What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2018 Sustainability Report Wharf REIC identified a range of material issues, such as customer privacy, socioeconomic compliance, marketing and labelling, environmental compliance, training and education. Among these, attracting and retaining talented professionals stands out as a key material issue for Wharf REIC.

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:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process 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 Wharf REIC engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Shareholders, investors and financial analysts	·      General meeting(s) ·      Financial reports, announcements and circular(s) ·      Corporate communications and company websites ·      Focus groups
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)	·      Programme partnership meetings ·      Regular programme review and assessment
Employees	·      Surveys and focus groups ·      Town hall meetings ·      Intranet and internal publications
Government, regulatory bodies and industry associations	·      Regulatory task forces and committees ·      Industry operational meetings ·      Forums and conferences
Media	·      Media briefings and luncheons ·      Executive interviews ·      Instant internet updates
Customers	·      Surveys and focus groups ·      Social media platforms ·      Service centres and hotlines
Business partners (including suppliers, contractors and sub-contractors)	·      Tendering ·      Operational meetings ·      Contract and performance review ·      Focus groups
Local community	·      Community investment programmes ·      Company visits ·      Social media platforms

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Wharf REIC carried out an online survey among stakeholders, asking them to rank the materiality of various sustainability topics.

What actions were taken by Wharf REIC to attract and retain talented professionals?

In its 2018 Sustainability Report Wharf REIC reports that it took the following actions for attracting and retaining talented professionals:

• Promoting compliance
• Wharf REIC’s employment policies strictly comply with laws and regulations including the Employment Ordinance (Cap.57), Employment of Children Regulations, Employment of Young Persons (Industry) Regulations in Hong Kong, and the Five Social Insurance and One Housing Fund of the People’s Republic of China. Wharf REIC also prohibits child and forced labour, as stated in the Labour Law of the People’s Republic of China.

• Providing benefits
• Wharf REIC offers a competitive salary with reference to employees’ experience and performance, and the market salary level. Full-time Group employees in Hong Kong are entitled to top-up MPF (Mandatory Provident Fund) contribution, paid leave, work-related group personal accident insurance, medical insurance, and long services awards according to BU’s policy, whereas full-time employees in Mainland China are entitled to the Five Social Insurance and One Housing Fund.

• Implementing an Apprentice Training Programme
• Wharf REIC has invested in the continuing education of its technical frontline staff through the Apprentice Training Programme since 2006. During the training period, Wharf REIC provides on-the-job training and sponsors the tuition fee and part-time day release for higher diploma and craft certificate courses in engineering. On completion of the four-year apprenticeship programme, the Apprenticeship Office issues a Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship under the Apprenticeship Ordinance (Cap.47). Staff with good performance are promoted as technicians. 

• Applying the Staff Recognition Programme
• Wharf REIC organised the Staff Recognition Programme to appreciate the contribution of employees in the Group. Under the programme, Wharf REIC established the annual Best Employee Award, Best Frontliner Award and Best Frontline Employee Award to provide recognition and encouragement to staff whose performance goes above and beyond the normal call of duty. Each awardee receives a cash prize and trophy during the annual Christmas party to appreciate their efforts and encourage them to keep being role models for other employees.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 401-2 Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees

2) Disclosure 408-1 Operations and suppliers at significant risk for incidents of child labor

3) Disclosure 409-1 Operations and suppliers at significant risk for incidents of forced or compulsory labor

 

Disclosure 401-2 Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
• Targets: 3.2
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Gender Equality
• Targets: 5.4
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• Targets: 8.5

Disclosure 408-1 Operations and suppliers at significant risk for incidents of child labor corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• Targets: 8.7
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Targets: 16.2

 Disclosure 409-1 Operations and suppliers at significant risk for incidents of forced or compulsory labor corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• Targets: 8.7

 

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, ISEP, 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

See upcoming training dates.
References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Wharf REIC, 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) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Wharf REIC: 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.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2019 Sustainability Report GUESS identified a range of material issues, such as human rights and labour relations, energy efficiency and GHGs, sourcing sustainable materials, diversity and inclusion, water stewardship. Among these, investing in its people to attract and retain talented professionals stands out as a key material issue for GUESS.

