Case study: How Wyndham Worldwide promotes ethical business behaviour
As one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, providing travelers with over 129,000 places to stay in more than 100 countries and territories on six continents, Wyndham Worldwide is also a values-centered company, defining and advancing the standards of ethical business conduct, transparency and integrity.
This case study is based on the 2016-2017 Corporate Social Responsibility Report by Wyndham Worldwide published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
Abstract
Offering travelers worldwide access to a collection of trusted hospitality brands in hotels, vacation ownership and unique accommodations that include vacation exchange, holiday parks and managed home rentals, Wyndham Worldwide tries to conduct its business with integrity. Tweet This! In order to promote ethical business behaviour Wyndham Worldwide took action to:
- promote ethical conduct through the Business Principles
- protect human rights
- combat child exploitation
Subscribe for free and read the rest of this case study
Please subscribe to the SustainCase Newsletter to keep up to date with the latest sustainability news and gain access to over 100 case studies. These case studies demonstrate how companies are dealing responsibly with their most important impacts, building trust with their stakeholders (Identify > Measure > Manage > Change).
With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Wyndham Worldwide has identified;
- How Wyndham Worldwide proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by Wyndham Worldwide to promote ethical business behaviour
Already Subscribed? Type your email below and click submit
What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2016-2017 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Wyndham Worldwide identified a range of material issues, such as long-term economic trends/issues, environmental management, data privacy/cyber security, labor standards, occupational health and safety. Among these, promoting ethical business behaviour stands out as a key material issue for Wyndham Worldwide.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process s of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups Wyndham Worldwide engages with:
Stakeholder Group |
Associates |
Shareholders |
Suppliers |
Communities |
Customers |
Global partnerships |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritize material issues Wyndham Worldwide carried out surveys and follow-up interviews with over 50 stakeholders, including a survey with a sample representation of stakeholders to develop its materiality matrix.
In its 2016-2017 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Wyndham Worldwide reports that it took the following actions for promoting ethical business behaviour:
- Promoting ethical conduct through the Business Principles
- Wyndham Worldwide’s Business Principles (the company’s Code of Conduct and Ethics) provide guidance to employees on ethical issues, while promoting a lawful and ethical business environment. The Business Principles lay down policies and processes regarding issues such as Associate Responsibilities, Workplace Violence, Protecting Our Information, Records and Systems, Antitrust, Intellectual Property. In addition, Wyndham Worldwide provides training to support its Ethics and Compliance programs, in a variety of formats.
- Protecting human rights
- In 2007, Wyndham Worldwide’s Board of Directors adopted a Human Rights Policy Statement. Additionally, Wyndham Worldwide supports the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and endorses the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect, and Remedy” Framework. Wyndham Worldwide is also a member of the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) and has supported the establishment of ITP’s working group on combating human trafficking.
- Combating child exploitation
- Wyndham Worldwide does not use child labor and has also signed the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct (The Code). The Code focuses explicitly on protecting children from sexual exploitation in the travel and tourism industries and commits Wyndham Worldwide to strengthen its anti-child trafficking policies and provide training to help employees identify and report possible trafficking activities. Moreover, Wyndham Worldwide supports the Polaris Project, an organization that combats all forms of human trafficking and provides, with Polaris, continuous training to its hotels.
Which GRI indicators/Standards have been addressed?
The GRI indicators/Standards addressed in this case are:
1) G4-15: List externally developed economic, environmental and social charters, principles, or other initiatives to which the organization subscribes or which it endorses – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 102-12 External initiatives
2) G4-56: Describe the organization’s values, principles, standards and norms of behavior such as codes of conduct and codes of ethics – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 102-16 Values, principles, standards, and norms of behavior
3) G4-SO4: Communication and training on anti-corruption policies and procedures – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 205-2 Communication and training about anti-corruption policies and procedures
78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards
SustainCase was primarily created to demonstrate, through case studies, the importance of dealing with a company’s most important impacts in a structured way, with use of the GRI Standards. To show how today’s best-run companies are achieving economic, social and environmental success – and how you can too.
Research by well-recognised institutions is clearly proving that responsible companies can look to the future with optimism.
7 GRI sustainability disclosures get you started
Any size business can start taking sustainability action
GRI, IEMA, CPD Certified Sustainability courses (2-5 days): Live Online or Classroom (venue: London School of Economics)
- Exclusive FBRH template to begin reporting from day one
- Identify your most important impacts on the Environment, Economy and People
- Formulate in group exercises your plan for action. Begin taking solid, focused, all-round sustainability action ASAP.
- Benchmarking methodology to set you on a path of continuous improvement
References:
1) This case study is based on published information by Wyndham Worldwide, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page
3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx
4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
Note to Wyndham Worldwide: With each case study we send out an email requesting a comment on this case study. If you have not received such an email please contact us.