caring employer
The CSR Strategy

We stand behind our people

group on deck, afternoon light

Our employees are our most important assets

We want to be a safe and secure place to work, for everyone. We care about our colleagues’ physical and mental health and want everyone to contribute with their unique points of view, regardless of who they are or where they come from: everyone should have the same opportunities.

Diverse and Inclusive workplace

colleagues sitting in the office together

Diverse workforce enables better decisions

We believe that we will be a stronger company if our staff differs in gender, race, ethnic background, religion, sexual orientation, age, level of education and socioeconomic status. Our Diversity & Inclusion policy details how we work to secure equal opportunities at DFDS.

A woman behind the wheel

An industry also for women

Our ambition is to have at least 30% women in all organisational levels. We are working hard to change the perception of our industry as a male dominated one. We are particularly dedicated to increase the number of female seafarers and have signed Danish Shipping's Charter for more women at sea.

DFDS Moving with Pride 2019 3

DFDS for all

DFDS is the sum of all our great colleagues. We are a blend of different people from different places. We want DFDS to be a company in which all contribute to our values and business performance.

Opportunities to do good

Homeless Christmas Lunch

We have a Christmas tradition of organizing annual Christmas lunches for homeless people onboard our ferries in Copenhagen and Oslo.

It has become an event that many homeless and vulnerable people look forward to every year.

DFDS employee unloads food, two photos side by side

No food should be wasted

When Covid hit us all and the Oslo-Copenhagen route was suspended, the staff on one of our Copenhagen-based ferries gathered the food on board planned for the passengers and gave it to a homeless shelter. This was the staff’s own initiative, and we are proud of them for thinking of others in a tough situation.

Well-being for all employees

working in the warehouse

People’s safety always comes first

Operating a business where 45% of our employees work in high-risk working environments requires us to continuously assess and improve our overall health and safety performance. In 2020, we introduced a new safety programme across the business, Safety First. Its purpose is to track accidents and near-misses, strengthen our safety culture, reduce accidents, and help our colleagues become even more aware of what they can do to avoid dangerous behaviour.

People at work - Female drivers

Well-being and mental health

Looking after the well-being of our people also includes awareness and support of their mental health. We increased communication to our colleagues both on business-related issues as well as on more personal matters. We introduced extensive testing procedures and safe bubbles within teams for our terminal, vessel, and warehouse employees. In January 2021, we joined 300 other companies in shipping, transport, and supply chains in signing the Neptune Declaration for Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change.

DFDS employees working out

Strong local engagement

We cherish a culture where our colleagues care about each other and the communities in which they work by supporting charity runs, teambuilding for charity, and donations to hospitalised children, cancer research, poor families and homeless people were the things our people were most engaged in.