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:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process 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 GUESS engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Investors	·      Investor surveys and reports ·      Direct communications ·      Industry ·      Company research
Suppliers	·      Direct communications ·      Surveys, audits and trainings
Communities	·      GUESS Foundation ·      Partnerships and sponsorships ·      Interviews
NGOs	·      Company research ·      Events ·      Direct communications ·      Interviews
Media & Industry	·      Industry associations ·      Industry initiatives, conferences and meetings ·      Interviews ·      Company research
Regulators/ Government	·      Regulatory reporting and compliance ·      Meeting on emerging regulations and government initiatives ·      Work with industry associations
Associates	·      Online surveys ·      Interviews ·      Volunteering and training
Customers	·      Customer surveys and feedback ·      Social media ·      Industry ·      Company research

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics GUESS engaged internal and external stakeholders through a series of interviews and online surveys.

What actions were taken by GUESS to invest in its people to attract and retain talented professionals?

In its 2019 Sustainability Report GUESS reports that it took the following actions for investing in its people to attract and retain talented professionals:

• Offering employee benefits
• GUESS’s benefits package is designed to build long-term associate loyalty and attract top talent. In the U.S., GUESS offers full-time and eligible part-time associates medical, dental and vision coverage, flexible spending accounts, retirement savings plans, and in some cases, bonus and associate stock purchasing plans. GUESS also offers life and accident insurance, disability coverage and associate assistance programmes. In Europe and Canada, benefits are country or province-specific and include benefits such as health care, life and disability insurance, and critical illness coverage.

• Implementing a wellness programme
• The Guess U.S. incentive-based wellness programme promotes a healthy, balanced lifestyle and supports associates’ personal wellness goals. Associates receive points for engaging in health-related activities and are rewarded based on the points they earn. Examples of such point-based activities include gym visits, health cooking demonstrations, nutrition seminars, meditation classes, and biometric screenings. Moreover, in addition to GUESS’s dedicated walking groups, which are a popular part of the wellness programme, GUESS has a fully equipped gym at its headquarters campus offering an extensive line-up of workout equipment and daily classes like cycling and yoga. Associates can also purchase healthy food options including vegetarian meals in the GUESS Café daily, while GUESS’s onsite nutritionist helps associates meet their dietary needs and lifestyle choices. GUESS’s wellness programmes are currently running in Los Angeles, Kentucky, and New York.

• Attracting talented students
• The Guess U.S. summer internship programme is a 10-week, full time programme based at GUESS’s Los Angeles Headquarters. The Programme offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to explore the world of fashion, gain real-world experience and develop skills for a career beyond college. In addition to time spent in the office, interns participate in educational and social activities including focus groups, discussion panels, field trips and workshops. GUESS’s internship programme has launched many successful careers, resulting in job offers for top performing interns.

• Implementing a Corporate Recognition Programme
• GUESS’s Corporate Recognition Programme encourages peer-to peer appreciation and awards excellent performance with company-wide recognition and gifts. Any team member can write a card to thank and recognise another corporate associate. The cards have a detachable section that recipients can tear off and place in a raffle box, to be entered in a monthly draw. Additionally, in Guess U.S. and Guess Canada, GUESS encourages store-level and peer-to-peer recognition through its Performer of the Month programme. GUESS’s focus on recognition of high performing associates allows it to create meaningful career development opportunities, and improve long-term retention.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 401-2 Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees

2) Disclosure 403-6 Promotion of worker health

 

Disclosure 401-2 Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Earnings, wages and benefits

Disclosure 403-6 Promotion of worker health does not correspond to any SDG.

 

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.

FBRH GRI Standards Certified & ISEP recognised Sustainability Course | Venue: London LSE

By registering for the next 2-day FBRH GRI Standards Certified & ISEP recognised course you will be taking the first step in gaining the many benefits of sustainability reporting.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by GUESS, 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) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to GUESS: 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.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2017 Corporate Sustainability Report ASE identified a range of material issues, such as regulatory compliance, waste management, climate change, water resource management, employee health and safety. Among these, promoting employee development stands out as a key material issue for ASE.

