At Zalaris, we believe that building functionality into our products that create awareness of our impact on the world we live in can help impel topics around sustainability. Our aim is to make sustainability an inherent part of our business operations and daily lives, creating a lasting positive impact.

As we continue to grow and evolve as a company, we see an increased focus on sustainability amongst our customers. More and more organisations recognise the importance of reducing their environmental impact, promoting social responsibility, and ensuring good governance practices.

At Zalaris, our commitment to sustainability remains steadfast moving into 2025. We are excited to have launched several ESG tools into our products. We are committed to providing solutions that help our customers manage their workforce with a focus on sustainability and responsible business practices. We have also committed to becoming “Net Zero” by 2040. This will require us to constantly focus on improving processes around our procurement and travel.

In addition, the Corporate Social Responsibility Directive (CSRD) will become increasingly important in the coming years. As companies face greater scrutiny from stakeholders on their ESG performance, providing transparent and reliable information on their sustainability practices is crucial. By incorporating CSRD into our mindset, we can help our customers stay ahead of the curve and meet the growing demand for responsible and sustainable business practices.

We remain committed to measuring, documenting, and improving our sustainability. We will continue to set targets and report our results continuously. At Zalaris, we believe that small steps can lead to giant leaps, and we are excited to continue our journey towards a more sustainable future.

Hans-Petter Mellerud
CEO and Founder of Zalaris

Sustainability

Cloud computing typically uses fewer resources than traditional IT infrastructure. The energy consumption of a single data center can be shared across multiple customers, resulting in higher utilisation rates and fewer energy-intensive servers.

With cloud computing, there is no need for physical infrastructure such as servers and network equipment to be housed on-premises, which leads to significant reductions in resource consumption, such as energy and water usage.

Cloud computing allows for efficient resource allocation and scalability, allowing for resource consumption based on demand and reducing energy consumption and environmental impact.

Offering products and services in the cloud reduces the need for travel.

The majority of our data centre locations are in areas with mainly green grid power. We actively look for the best available sources of renewable electricity.

However, it’s important to note that the industry is not immune to environmental impact. For example, data centers that host digital products require significant amounts of energy to operate and cool, leading to carbon emissions. Being an international player in a services business incurs travel for operations, services, and sales.

Hence, continuous focus on smart travel and good hosting partners remains vital for us to continue focusing on sustainability and reducing our environmental impact.

Zalaris is dedicated to sustainability and reducing our environmental impact. We use cloud computing as a way to offer our products and services to our customers, while minimising our resource consumption and carbon footprint. Cloud computing is a technology that lets you access data and applications over the internet, instead of storing them on your own devices or servers. This has many benefits for your business and your customers, such as lower costs, higher convenience, better security, and faster performance.

We also select our hosting partners carefully, based on their environmental performance and their use of renewable energy sources. We aim to use mainly green grid power for our locations, and we actively look for the best available sources of green electricity.

However, we are conscious that cloud computing is not a flawless solution, and that it still has some environmental challenges. For instance, data centers still require a lot of energy to run and cool, and being an international player in a services business still requires some travel for operations, services, and sales. Therefore, we constantly focus on smart travel and good hosting partners, as well as other ways to enhance our sustainability and reduce our environmental impact.

Cloud computing empowers you to optimise resources and adapt them to your needs, by aligning your resource consumption with your demand and shrinking your energy use and environmental footprint.

Through cloud computing we enable the possibility of doing everything online, from anywhere, anytime, using any device; thereby saving time, money, and emissions, and making our business more convenient and eco-friendly. We think that cloud computing can be a great tool for environmental protection, and we are glad to be part of this movement.

Being an international organisation, there are several variable factors across different countries, regions, and even utilities which make it hard to compare the CO2 emissions from electricity generation in a consistent and reliable way. Some of the factors include:

The methods used to estimate the emissions, which can differ from one source to another.

The types of energy sources used to generate electricity, which can range from fossil fuels to renewables.

The time of the year and the day when the electricity is generated, which can influence the demand and the supply of electricity.

The availability and quality of the data, which can be incomplete or outdated.

The allocation of the emissions, which can depend on how the electricity is distributed and consumed.

However, despite these challenges, we have established a baseline for our Scope 2 emissions, which are the emissions from the electricity that we purchase and use for our operations. We have used the best available data and methods to estimate our Scope 2 emissions, based on the input from all our locations. This baseline will help us monitor our progress and continue to reduce our carbon footprint from electricity generation.

