Vy for all: Welcome on board
People are different. That is exactly what makes us better equipped to perform the tasks we face.
“Demonstrating a clear and positive approach to diversity provides a sense of security for everyone who works at Vy,” says Kristin Flagstad, Vy’s Head of Human Resources.
Vy is an inclusive company at which differences and diversity are valued. In June, we will celebrate Pride.
For many years, we've demonstrated our commitment to gender and sexual diversity by incorporating the rainbow colors both internally and externally. Beyond various activities in June, we strive to uphold LGBTQ+ perspectives year-round, both in our policies and internal culture. We are convinced that we need to reflect the society we are part of in order to ensure customer satisfaction and to be an attractive employer. That is why we take both small and large measures throughout the year to develop an inclusive culture.
Diversity is a key aspect of our sustainability efforts and we are proud to have employees of many different nationalities and with different backgrounds.
CEO Gro Bakstad with employees.
A safe and inclusive community
Our managers will contribute to a safe and positive working environment for all, regardless of ethnicity, gender, age, religion, disability or sexual orientation.
Diversity and inclusion are key elements in leadership development. We emphasise presence management, the manager’s responsibility to create a safe and positive working environment and the importance of positive relationships.
We want more women
We aim for gender balance at all levels of the organisation and work actively to increase the share of women through recruitment and skills development.
Parts of our operations are currently male-dominated, and women make up 17% of the workforce overall. This is something we want to change. That’s why we actively recruit more women to roles that are traditionally male-dominated, such as train drivers and bus drivers.
Cultural diversity
The composition of the workforce at Vy does, in many ways, reflect the Norwegian population and the proportion of immigrants (as defined by Statistics Norway) has steadily increased over the last decade, from 15% in 2010 to 32% at the latest measurement, conducted in 2023.
We are taking a number of steps to increase diversity, including:
- A zero-tolerance policy against discrimination on grounds of ethnicity, national origin, race, skin colour, language, religion, sexual orientation and beliefs.
- Making the hijab available as a uniform option.
- The requirement for Norwegian as the working language has been included as a measure to promote integration and a positive working environment. We also identify employees’ language proficiency using the Bussnorsktesten test. To include everyone as effectively as possible, we consciously work to ensure that we use clear, simple language.
- Clear language is useful for everyone, especially those living with reading and writing difficulties or those for whom Norwegian is a second language. We collaborate with Dysleksi Norge and Bærum adult education to accommodate employees with language and reading difficulties.
Follow your dream, not the flow
There is a great shortage of bus drivers in Norway and we want to encourage more people to choose this profession. We work on facilitation to retain employees, as well as with targeted recruitment. Young people in the process of choosing a career and adult jobseekers are both key target groups for us. “Follow your dream, not the flow” was the theme of the recruitment roadshow for young people in the process of choosing a career.
We also collaborate closely with NAV to provide more people with the opportunity to develop skills, including both language and driving skills, in order to qualify for a bus driver role.
We have also worked to recruit people who want to become drivers but who do not hold a driving license for buses. Vy covered the cost of obtaining the relevant driving license and offered a job upon passing the driving test.
Particular emphasis has been placed on the recruitment of women, particularly immigrant women, as bus drivers. An adapted course for jobseekers through the NAV system provides formal qualifications as a professional driver in just 23 weeks. Applicants must subsequently take an interview and pass a test before they are offered employment with us.
Disabilities and universal design
It is important to us that we accommodate both employees and customers with disabilities.
Travelling with Vy should be easy for everyone. We therefore work to ensure that all of our products and services satisfy universal design requirements. We have consulted several advocacy and policy organisations for people living with disabilities, as well as other external stakeholders in the area.
Ethical guidelines and rights
At Vy, we have a clear Code of Conduct relating to ethics and corporate social responsibility.
Our HR policy principles state that:
- All Vygruppen employees are equal, regardless of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religious, ethnic and cultural background.
- We aim to maintain a broad and diverse spectrum of managers and employees in which individual qualities are respected and valued.
- A gender balance and increased diversity are desired at all levels of the Group and will be emphasised in connection with recruitment and skills development.