Room for openness

Transparency Act:

Responsibilities that start at home

We treat our more than 50 employees with the same respect that we expect others to show them. This doesn't just mean abiding by Norwegian laws and regulations – it means creating a workplace where people thrive and perform better.

Our staff follow-up is about more than salary and working hours. We have procedures that ensure that employees are protected from bullying, harassment and discrimination. Not because someone forces us to, but because it's the right thing to do.

Do you know your suppliers?

All our biggest suppliers are Norwegian players. This makes follow-up easier, but not easy. The journey from raw materials to a finished building often goes through many stages. Steel can come from Asia. Wood from the forests of Northern Norway or Canada. Stone from quarries in Europe.

We have reviewed 56 of our largest suppliers, and checked they have their own guidelines for human rights. Whether they can document where the materials come from. And whether they demand the same from their suppliers as we demand from them.

Twenty of our largest suppliers have responded to the survey. Ten of them are themselves subject to the Transparency Act, and seven have carried out their own due diligence assessments. This is a good starting point – not an end result.

The construction industry faces major challenges

Let's be honest: the construction industry has challenges when it comes to working conditions, particularly in countries where wages are low and trade unions are weak. Forced labour in quarries. Child labour in brickworks. Hazardous working conditions in steel production.

As a small player in a global value chain, we cannot solve everything alone. But we can make demands on those we do business with. We can ask where the materials come from. We can choose suppliers who take responsibility seriously.

Specific requirements for our suppliers

We expect suppliers to document:

Where the products are made
That the workers have proper pay and working conditions
That no coercion or child labour is used
That workplaces are safe

For Norwegian contractors, we require an HSE card from the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority, documentation that all workers have occupational injury insurance, and that pay is in accordance with collective agreements. For cleaning companies, we require approval from the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority and proof that they follow the wage regulations.

When something goes wrong

If we receive information that a supplier violates human rights or has unacceptable working conditions, we will raise the issue with it directly. We give them a reasonable amount of time to rectify the conditions. If they fail to do so, we'll terminate the collaboration.

We have whistleblowing procedures that make it safe for employees and partners to report issues. No one should experience retaliation for speaking out about something that is wrong.

Transparency as a tool

Our annual report on due diligence is available on our website. It outlines what we have done, what we have found, and what measures we have taken.

Feel free to contact us at post@maya.no if you have any questions about our work with human rights and decent working conditions.