Respect for people

Commited to human and labor rights

Respecting people, human and labor rights is key to Aker. Collaboration with employee representatives has been part of The Aker Model for decades. This builds organizations with a strong workforce, skilled executives, and role models. Aker strives to foster a culture of inclusivity, diversity, and respect at all levels of our organization.

Global Framework Agreement

Through the Global Framework Agreement, Aker and its industrial companies have committed to respecting and supporting fundamental human rights and trade union rights. The applicable principles are laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Aker is committed to promoting a safe and healthy working environment and has committed itself to this through the framework agreement. Together with the industrial portfolio companies, Aker uses its influence and works to ensure that the principles set out in the agreement also includes companies’ supply chains and business partners.

Global Works Council

Aker operates a Global Works Council (GWC) which represents the company, employee representatives, and industrial portfolio companies on a global scale. Aker's President and CEO and the operating companies' top management participates actively in the GWC. In 2022, the GWC held two conferences, with a focus on operational status and updating the Global Framework Agreement.


We invest in our employees

Aker’s ambition is to promote a good working environment, ensure high levels of wellbeing, low levels of absence to due illness, and generally ensure and retain a highly skilled and motivated workforce. Read more about our commitment to our employees in our annual Sustainability Report, which can be downloaded at the bottom of this web page. Aker also offers its employees several health and wellbeing benefits, such as employee insurance package, the onsite health and wellness center, Moloklinikken, membership at the onsite Lifestyle fitness center, as well as membership in the fitness training and online lifestyle portal Aker Active. Aker strives to ensure that its employees are part of a work environment where employees functions well, are motivated and healthy.

At year-end 2022, Aker ASA had 48 employees, of which 50% were women, and a rate of healthiness of 99.2% (equivalent to sick leave of 0.8%). At the Aker-owned companies where Aker has a significant ownership, there were 25 327 own employees (direct hires) in 2022, of which 22% were women, and a total healthiness rate of 96.6 per cent in 2022,.

CXO – Aker’s new management program

It has always been important for Aker to develop capable executives to manage the companies where Aker is an active industrial owner. Therefore, Aker established a new executive management program, CXO, in 2021. The program includes current and potential leaders in all the Aker companies with an ambition of develop and strengthen their leadership skills, build strong relationships and leadership culture across the Aker group. CXO also aim to prepare leaders for new opportunities within Aker, and strengthen Aker as a top executive learning and career path.

The first 20 participants completed a year-long pilot at the end of December 2022. Eearly in 2023, another 12 men and 12 women from 12 Aker companies started the program, and throughout the year, the new group will deepen its insight in various areas, and work on their personal leadership skills.

Aker Talent Management – investering i ansatte

Aker Talent Management startet opp i 2021 med formål om å tiltrekke og utvikle talenter på tvers av Aker-selskapene. Ambisjonen er å videreutvikle hvordan selskapene identifiserer topptalenter gjennom aktiv rekruttering, opplæring og utvikling, samt tydeliggjøre karrieremulighetene på tvers av Aker-selskapene.

Aker er et system som har et bredt spekter av arbeids- og utviklingsmuligheter som stadig er i endring. Aker har som mål å tiltrekke seg og beholde et mangfold av talenter, utvikle kunnskap innad og på tvers av selskapene, og tilrettelegge for personlig og faglig utvikling for ansatte.

Aker Scholarship gives students the opportunity to gain world-class impulses, networks and knowledge.
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Aker Scholarship – investing in future leaders

Aker Scholarship supports talented Norwegians from all fields of study to take Master and Ph.D. degrees at nine world-leading universities. Seeking to develop future leaders for business, academia and society at large, the students are secured full funding of their studies as well as substantial guidance and practical support during their studies and early career.

Since its start-up in 2015, 169 students have started their studies with an Aker scholarship, and 25 new students were offered scholarships in 2022.


The grant is awarded by Anne Grete Eidsvig and Kjell Inge Røkke’s Charitable Foundation for Education, which is privately funded by Kjell Inge Røkke. Aker is responsible for operating the foundation.


Read more at: www.akerscholarship.no

The Transparency Act

The Transparency Act is a new Norwegian law, which shall promote enterprises’ respect for fundamental human rights and decent working conditions in connection with the production of goods and the provision of services. It will ensure the general public access to information regarding how enterprises address adverse impacts on fundamental human rights and decent working conditions, as well as secure public access to information.

The Act applies to larger enterprises that are residents in Norway and that offer goods and services in or outside Norway. The Act also applies to larger foreign enterprises that offer goods and services in Norway.

The Act imposes enterprises to establish guidelines, perform human rights due diligence, establish actions to mitigate risk, monitor results, stakeholder dialogue and access to remedy. The Act became effective on 1st of July 2022.

Aker ASA and its subsidiaries have established guidelines and routines to safeguard human rights and decent working conditions in our business operations. Core governing documents for Aker’s management and compliance of human rights and decent working conditions are:

  • Code of Conduct
  • Sustainability Policy
  • Aker’s Global Framework Agreement with unions
  • Code of Conduct for Business Partners

Requests related to Aker’s management and compliance with the Transparency Act can be sent to transparency@akerasa.com.

In accordance with Section 5 of the Norwegian Transparency Act, Aker's annual Transparency Act Report, is available in the Sustainability Library. The report also covers Aker's wholly-owned subsidiaries, Aker Capital AS and Aker Holding AS (non-operating holding companies).