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:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process 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 ASE engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Customers	·      Customer quarterly business review meeting ·      Customer audits ·      Technical forums ·      Customer service platform
Employees	·      GM mailbox ·      Intranet website ·      Satisfaction survey on employees ·      Dedicated employee helpline
Shareholders	·      Annual financial reports ·      Quarterly earnings conference ·      Annual shareholder meeting ·      Institutional investors’ conference
Suppliers	·      Supplier questionnaire survey ·      Supplier on-site audits ·      Annual supplier forum ·      Supplier capacity-building activities
Government	·      Communication meetings, conferences, forums or seminars held by government authorities ·      Proactive dialogue with government authorities ·      Reporting through government portal
Community	·      ASE Charity Foundation ·      ASE Cultural and Educational Foundation ·      Employee volunteer activities ·      Community perception surveys and needs assessments
Industry Unions and Associations	·      Organisational member conference ·      Technology forums held by industry unions/associations
Media	·      Press releases ·      Spokesperson interviews ·      Company’s website
NGOs	·      Communication meetings, forums, seminars or workshops held by NGOs ·      Company’s website ·      Volunteer activity cooperation with NGOs

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics ASE carried out a stakeholder survey, with 1,408 questionnaires completed to understand stakeholders’ level of concern for various topics.

What actions were taken by ASE to promote employee development?

In its 2017 Corporate Sustainability Report ASE reports that it took the following actions for promoting employee development:

• Implementing an Employee Career Development System
• In ASE, all facilities need to formulate the following year’s annual training and course programme, according to their own business and organisational needs and adapting to the framework of ASE’s Six-Path Employee Career Development System through four approaches: classroom training, online courses, on the job practice and external training. In 2017, ASE invested around US$2.07 million in employee development programmes, averaging about US$112 per employee. ASE also provide reimbursements for tuition expenses for employees pursuing an advanced degree in their field of work and, in 2017, 132 degrees were sponsored by the tuition reimbursement programme. ASE specially pays attention to the cultivation of internal lecturers, and continues to run the TTT (Train The Trainer) programme year by year. By the end of 2017, ASE had 3,909 internal lecturers and a total of 8,315,240 training hours were completed. The average hours of training and development courses offered was 121 hours per employee.

• Enhancing the effectiveness of training
• In 2017, to enhance the effectiveness of training, ASE launched the V-model training (a training to begin with the end in mind) in its China factories. A variety of approaches and teaching strategies were designed to achieve optimal results and the Kirkpatrick Model was taken into consideration in every step of the design planning, execution and measurement. Most importantly, training results were defined with measurable indicators, to make it possible for trainees to understand the training programmes’ objectives. Once the objectives were ascertained, it was possible to put together available resources to achieve the training purpose.

• Establishing the “Employee Development Dashboard”
• To ensure the continuous improvement of the Group’s overall competitiveness, ASE has established the “Employee Development Dashboard” since 2015 and uses the Kirkpatrick Model to measure the effectiveness of training indicators. The “Employee Care & Development Taskforce Team” of the ASE Corporate Sustainability Committee annually reviews the dashboard indicators at each site and, based on the dashboard performance, each site is required to establish improvement activities for employee training and development.

• Sharing best practices
• ASE organises internal HR seminars and invites university professors to speak at these events. At these seminars, participants contribute ideas and engage in discussions on plans and actions to promote ASE’s sustainable development. In 2017, ASE carried out two seminars on corporate sustainability and human resource improvement practices in Taiwan, and also held a V-Model training workshop in China.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 404-1 Average hours of training per year per employee

2) Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs

 

Disclosure 404-1 Average hours of training per year per employee corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
• Business theme: Employee training and education
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Business theme: Gender equality
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Employee training and education

Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Employee training and education

 

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, ISEP, 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

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by ASE, 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) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to ASE: 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.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2018 Sustainable Business Report Scotiabank identified a range of material issues, such as transparency of operations and services, human rights, data privacy and security, creation of products with environmental benefits, employee health and well-being, community investment and philanthropy. Among these, promoting employee growth stands out as a key material issue for Scotiabank.

