My name is Pete Anderson, and I’m honored to serve as your Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer for Carnival Corporation & plc. On behalf of our team, I’m excited to build on Arnold Donald’s video message that highlighted the importance of our priorities within the Vision Statement, as well as how we are further strengthening our corporate culture:
Let’s start with a great question I often get asked: What does corporate culture have to do with our overall compliance? The short answer is EVERYTHING! Our culture shapes the way we do things, and shows what we really care about. Culture is about who we are and what we believe as a team. When we try to understand why some people are rock stars at their jobs, while some others violate the rules… it’s less about the rules themselves, and more about the culture we’ve created. That’s why it’s crucial to strengthen our corporate culture.
I’d like to give you a quick ‘review’ of our culture work so far, and then a short ‘preview’ of what is coming next.
Our learnings from The Propel Survey
The Propel consulting firm surveyed our entire employee base about our culture – more than 70,000 team members, both shoreside and shipboard, completed the survey. The results revealed that we needed to take action to address a common issue that exists in all of our brands: the need to improve our openness, trust and care.
Improving our company culture will not be quick or easy. Like most things in life that are worthwhile, this process will take time, effort, and a real commitment at all levels of our company. Behaving ethically and complying with laws, regulations and company policies is everyone’s responsibility, regardless of our jobs, our brands, and whether we work on ships or shore. We need everyone’s help – and that means you.
A review of our culture work
Creating Our Vision Statement
Our leaders created a Vision Statement that set out our top priorities that everyone must remember, respect and promote:
- Protecting the environment
- Protecting the health and safety of our guests and crew, and
- Maintaining compliance everywhere we operate
Ignoring these priorities, or taking any actions that threaten them, is not an option – ever. While the Vision Statement is an important first step, we must take actions to back it up.
Setting up our Ethics & Compliance Program
Last year, we set up a new Ethics & Compliance (“E&C”) Program. Our mission is to promote and monitor our global efforts to protect the environment; promote health, safety and security and overall compliance; assess compliance risks; ensure appropriate compliance training; conduct robust and independent investigations; provide adequate resources and support; and strengthen our culture.
In each of these areas, we work to prevent, detect, respond and correct any regulatory violations. Our E&C Program goes beyond compliance, which relates to following the rules, regulations and procedures. Our program also strives to promote ethical behavior as we ‘do the right things, in the right ways, for the right reasons’.
Our E&C Program extends across every brand and every ship (thanks to the great work and dedication of our Environmental Officers). You can learn more about our E&C Program here.
Developing Our Culture Action Plan
We’ve used the time during our operational pause to develop our Culture Action Plan, which includes 12 activities that we want to share with you. Some activities are already complete, while some will take place in the coming months.
(Click here or on the image to see it full size)
Our Culture Preview
As you can see, one part of our Culture Action Plan involved creating a short and memorable way to unify our efforts and focus on what we all had in common. We developed the Culture Essentials: key actions and behaviours that everyone across all brands needs to remember to help us live out the top priorities from our Vision Statement, as well as our shared core values.
All of us, including leaders, need to live out the first three behaviors. The next three apply to leaders and managers. By acting on our Culture Essentials, we will become a better company with an ever stronger culture.
We will encourage and support these actions and behaviors with follow-up actions in each of these areas:
- Communications
By maintaining a strong and consistent “tone from the top” coming from leaders and managers to encourage these key actions and behaviors
- Management/Leadership Training
By developing training programs to help us better understand these key actions and behaviours as it relates to our individual jobs
- Human Resource Processes
By updating job performance evaluations at all levels to recognise and reward the key actions and behaviors, and discuss consequences for ‘wrong’ actions.
Creating our Ambassador Program
Another commitment in our Culture Action Plan involves expanding an Ethics & Compliance ‘Ambassador Program’ throughout all brands. Building upon Holland America Group’s success, we will recruit qualified and well-respected team members from various departments who:
- Have a passion for further promoting a culture of openness and trust
- Will serve as a role model for others
- Will help us spot and raise concerns, and answer questions involving ethics and compliance
Please stay tuned for more details on this important program.
Developing a New Code of Conduct
We will soon release a revised Business Code of Conduct and Ethics. The Code provides a practical guide for modeling our commitment and living out our values, as well as explaining what is expected of all of us. With our commitment to the Code, we create and maintain trust with our guests and each other, and continue building our reputation for excellence. We will provide training sessions on the revised Code once it is released.
Focusing on Diversity & Inclusion
Another important priority across all brands is our commitment to promoting and fostering diversity and inclusion throughout our Corporation. While we have made progress, we all agree we need to do more. Currently, our leaders are developing a new strategy to help us lead in this area, which is central to our culture and our ultimate success.
Upcoming Culture Surveys
Be on the lookout for upcoming surveys which will measure our progress in strengthening our corporate culture.
Finally…
Thanks so much for reviewing this Culture ‘review and preview’. I hope you will do your part to strengthen our culture and remain committed to promoting ethics and compliance; support the priorities in our Vision Statement, and live out our Culture Essentials. We appreciate all you do to help make the Company the best that it can be. As always, please contact me or anyone in our E&C Program if you ever have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
Peter Anderson