Newsletter #17
In this issue:
Managing Multigenerational Workforces: how to create age-inclusive workplaces
WBCSD Flagship Report, ‘Tackling inequality: An agenda for business action’
2023 Incubator’s Cohort
OECD Policy Insights ‘Living Wages in Practice’
and more!
Demographic trends are profoundly changing the workplace. As people live healthier and longer lives, current and future workforces will encompass and will continue to have four to five generations working together, with a diverse range of perspectives depending on their life stage, their experiences of education, work, technology, family life and health.
OECD studies indicate that companies that successfully combine diverse outlooks of employees and talents, irrespective of age, tend to have a more productive and innovative workforce. How do employers understand the needs and expectations of their multigenerational workforces? How do they mix age groups and ensure cohesion? How do they equip managers to tackle age discrimination and micro-aggressions? How do they retain elder workers? How does one effectively develop age policies that support employees across different stages?
Contrary to popular belief, employees cannot easily be classified according to age groups – baby boomers, X, Y, Z but need to be supported according to their convergences and divergences across structural themes: working conditions, health, training and skills, inclusive environments, professional development, etc.
How can employer and public policies support multigenerational workforces? The topic was on the agenda of the April Board meeting, where Board members engaged in dialogue over challenges faced by companies and possible collective actions. Steered by the Working Group on Age & Generations, and with the support of the OECD, we are now exploring three different practical ways to create age-inclusive workplaces: knowledge transfer between generations, inclusive-bias-free workplaces and career paths and engagement of elder workers. Our series of age-related share-out sessions will start in September!
The Actions
Publication of the WBCSD Flagship Report on Inequality
The Business Commission to Tackle Inequality (BCTI), a cross-sector, multi-stakeholder coalition of leaders and their organizations convened by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), published in May its flagship report Tackling inequality: An agenda for business action. This report provides a clear and compelling case for business action and identifies ten catalytic actions that business leaders can take to tackle the systemic risk of mounting inequality: Implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; Make essential products and services more accessible and affordable; Create a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace and value chain; Prepare people for the future of work; Provide safe, secure and sufficient work; Pay and promote living wages and incomes; Support and respect worker representation; Support effective public policy; Adopt responsible tax practices; and Realize the just transition to a net-zero and nature positive economy.
During the launch of the report, Peter Bakker, CEO of WBCSD, also announced the integration of B4IG and BCTI into a joint platform.
As previously announced, B4IG and WBCSD have decided to join forces to drive business actions on equity on a global scale. The Joint Platform will allow us to bring a stronger business voice to the social agenda and will become the place where the most innovative and bold actions are taken to make business practices more inclusive. Over the past few months, we have finalised a joint programme of work to unify and amplify our actions covering a wide range of topics, including Human Rights, Access to essential products and services, Living Wage and Income, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Building a culture of workplace health & wellbeing, Inclusive Sourcing, Just Transition and Social Metrics.
2023 Incubator Cohort
The B4IG Incubator’s mission is to support the design of innovative social projects developed by member companies that have the potential to create impact at scale.
Seven projects have been selected to be part of the 2023 Incubator cohort. During an in-person bootcamp in Paris on May 25th and 26th, all project teams received diverse trainings on inclusive business practices and an initial assessment of their individual needs to strengthen the business case and social impact of their projects.
We are now in the Second Phase of the Incubator, which consists of a customized programme of work for each project, based on the main challenges identified during the Bootcamp. With the support of external consultants and the B4IG-WBCSD team, individual and collective sessions will be organised to strengthen the projects and create connections with other member companies and partners.
Grievance Mechanisms
The B4IG’s Human Rights Group’s sub-stream on Grievance mechanisms is currently drafting content for Supplier codes of conduct, contracts, or other equivalent documents, to raise awareness on and ensure the set-up of effective grievance mechanisms. Building on the UNGP Principles and on the OECD’s Multinational Enterprises Guidelines, it will present an overview of grievance mechanisms, operational-level tailored principles and proposed wording. Keep an eye-out for its publication in the upcoming weeks!
In addition, the sub-stream is organising joint sessions with AIM-Progress to share ongoing projects, tools, and pilots on grievance mechanisms to gain a better understanding of existing work. In May, we held a session with Verité wherein the group explored workers support mechanisms, and specific projects in the Guatemalan coffee sector and the Chinese construction sector. The next joint session will be on September 25th to share the learnings, and different approaches adopted from the Oxfam/AIM-Progress Grievance Mechanism Project, with speakers from Danone, The Coca Cola Company, and Reckitt.
Inclusive Waste Management
B4IG’s Working Group on Inclusive Waste Management has joined forces with AIM-Progress working on Human Rights in Waste Management to organise joint webinars and working sessions, building on Fair Circularity Initiative’s Principles.
