We see human rights as fundamental principles for protecting people’s dignity and ensuring freedom and respect both in our own operations, in the companies with whom we work, and in the communities where we operate. Our commitment to upholding human rights is outlined in our 'Sustainability commitment', 'Global human rights policy', 'Global labour and employment rights policy', 'Stakeholder engagement policy', and 'Just transition policy'. Our 'Global human rights policy' aligns with the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights (UNGPs), the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the International Bill of Human Rights, and the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles & Rights at Work. The policy explicitly highlights our dedication to ensuring freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of forced, trafficked, or compulsory labour, the effective abolition of child labour, and the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation, among other critical issues.

At Ørsted, employees are part of a safe working environment where impacts are identified and managed, including impacts related to physical injuries and well-being of employees. Due to the nature of our industry, we recognize the impact to employees of potential injuries and fatalities, primarily during the construction and operation phases of our assets. Furthermore, we recognize the present impact of work-related stress and anxiety experienced among employees on a global level. Ensuring transparent and fair working conditions are rooted in our employee value proposition, where fair and competitive rewards and employment terms as well as a flexible working culture, are foundational factors. Our flexible working culture is creating additionality within many of the markets where we operate, and particularly in our US and APAC regions, as our global policies go beyond the norm. In 2024, Ørsted navigated a rapidly evolving industry landscape, necessitating organizational adjustments, including redundancies, to maintain our competitive edge. While both satisfaction and motivation levels as well as voluntary turnover remain healthy compared to industry benchmarks, the changes have had a noticeable impact on employee satisfaction and motivation and our voluntary turnover trend. This poses a short-term risk of increased voluntary turnover and lower morale, satisfaction, and heightened stress.