How do you encourage respect for human rights in your company?
Human rights are the fundamental rights and freedoms that every person is entitled to, regardless of their identity, status, or location. They are based on universal values and principles, such as dignity, equality, and justice. As a business, respecting human rights means not only avoiding harm to people, but also contributing to their well-being and development. In this article, you will learn how to encourage respect for human rights in your company, and why it matters for your corporate sustainability.
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Liviu GhiuzanApparel Industry Leader | Former Regional Quality Manager at H&M | Driving Strategies in QA, Technical Development &…
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Katja LarsenCEO Silverspoon Consultancy AP & India | Director & Board member at Carysil | Ex Cisco, J&J, Haworth |ESG through…
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Fiona T.🌎 Global Audit and Risk Business Partner | The G in ESG | Advocate for sustainable human-centred transformation…
Respecting human rights is not only a moral duty, but also a legal obligation and a strategic advantage for your company. By respecting human rights, you can reduce the risk of legal disputes, reputational damage, operational disruptions, and social conflicts. You can also enhance your trust and credibility with your stakeholders, such as customers, employees, investors, and communities. Moreover, you can create value and innovation by addressing the needs and expectations of your stakeholders, and by aligning your business goals with the global agenda for sustainable development.
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Valuing all employees equally, irrespective of their roles within the organization, is a fundamental principle of fair and ethical workplace practices. This approach not only promotes inclusivity and diversity but also nurtures a sense of belonging and engagement among all employees. Establishing mechanisms for employees to have their voices heard, such as through a union or representative, is an effective way to ensure that their concerns and feedback are acknowledged and addressed, empowering employees and fostering a transparent and collaborative work environment. Ultimately, these practices benefit both the workforce and the organization as a whole.
The first step to encourage respect for human rights in your company is to identify the potential and actual impacts of your activities, products, services, and relationships on people. This means assessing how your company affects the rights and interests of your stakeholders, such as workers, customers, suppliers, contractors, communities, and others. You can use various tools and methods to conduct a human rights impact assessment, such as stakeholder consultations, surveys, interviews, audits, and indicators. You should also consider the context and the severity of the impacts, and prioritize the most salient and urgent issues.
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Conducting a transparent online survey, facilitated by HR or a reputable third party, is an effective method to gather valuable insights and feedback from stakeholders in the human rights impact assessment process. This approach ensures a comprehensive and inclusive data collection process, contributing to a more thorough understanding of the impact of your company's activities on various stakeholders.
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Bringing in an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist is a strategic move in the process of identifying human rights impacts within your company. Their expertise in understanding human behavior, organizational dynamics, and data analysis can greatly enhance your efforts. They're trained to design and implement surveys, conduct interviews, and analyze data, providing valuable insights into the intricacies of human rights assessments. Their guidance can help your team navigate this critical process effectively, ensuring a comprehensive and well-informed approach to addressing human rights issues within your organization.
The second step to encourage respect for human rights in your company is to prevent and mitigate the negative impacts that you have identified. This means taking effective measures to avoid, reduce, or remedy the harm that your company may cause or contribute to. You can use various strategies and actions to prevent and mitigate human rights impacts, such as policies, standards, codes of conduct, training, due diligence, monitoring, reporting, grievance mechanisms, and remediation. You should also involve your stakeholders in the design and implementation of these measures, and seek their feedback and input.
The third step to encourage respect for human rights in your company is to communicate and report on your performance and progress. This means disclosing how you manage and address your human rights impacts, and what outcomes and impacts you have achieved. You can use various channels and formats to communicate and report on human rights, such as websites, newsletters, social media, annual reports, sustainability reports, and human rights reports. You should also follow the principles and standards of transparency, accuracy, completeness, relevance, and accessibility.
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In the pursuit of respecting human rights, initiatives like the 'Best Place to Work' program, which transparently reflects employee satisfaction, empower employees and create a stronger sense of belonging. Such initiatives showcase a commitment to employee well-being and inclusivity, potentially attracting more business and enriching customer satisfaction. Upholding human rights goes hand in hand with fostering a work environment that respects the rights and dignity of all employees while actively seeking their well-being, contributing to a more sustainable and socially responsible business practice. Publishing such efforts in annual reports ensures transparency and accountability in the company's human rights initiatives.
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There are many different reporting standards. The GRI Standards represent global best practice for sustainability reporting, including human rights. For example, they have standards on Child Labor, Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining, Forced or Compulsory Labor, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, Supplier Social Assessment etc. I find it an extremely useful guide for communication and reporting.
The fourth step to encourage respect for human rights in your company is to engage and collaborate with your stakeholders and peers on human rights issues. This means building and maintaining constructive relationships with your stakeholders, such as workers, customers, suppliers, contractors, communities, and others. You should also participate and contribute to multi-stakeholder initiatives, networks, platforms, and partnerships that aim to promote and protect human rights in your sector, industry, or region. You can also learn from and share best practices and challenges with other companies and organizations that are committed to human rights.
The fifth and final step to encourage respect for human rights in your company is to improve and innovate on your human rights performance and practices. This means reviewing and evaluating your human rights impacts, measures, and outcomes, and identifying the gaps, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. You should also seek and implement new ideas, solutions, and technologies that can enhance your human rights performance and practices, and create positive impacts for your stakeholders and society. You can also inspire and influence others to follow your example and leadership on human rights.
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