Zalaris operates as a worldwide IT and consulting firm. Our primary goal is to support our clients in achieving their objectives, regardless of their geographical location. Our journey encompasses diverse modes of transportation, ranging from air travel to road trips. However, we acknowledge that travel carries a price—not only monetarily, but also for our planet.

Zalaris makes every effort to choose sustainable travel options wherever possible, relying on online meetings as our primary form of collaboration across countries.

Zalaris has etched a bold ambition - to become Net Zero by the year 2040. This is not merely a target, but a testament to our unwavering commitment to shrink our carbon footprint. Even as we navigate the intricate landscape of HR and payroll services, we acknowledge our environmental impact. Our operations have both observable and hidden impacts on the environment. However, we actively strive for transformation rather than merely being bystanders to these effects.

The operations of our data centre providers are driven by renewable energy, with lower CO2 emissions. We have a relatively low upstream impact due to our smaller scale. Our goal is to acquire actual power usage data from our providers so we can track this metric more closely.

Swift changes in climate due to greenhouse gases present dangers that we must acknowledge and address our activities face the harsh impacts of heat, wind, and deluge and our business plans need to adapt to the changing climate.

Striving for Net Zero, we go beyond merely reducing our carbon emissions to nothing. We stand hand in hand with the world, joining a global chorus to combat climate change and adding our verse to the symphony of sustainability.

 isn’t just a goal; it’s a message — a beacon of our environmental responsibility. It serves as a clarion call to our stakeholders, resonating with our commitment to environmental stewardship. We are not passive observers; we actively engage, rolling up our sleeves to tackle environmental challenges head-on.




Adding targets for 100% renewable Scope 2 power in 2025.

40% reduction in business travel emissions by 2030.

Environment

Zalaris aims to achieve sustainable development by balancing financial results, value creation, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). 

Our primary goal is to reduce our impact on the environment while maximising our positive impact on society, working conditions, and customer satisfaction.

In addition, Zalaris strives to assist customers in tracking, managing, and promoting their sustainability efforts.

Zalaris strives to make it possible for employees to seamlessly balance their work and private life and therefore offers leave arrangements, remote working solutions when possible, part-time positions, and other flexible work arrangements to support this objective.

Zalaris organises programmes to motivate employees to stay physically active while ensuring the availability of healthy food in our canteens.

Zalaris’ helps our customers easily track employee work hours, overtime, and leaves through effective mobile-based solutions. Our workforce planning solution is used to secure optimal staffing over the year – building the foundation for sound work-life balance.

Our analytics solution for reporting, and analysing absence and sick leave allows early detection of potential issues, and documents management’s responsibility in supporting colleagues with health issues and enabling them to return to work.

Our mobile and portal-based solutions delivering holistic digital payroll and HR processes fully support flexible work arrangements. This became particularly evident during 2020 and 2021, with the Covid-19 pandemic, where most of the workforce worked from home for a large part of the year. Our efforts in managing the Covid-19 pandemic were recognised by our employees, resulting in high employee engagement scores across all countries.

Zalaris believes that by locating our service centers outside high-pressure areas – where our presence is noticed and welcomed – we can combine good business with good environmental practices, enabling people to work where they want to live. Our secure, centralised IT infrastructure enables us to rapidly establish cost-effective service centers independent of the end customer’s location. 

Human resource development and sustainability at Zalaris

Zalaris balances monetary success, value creation, sustainability promotion, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in our pursuit of long-term growth. Our primary goals are to reduce our environmental impact while simultaneously boosting our beneficial social contributions, enhancing working conditions, and guaranteeing client happiness. We actively seek eco-friendly practices, from energy- efficient operations to supporting green commuting, contributing to a cost-effective and eco-conscious workplace.

Our commitment extends to employee development through training programs, empowering our employees to advance their careers and foster personal and professional growth. By understanding and addressing clients' sustainability goals, we collaboratively develop effective strategies, measure and enhance sustainability programs and ensure shared success. Zalaris actively engages in social responsibility and other supporting initiatives that address societal challenges, promote equality, and make a positive impact on our communities.

At Zalaris, corporate ethics are fundamental. They encompass equal treatment, discrimination prevention, fostering a positive working environment, minimising environmental impact, preventing corruption, upholding employee rights, addressing social issues, and promoting human rights.

