Workplace Human Rights Assessment

The United Nations Global Compact, a policy platform and a practical framework for companies that are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices, remains the guiding force for IVL’s Workplace Human Rights Assessment (WHRA) framework.

Our WHRA framework includes four different levels: corporate, country, site, and product.

It covers following stakeholders for our operations, including joint ventures:

Own employees
Children
Indigenous people
Migrant labor
Third-party
contracted labor
Local communities
Vulnerable groups

The WHRA framework embodies a three-stage assessment process called IACM – Identify; Assess; Communicate and Mitigate. The Online WHRA survey tool which IVL started using in 2016 continues to play pivotal role in this assessment process. In 2019, the survey was conducted for IVL’s work locations across 33 countries. It also encompasses five vulnerable groups within IVL’s operations, including joint ventures. These groups are: national minorities; disabled persons; senior citizens; people with HIV; and the LGBT community. The range of questions was extended by incorporating one new risk indicator, environmentally friendly technologies to make the survey more relevant with emerging trends.

The outcome of the assessment process for 2019 is as follows:

01
Identify
  • All of the risks identified in the 2018 survey related to the appropriate number of working hours and personal data privacy were mitigated
  • One new indicator (Environmentally friendly technologies)
  • Six additional questions on the risk assessment were identified for this indicator
02
Assess
  • The Online Human Rights Assessment survey was conducted across all of IVL’s locations
  • The Human Rights Risk Propensity (HRRP)* was measured at 0.41% for 2019
  • Risk areas were identified at 17 of our units
03
Communicate & Mitigate
  • Based on the identified risk areas, interviews with stakeholders were conducted to identify interventions
  • An action plan was formulated on the agreed interventions along with a tracking mechanism to monitor progress
*HRRP = The number of potential human rights risks identified/(Responses from total units * total questions)

The following areas of improvement and remedial actions were identified:

Areas of Improvement Remedial Actions Major areas of improvement
Corporate Level Country/Site Level

Safe, suitable and sanitary work facilities

Intensive protection for safe, suitable and sanitary workplaces and facilities during the COVID-19 outbreak
  • Consult with the International SOS organization
  • Set up the Global Emergency Management (GEM) team
  • Align with corporate practices on legal, communications, and human resource management based on the specific context at own country/site
 No major risks were observed. We will continue with our three-stage assessment approach to ensure that the assessment needs are evaluated on a continuous basis with IVL’s unique risk profile and operating context.

Employment-related decisions based on relevant and objective criteria

Ensure that decisions concerning hiring, compensation & benefits, promotions, training, discipline, retirement and termination are based on appropriate principles
  • Continuous improvement of Global HR standard practices and processes with an integrated HR structure
  • Provide support and feedback for improvements to Global HR and implement at own country/site

In 2019, there were no operations, key raw materials, and non-raw material suppliers at risk of incidents involving child, forced and compulsory labor.