The objective of this joint work is to (1) share best practices between member companies on how they are implementing approaches to ensure respect of human rights and to assess working conditions in post-consumer recycled content supply chains ; (2) develop or support convergence of necessary guidance and tools; (3) scope out potential pilots between interested companies; (4) collaborate with key initiatives and stakeholders, when relevant collaboration with Tearfund and other key initiatives and stakeholders.
From the OECD
Updated Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
The updated OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct were released on June 8th within the context of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting. The new Guidelines redefine what responsible business conduct means in practice, and how we can expect businesses to manage social and environmental challenges going forward.
Key updates:
Strong inter-connection between human rights and environment with a specific focus on health and safety, impacts on workers and communities, and access to livelihoods or land tenure rights.
The Guidelines redefine what environmental due diligence should involve: climate change, biodiversity loss, degradation of land, marine & freshwater ecosystems; deforestation; air, water & soil pollution; mismanagement of waste.
There is now a strong emphasis for meaningful stakeholder engagement, including Indigenous Peoples, and protecting human rights defenders.
New expectation that businesses carry out risk-based due diligence to identify, prevent & mitigate adverse environmental and health & safety impacts of their operations, products & services.
Companies are expected to take into consideration the just transition, automation, digitalization (among other changes) and proactively consider their role in training for up-skilling and re-skilling to anticipate future changes.
Exploring living wages in practice
At a time of rising living costs, significant wage inequalities and widespread in-work poverty, the demand for a living wage has heightened. In Living wages in practice, the OECD WISE Centre has reviewed some of the most common methodologies, evaluated the different measurement criteria, and put forward key recommendations to strengthen the concept of a living wage.
Valuing business impacts in the areas of wage inequality and employee well-being
New analysis from the OECD WISE Centre, Valuing business impacts in the areas of wage inequality and employee well-being, proposes a new methodology to monetise five aspects of employee well-being (wage inequality, being employed, excess working hours, relationships with management and job security). Preliminary results highlight a large loss of welfare arising from within-firm wage inequality as well as a strong impact of working conditions on workers’ well-being.
Around the Globe
The Centre for Child Rights and Business has published a report on child rights risks in global supply chains, based on 20 risk assessments in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America within the manufacturing, agriculture and mining industries.
According to Just Capital, ‘only 3% of America’s largest companies encourage living wages for supply chain workers, but these companies are leading on the issue’. Read the case studies from five major companies on living wage trends in the supply chains of US companies.
The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) published their Living Wage Analysis tool, a tool for business to assess their performance against best practice and set practical follow-up targets. It also aims at helping companies identify actions to undertake to ensure a living wage for all workers, including links to existing guidance.
The World Benchmarking Alliance published the methodology it will use to assess companies in their 2023 Gender Benchmark. This methodology captures how society expects companies to drive and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment across their entire value chain. This year’s benchmark will include companies from two sectors: the apparel sector and the food and agriculture sector.
Save the dates
Human Rights Due Diligence / Grievance Mechanisms: WG meetings on September 25th, 2-3pm CEST and in the week of November 6th (TBC). Contact: nalnangai.venkatakrishnan@b4ig.org.
Human Rights Due Diligence / Fair Recruitment: WG meeting in the week of September 4th (TBC). Contact: nalnangai.venkatakrishnan@b4ig.org.
Enhancing Access to Products & Services: WG meetings on September 20th, 2-3pm CEST and November 7th, 2-3pm CEST. Contact burke@wbcsd.org.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Masterclasses: July 6th, 2-3:30pm CEST (DE&I Throughout The Supply Chain) September 21st, 2-3:30pm CEST (Delivering An Inclusive Marketplace), October 19th, 2-3:30pm CEST (Understanding Race & Ethnicity), November 14th, 2-3:30pm CEST (Metrics & Accountability). Please register here for all masterclasses. Contact: burke@wbcsd.org.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion / Age-Generations: WG meetings on September 6th, 2-3pm, October 4th, 2-3pm, and in the weeks of November 6th and December 4th (TBC). Contact: nalnangai.venkatakrishnan@b4ig.org.
Workplace Health & Wellbeing: WG meetings on September 19th, 1:30-3:30pm CEST and October 12th, 1:30-3:30pm CEST. Contact: khalid@wbcsd.org.
Living Wages and Incomes: WG meetings in the weeks of September 4th and October 9th (TBC). Contact: marie.basso@b4ig.org.
Inclusive Sourcing: WG meetings in the weeks of July 10th, September 25th and November 6th. Contact: marie.basso@b4ig.org.
Just Transition: WG meetings in September and November (TBC). Contact: nalnangai.venkatakrishnan@b4ig.org.
Social Metrics: WG meetings in the week of September 11th and in November (TBC). Contacts: nalnangai.venkatakrishnan@b4ig.org and marie.basso@b4ig.org.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to follow B4IG on Twitter and LinkedIn!
The B4IG Team