Every individual associated with Zalaris is expected to adhere to our organisational policies and procedures, rooted in our core principles. We actively encourage everyone to contribute to fostering a positive workplace culture. Central to our ethos is our Code of Conduct, which serves as the foundation of our corporate culture, embodying our moral values and core principles in all aspects of our business operations. Our Code of Conduct, applicable to Zalaris and its subsidiaries, ensures transparency and accountability throughout our organisation.

Zalaris advocates for the inclusion and equality of contributors from all walks of life. The organisation maintains the core principles of the International Labour Organisation and provide a professional, inclusive work environment. Zalaris strives to be a discrimination-free workplace. There can be no discrimination, either direct or indirect, on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, language, religion, representation of employees, political beliefs, national or social origin, property, birth, or any other basis. Zalaris seeks to provide the infrastructure required so that people with physical disabilities may participate meaningfully in the company. 

Equal compensation for equal labour is the foundation of Zalaris' employment policy. This indicates that, under the assumption that all other relevant conditions remain the same, men and women are paid equally for positions that are equivalent. Zalaris is committed to achieving gender parity in the Group's board of directors and management. The portrayal of gender, age, race, and religion in Zalaris is intended to be balanced. During 2024, Zalaris had an average 1134 employees across 13 countries, representing over 30 nationalities, with women making up 61% of the workforce across all of the Group's businesses and units.

Zalaris aggressively seeks out and develops female talent to boost the representation of women. Women occupy 51.46% of management roles and men occupy 48.5%, demonstrating our commitment towards gender equality.

At Zalaris, our commitment to service excellence, quality-focused processes, and employees - our key assets, is integral to our long-term success.

We prioritise maintaining high standards of service quality while nurturing a supportive work environment for our employees. Central to this commitment is our mandate that all employees and vendors actively support and take responsibility for health and safety. Line management plays a crucial role in promoting, implementing, and ensuring adherence to these guidelines, fostering a culture of safety and well-being throughout the organisation.


Preserve and work toward enhancing the security, safety, and well-being of our people at all times in order to eradicate incidents linked to "health and safety" (HS).

Use an efficient management system to set HS performance goals, track progress, evaluate, and continuously improve services, products, and procedures.

Collaborate with management, staff, and employee representatives to provide a favourable physical and mental work environment that optimises the drive and collaboration of all those involved.

Prepare for, handle, and recover from any crisis, emergency, or interruption to business.

Provide services that will enable our clients to keep an eye on and respond to HS concerns.

Be honest in our communication with stakeholders and make sure they comprehend the rules, standards, programs, and performance of our HS.

Effective education and training are indispensable for any organisation, especially within the industries of IT software, services, and consulting. Key motivators to encourage continuous training and education are:

Improving the knowledge and skills of employees.

Enhancing work satisfaction and team morale.

By making educational investments in our employees, we create a more knowledgeable and driven team that is better able to provide clients with high-quality services and solutions.

In 2024, the average number of training hours per employee at Zalaris was 51.5 hours and total hours were 68250. It is recommended for all personnel to consistently advance their knowledge and abilities. This is an important part of our staff's yearly review.

Retention plays a crucial role in organisational success. While hiring new talent is essential, retaining existing employees is equally, if not more, important.

High turnover incurs significant recruitment and onboarding costs. Retaining employees saves money and resources.

Long-tenured employees provide institutional knowledge and stability, crucial for consistent operations.

Experienced employees uphold and propagate company culture, fostering a cohesive work environment.

Low turnover boosts morale and engagement, leading to higher productivity.

Consistent staff leads to better customer relationships and satisfaction.

During 2024, 207 employees left Zalaris compared to 264 in 2023. The employee turnover rate was 17.5% in 2024, compared to 23.6% in 2023.

At Zalaris, we understand the significance of maintaining a healthy equilibrium between professional responsibilities and personal well-being. Our commitment goes beyond offering traditional benefits; we cultivate an environment where employees feel empowered to thrive in both their careers and personal lives.

Here's how we champion work-life balance:

: We recognise that every individual has unique needs and commitments outside of work. That's why we provide a range of flexible work options, including remote work opportunities, part-time positions, and adaptable schedules. By accommodating diverse lifestyles, we enable our employees to better manage their time and priorities.