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:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process 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 Scotiabank engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Customers	·      Public engagement ·      Government and regulator engagement ·      The Pulse (NPS), ongoing customer feedback ·      Office of the Ombudsman; complaint resolution process ·      Social media ·      Contact Centre ·      Conference attendance and presentations
Employees	·      Online through internal social networking platform “Workplace,” email and intranet ·      Town halls and team meetings ·      Annual engagement survey ·      Assessment of benefits used to determine most valued ·      Compensation benchmarking
Shareholders, Investors, Rating Agencies and Research Analysts	·      First ever All-Bank Investor Day ran in February 2018 ·      Management participation in investor conferences ·      Shareholder calls and one-on-one meetings ·      Shareholder proposals and enquiries ·      Annual meeting and quarterly earnings update calls
Government	·      Dialogue with policy makers and government officials ·      Public submissions to government consultations ·      Contributed to Canadian government External Panel on Sustainable Finance interim report ·      Member of joint public-private sector Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG) of the Institute of International Finance
Suppliers	·      Sustainability assessment of prospective suppliers ·      Third Party Management (TPM) Programme
NGOs, Community Development Organisations and Academia	·      Community partnerships ·      Conferences, events and webinars ·      Employee volunteerism and corporate volunteer days ·      Work with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) on human rights
Global and National Sustainability Organisations	·      Public support of the Financial Stability Board’s Secretariat Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ·      Participant in UN Global Compact Canada initiative on gender equality

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Scotiabank engaged with its stakeholders through a dedicated digital platform in which stakeholders were asked to rank the importance of various topics. Responses were collected globally from employees, customers, investors, government, non-government organisations (NGOs), academic and philanthropic partners.

What actions were taken by Scotiabank to promote employee growth?

In its 2018 Sustainable Business Report Scotiabank reports that it took the following actions for promoting employee growth:

• Offering employees learning opportunities
• To develop future leaders, Scotiabank offers employees the opportunity to take advantage of thousands of learning activities through its online portal. The portal is available in English, Spanish and French, and includes activities such as classroom learning, e-learning, and virtual instructor-led courses. In 2018, Scotiabank employees participated in more than 2.7 million courses. Additionally, iLEAD, Scotiabank’s global management and leadership development programme, provides employees with tailored support at every stage of their career. In 2018, Scotiabank employees participated in over 40,000 leadership courses. In addition, Scotiabank’s Leadership Resource Planning Process actively identifies and develops future leaders to make sure that the right people are ready to move into key leadership roles.

• Implementing an Annual Performance Plan
• Scotiabank’s Annual Performance Plan enables employees to set, align, track and report progress against their performance and development goals, and also provides a consistent measurement framework that allows managers to effectively recognise and reward high performance. To support its high-performance culture, Scotiabank puts a strong emphasis on regular coaching conversations, to make sure employees are supported in pursuing their goals. Scotiabank is committed to providing employees with opportunities to grow and is proud that, in 2018, approximately 19,000 employees moved into new roles within the Bank globally, filling 44% of all vacancies. Scotiabank also hired, in 2018, more than 3,000 interns in Canada through partnerships with top Canadian universities.

