Thursday 28 November 2013

Women's Empowerment Principles

Principle 1: Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality

Leadership Promotes Gender Equality

  • Affirm high-level support and direct top-level policies for gender equality and human rights
  • Establish company-wide goals and targets for gender equality and include progress as a factor in managers’ performance reviews
  • Engage internal and external stakeholders in the development of company policies, programmes and implementation plans that advance equality
  • Ensure that all policies are gender-sensitive – identifying factors that impact women and men differently – and that corporate culture advances equality and inclusion

Principle 2: Treat all women and men fairly at work - respect and support human rights and nondiscrimination

Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Nondiscrimination

  • Pay equal remuneration, including benefits, for work of equal value and strive to pay a living wage to all women and men
  • Ensure that workplace policies and practices are free from gender-based discrimination
  • Implement gender-sensitive recruitment and retention practices and proactively recruit and appoint women to managerial and executive positions and to the corporate board of directors
  • Assure sufficient participation of women – 30% or greater – in decision-making and governance at all levels and across all business areas
  • Offer flexible work options, leave and re-entry opportunities to positions of equal pay and status
  • Support access to child and dependent care by providing services, resources and information to both women and men

Principle 3: Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men workers

Health, Safety and Freedom from Violence

  • Taking into account differential impacts on women and men, provide safe working conditions and protection from exposure to hazardous materials and disclose potential risks, including to reproductive health
  • Establish a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of violence at work, including verbal and/or physical abuse and prevent sexual harassment
  • Strive to offer health insurance or other needed services including for survivors of domestic violence - and ensure equal access for all employees
  • Respect women and men workers rights to time off for medical care and counseling for themselves and their dependents
  • In consultation with employees, identify and address security issues, including the safety of women traveling to and from work on company-related business
  • Train security staff and managers to recognize signs of violence against women and understand laws and company policies on human trafficking, labour and sexual exploitation

Principle 4: Promote education, training and professional development for women

Education and Training

  • Invest in workplace policies and programmes that open avenues for advancement of women at all levels and across all business areas, and encourage women to enter nontraditional job fields
  • Ensure equal access to all company-supported education and training programmes, including literacy classes, vocational and information technology training
  • Provide equal opportunities for formal and informal networking and mentoring
  • Offer opportunities to promote the business case for women’s empowerment and the positive impact of inclusion for men as well as women

Principle 5: Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women

Enterprise Development, Supply Chain and Marketing Practices

  • Expand business relationships with women-owned enterprises, including small businesses, and women entrepreneurs
  • Support gender-sensitive solutions to credit and lending barriers
  • Ask business partners and peers to respect the company’s commitment to advancing equality and inclusion
  • Respect the dignity of women in all marketing and other company materials
  • Ensure that company products, services and facilities are not used for human trafficking and/or labour or sexual exploitation

Principle 6: Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy

Community Leadership and Engagement

  • Lead by example – showcase company commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment
  • Leverage influence, alone or in partnership, to advocate for gender equality and collaborate with business partners, suppliers and community leaders to promote inclusion
  • Work with community stakeholders, officials and others to eliminate discrimination and exploitation and open opportunities for women and girls
  • Promote and recognize women’s leadership in, and contributions to, their communities and ensure sufficient representation of women in any community consultation
  • Use philanthropy and grants programmes to support company commitment to inclusion, equality and human rights

Principle 7: Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality

Transparency, Measuring and Reporting

  • Make public the company policies and implementation plan for promoting gender equality
  • Establish benchmarks that quantify inclusion of women at all levels
  • Measure and report on progress, both internally and externally, using data disaggregated by sex
  • Incorporate gender markers into ongoing reporting obligations
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