: Zalaris prioritises the well-being of its employees by offering comprehensive leave arrangements. Whether it's parental leave, vacation time, or personal days, we encourage our team members to take the time they need to recharge and attend to their personal obligations without sacrificing career growth.

: We believe that a healthy workforce is a productive workforce. Through various programs and initiatives, we promote physical activity and well-being among our employees. From fitness challenges to nutritious options in our canteens, we foster a culture that values and supports healthy lifestyles.

: Our innovative technology solutions are designed to streamline administrative tasks and enhance productivity. With mobile-based tools for tracking work hours, managing leave, and accessing HR services remotely, we empower our employees to work efficiently from anywhere, whether it's the office or the comfort of their home.

: Zalaris utilises advanced workforce planning solutions to ensure optimal staffing levels throughout the year. By forecasting demand and managing resources effectively, we minimise burnout and promote a sustainable work pace for our employees.

: We believe in creating sustainable work environments that contribute to the well-being of both our employees and the planet. By locating our service centers in areas with lower costs of living and reduced pressure, we enable our employees to enjoy a better quality of life while reducing our carbon footprint. At Zalaris, work-life balance isn't just a goal; it's a fundamental aspect of our culture. By fostering a supportive and flexible work environment, we empower our employees to thrive both personally and professionally, ultimately driving success for our company and our clients.

Zalaris aims to be a workplace free from discrimination. No direct or indirect discrimination shall occur based on race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, language, religion, employee representation, political or other opinions.

Supporting the UN Global Compacts Ten Principles covering topics related to human rights, labour standards, environmental sustainability, and anti-corruption.

Protecting and improving our teams’ health, safety and security at all times.

Making it possible for employees of either gender to balance their work and private life in the best possible way.

Social

Zalaris' corporate governance is guided by a robust framework that emphasises ethical standards and responsible business practices.

 forms the foundation of our governance regime, outlining core principles that all board members, managers, employees, and representatives must adhere to. We prioritise risk management to ensure effective internal controls and mitigation of business risks.

Our supplier relationships are built on fairness and equality, and we maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards modern slavery. Stakeholder engagement is a key focus, as we actively collaborate with employees, customers, suppliers, and public institutions to meet their expectations and drive sustainable growth.

By identifying material topics, we prioritise our sustainability efforts, address environmental and social concerns, and align our actions with stakeholder expectations. Overall, Zalaris’ corporate governance reflects our commitment to integrity, transparency, and creating long-term value for all stakeholders.

Zalaris promotes an atmosphere where open and genuine conversations are standard practice, not an anomaly. It motivates all its staff members to fearlessly communicate with their immediate superiors or the management team if they perceive any infringements of company rules or standards.

, which can be accessed through the website’s footer links.

To protect employees who blow the whistle, Zalaris has collaborated with EthicsPoint to guarantee that these reports are delivered to Zalaris in a confidential and anonymous manner. Zalaris pledges that every piece of feedback will be taken into consideration and acted upon.

Zalaris remains committed to measuring, documenting, and improving our governing processes. We will continue to set targets and report our results continuously.

Reducing risk for our customers and ourselves.

The prevention of Modern Slavery and human trafficking.

Maintaining safe channels for all stakeholders that allows for anonymous reporting of policy violations.

Governance

At Zalaris, our goal is to simplify ESG reporting by leveraging existing data, thereby minimising the requirement for additional data for reporting purposes.

While there are numerous ESG and sustainability platforms out there, Zalaris, does not try to compete with them. We concentrate on developing tools that utilise the abundant data available in our payroll and HR solutions.

 offers a CO2-tracker that automates the process of calculating the footprint from business travel. Alongside the financial calculation of a submitted travel expense, the solution will calculate the CO2 footprint. This is done by reusing the travel data gathered and mapping these to CO2 emission factors supplied by 

. Reports can be generated at department, country, or corporate level.

The 'My Carbon Footprint Solution' has two key functions: To map an employee’s commute pattern, and to display the combined footprint from daily employee commute and business travel.

Together, these tools empower organisations to turn HR and payroll data into actionable ESG insights - without the need for complex integrations or manual effort.

Zalaris is dedicated to enhancing our products by integrating features that empower customers and us to incentivise and monitor sustainability-related factors within the workforce. Zalaris is committed to fostering a system that promotes making informed choices through accurate tracking and reporting.