• Helping employees adapt to the digital economy
• Over the next decade, Scotiabank will be investing CAD$250 million to help its employees adapt to the digital economy. Accordingly, Scotiabank is carrying out extensive research, to map out roles predicted to change and identify critical current and future skills needed to be successful in a rapidly changing business climate. Scotiabank’s goal is to build, curate and provide learning that will bridge the competency gap for employees, in both current and future roles. Scotiabank focuses on creating an environment that fosters curiosity, learning agility and personal ownership for development. To enable continuous opportunities to develop in-demand skills, Scotiabank will also be launching a new Scotiabank Virtual University available to all employees, with pilots planned in 2019 in Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru and will also offer training through accredited institutions, with a focus on new and enhanced skills to prepare employees for emerging roles.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 404-1 Average hours of training per year per employee

2) Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs

3) Disclosure 404-3 Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews

 

Disclosure 404-1 Average hours of training per year per employee corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
• Business theme: Employee training and education
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Business theme: Gender equality
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Employee training and education

Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Employee training and education

Disclosure 404-3 Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Business theme: Gender equality
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Employee training and education

 

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, ISEP, 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

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Scotiabank, 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) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Scotiabank: 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.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2017 Sustainability Report Hang Lung Properties identified a range of material issues, such as legal compliance, ethics and integrity, energy efficiency, occupational health and safety, customer health, safety and security, risk and crisis management. Among these, supporting employees’ growth stands out as a key material issue for Hang Lung Properties.

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:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process 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 Hang Lung Properties engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Employees	·      Biannual two-way performance appraisal ·      Biannual town hall meetings ·      Breakfast/ lunch with senior executives ·      Staff focus group discussions ·      Team building activities ·      Staff intranet and corporate newsletter
Investors & Shareholders	·      Sustainability reporting, benchmarks and indices ·      Investors interviews, meetings and site visits ·      Annual General Meeting
Tenants & Customers	·      Customer engagement surveys ·      Tenant satisfaction surveys and interviews ·      Social media and corporate newsletter
Suppliers & Contractors	·      Regular project meetings ·      Regular screening and performance evaluation ·      Focus group discussion ·      Online survey
Local Communities	·      Flagship community partnership programmes ·      Community events ·      Community consultation ·      Corporate newsletter
NGO partners, Academia and Industry Associations	·      Online survey ·      Sustainability Innovation Workshop ·      Conferences, seminars and networking events
Governments & Regulators	·      Regular meetings ·      Site visits by government officials ·      Government consultations
Media	·      Media interviews and meetings ·      Media announcement and press release ·      Social media

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify material topics Hang Lung Properties conducted in-depth interviews with 14 representatives from key stakeholder groups that included senior executives, investors, tenants and NGO partners. To prioritise the topics, Hang Lung Properties carried out an online survey completed by 202 respondents from all internal and external stakeholder groups.

What actions were taken by Hang Lung Properties to support employees’ growth?

In its 2017 Sustainability Report Hang Lung Properties reports that it took the following actions for supporting employees’ growth:

• Promoting learning and employee development
• Through its learning and development division, Academy 66, Hang Lung Properties provides diversified, internal and external training to employees to equip them with latest knowledge and skills so that they thrive in an ever-changing business environment. Types of training provided include:
  • Onboarding programme
  • Language skills
  • Customer service
  • Professional development
  • Leadership development
  • Health and safety
  • Regulatory compliance
• In addition to face-to-face training, Hang Lung Properties provides interactive online courses for core modules such as crisis management and IT security, on its e-learning platform e-Academy 66, launched in 2016. This platform enables employees to access courses at any time, through their computer or mobile phone. In 2017, Hang Lung Properties also rolled out an online course on integrity, offering case studies and best practice guidelines to counter corruption at work. Responding to employees’ requests for more personalised training, moving towards tailored personal development programmes, Hang Lung Properties encourages employees and their supervisors to discuss and co-determine the types of training that are beneficial to the employees and the Group, in the one-on-one biannual appraisal. Hang Lung Properties’ Academy 66 then arranges customised training programmes, according to the priority training needs identified. Additionally, Hang Lung Properties provides sponsorship for employees to apply for membership of professional bodies and pursue external training that will enhance their performance and support their career development.

