners to uphold high safety standards and respond to risks across all tiers of our operations.
Samskip maintains a robust safety management system that emphasizes risk prevention, ongoing crew training, and transparent incident reporting for both employees and subcontracted crew. Developed with Nav-Tech guidance manuals and emergency procedures, this system ensures a unified and effective approach to managing safety risks and responding to onboard incidents throughout our value chain.
Health and safety protocols are actively communicated with subcontracted partners and vessel crews. Safety expectations and standards are embedded into onboarding procedures, briefings, and operational processes. All suppliers are contractually required to maintain safe working conditions under Samskip’s Supplier Code of Conduct.
Compliance is monitored through audits and CSR surveys, ensuring that health and safety obligations are upheld across the supply chain. The survey further evaluates supplier performance on safety, ethical practices, and social impact. These assessments guide improvements and identify non-compliance within the value chain.
Samskip will provide an anonymous whistleblowing platform that allows third-party and subcontracted workers to report concerns, including unethical treatment or unsafe working conditions, without fear of retaliation.
To further protect worker rights across the value chain, Samskip is developing a formal grievance mechanism accessible to all subcontracted and supply chain workers by 2025.
Samskip’s procurement policy embeds social responsibility into all purchasing decisions. This includes evaluating suppliers on labor standards, working conditions, and legal compliance.
Expectations from Samskip are communicated in supplier onboarding and monitored through KPIs. Samskip applies a structured, standardized process when selecting and onboarding suppliers to ensure alignment with ethical and legal standards.
This includes:
Pre-qualification checks on financial stability, labor compliance, and sustainability alignment.
Category-specific criteria to evaluate working conditions, health and safety practices, and human rights risks.
Mandatory documentation such as certifications (e.g. ISO, labor standards), insurance, and legal credentials.
IT and operational integration to ensure secure connectivity and compliance monitoring.
Centralized approval tracking, ensuring transparency and consistency across all supplier categories.
Procurement staff receive training on social and environmental standards. Samskip shares annual sustainability reports with suppliers, encourages sustainability certifications, and supports continuous improvement efforts through collaboration and performance feedback.
At the end of 2024 we identified this subtopic as material through our DMA. As this is a new initiative we want to focus on, there are no Actions in place to assess progress in this area.
We are currently working on measures to improve this area.
Our Social Pledge
At Samskip, our people are the driving force behind our success. Their dedication, innovation, and commitment enable us to push boundaries and deliver exceptional service to our customers.