• Fostering knowledge transfer
• Hang Lung Properties seeks to strengthen its internal capacity by fostering knowledge transfer, sharing best practices and exchanging viewpoints within departments and across different levels of staff. In 2017, Hang Lung Properties organised two Group-level conferences, including legal and digital marketing. In addition, Hang Lung Properties accelerates the internal movement of staff with appropriate capabilities, nurturing them as future leaders. This facilitates Hang Lung Properties’ succession planning, particularly for key management team members. In 2017, Hang Lung Properties stepped up its efforts in knowledge management by rolling out Library 66 in Hong Kong, which houses collections that are instrumental to employees’ work, such as architecture, business, economics, history and politics for employees to borrow. Library 66 also plays a pivotal role in accumulating and passing on the past knowledge, experience and development history of the Group as Hang Lung Properties continues to expand the collections.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs

 

Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Employee training and education

 

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, ISEP, 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

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Hang Lung Properties, 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) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Hang Lung Properties: 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.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2017 Sustainability Report Stantec identified a range of material issues, such as economic performance, energy use, environmental compliance, occupational health and safety, non-discrimination, anti-corruption, customer privacy. Among these, promoting employee development stands out as a key material issue for Stantec.

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:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process 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 Stantec engages with: 

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Employees	·      Employee engagement surveys ·      Focus groups ·      One-on-one meetings ·      Integrity Hotline (third party) ·      Post-acquisition surveys ·      Diversity and Inclusion councils ·      Career Development Performance Reviews ·      Employee Resource Groups
Clients	·      Regular meetings with account managers ·      Ad-hoc meetings and calls with account and project managers and senior leaders ·      Brown-bag get-togethers to share lessons learned and best practices ·      Client surveys, questionnaires, and requests for proposals ·      Debriefs and bidder conferences for proposed projects ·      Informal discussions at industry and professional association events ·      Joint participation on technical committees
Investors	·      Annual General Meetings ·      Earnings conference calls ·      Investor conference presentations ·      Ad-hoc meetings and calls with Investor Relations and Finance teams ·      Investor disclosure requests ·      Industry research and publications ·      Informal discussions at industry and professional association events
Communities	·      Stantec in the Community Week (across the Company) ·      Locally driven engagement initiatives (varies by region and locale)
Subcontractors and business partners	·      Subcontractor prequalifications ·      Joint project work ·      Ad-hoc meetings with project managers and senior leaders
Vendors	·      Contract negotiations ·      Quarterly business reviews ·      Ad-hoc meetings with Procurement team
Regulators	·      Interactions during project work ·      Informal discussions at industry and professional association events ·      Joint participation on technical committees
Industry	·      Informal discussions at industry and professional association events ·      Joint participation on technical committees

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Stantec used various tools and processes to engage with key stakeholders, asking them to identify the sustainability topics that mattered most to them.

What actions were taken by Stantec to promote employee development?

In its 2017 Sustainability Report Stantec reports that it took the following actions for promoting employee development:

• Offering learning opportunities
• Stantec provides both internal (e.g. leadership development, project management, commercial acumen) and external training (e.g. job-specific skills, technical skills development, graduate programmes, conferences), also providing opportunities for employees to be coached or mentored. Additionally, Stantec offers knowledge communities and experiential learning like new initiatives, challenging work, and stretch assignments. Virtual learning options give employees flexibility when scheduling learning opportunities and minimise Stantec’s carbon footprint, by reducing business travel. Stantec’s Learning and Development team designs courses and workshops and delivers them to its global workforce. Accredited as an IACET (International Association for Continuing Education and Training) provider, Stantec offers high-quality instructor-led learning opportunities that follow industry-recognised instructional design principles. Content is measurable and based on learning outcomes and objectives, enabling Stantec to provide professional development hours or CEUs (continuing education units) to support employees’ professional licensing requirements. In 2017, Stantec provided integration-focused learning opportunities for nearly 1,400 Canada and US employees from recently acquired companies as well as leadership, technical, and business skills learning programmes in its Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Latin America geographies.

• Providing mentoring
• Stantec believes in learning through exposure and has a mentor-protégé framework that connects mentors with employees at various stages in their development. The mentor-protégé relationship is designed to meet the protégé’s personal and professional needs, with the framework providing best practices, advice, and hands-on worksheets for the mentor and protégé to build a relationship that meets their individual goals.

• Encouraging employee participation in professional associations
• Stantec encourages employee participation in professional and technical associations and societies. Employees are encouraged to obtain their professional registrations, as soon as they are eligible. Financial assistance is often provided by Stantec for memberships and required exams and in many geographies, employees seeking degrees in relevant fields of study can get their tuition reimbursed.

• Providing performance feedback
• Stantec’s annual multidimensional performance appraisals help employees evaluate successes of the previous year and set clearly defined goals and objectives for the coming year. Through assessments, reviews, and coaching from supervisors, employees measure achievements, review their contributions, identify career development and training opportunities, and establish strategic performance objectives.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs

2) Disclosure 404-3 Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews

 

Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Employee training and education

Disclosure 404-3 Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Business theme: Gender equality
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Employee training and education

 

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, ISEP, 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

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Stantec, 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) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Stantec: 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.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2018 Sustainability Report Wharf identified a range of material issues, such as customer privacy, environmental compliance, marketing and labelling, socioeconomic compliance, training and education. Among these, creating an inclusive and positive working environment stands out as a key material issue for Wharf.

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:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process 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 Wharf engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Employees	·      Surveys and focus groups ·      Town hall meetings ·      Intranet and internal publications
Shareholders, investors and financial analysts	·      General meetings ·      Financial Reports, announcements and circular(s) ·      Corporate communications and company websites ·      Focus groups
Customers	·      Surveys and focus groups ·      Social media platforms ·      Service centres and hotlines
Government, regulatory bodies and industry associations	·      Regulatory taskforces and committees ·      Industry operational meetings ·      Forums and conferences
Media	·      Media briefings and luncheons ·      Executive interviews ·      Instant internet updates
Business partners (including suppliers, contractors and sub-contractors)	·      Tendering ·      Operational meetings ·      Contract and performance review ·      Focus groups
Local community	·      Community investment programmes ·      Company visits ·      Social media platforms
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)	·      Programme partnership meetings ·      Regular programme review and assessment

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Wharf surveyed stakeholders online, to rank the materiality of various sustainability issues.

What actions were taken by Wharf to create an inclusive and positive working environment?

In its 2018 Sustainability Report Wharf reports that it took the following actions for creating an inclusive and positive working environment:

• Promoting regular two-way communication
• Wharf seeks to understand its employees through engagement activities and regular two-way communication. Communication channels include internal newsletters, staff surveys, luncheons, town hall meetings, and the company intranet. Additionally, Wharf’s staff grievances policy also helps to resolve labour issues in the workplace. Wharf records all grievances and corresponding actions, to refine its human resources management strategy.

• Improving employee wellbeing
• Wharf cares about its employees’ overall wellness, both physical and mental. Individual BUs (business units) offer complimentary pre-employment and regular health checks, counselling services, outpatient and hospitalisation coverage, special dental service rates and subsidised meals, along with nursery rooms to help balance employees’ work and personal life, enabling them to meet their family responsibilities. Wharf also arranges staff engagement events like recreational activities, outings, interest classes, and team-building events to help employees relax from work. In 2018, investment properties organised a series of thematic wellbeing activities around the theme of Happy Appreciation. Participants went through different appreciation journeys that included the following:
  • Better Me: Chinese Calligraphy is an art form with long history. Participants learnt to keep a calm mind to carefully decide, construct and write each stroke, which in turn strengthened their mind.
  • Thank Others: Wharf organised museum visits for employees to enjoy with their family members. Wharf ‘s employees could spend more quality time with their children, and nurture closer parent-child relations.
  • Admire Beauty: Wharf organised a ukulele class for its employees to learn this special musical instrument and open their ears to the beautiful music.
  • Honour Tradition: Chinese paper-cutting is a complicated traditional art, which requires patience and craftsmanship. Wharf arranged a learning class for its employees, to enhance their understanding of this tradition.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 401-2 Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees

2) Disclosure 402-1 Minimum notice periods regarding operational changes

 

Disclosure 401-2 Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Earnings, wages and benefits

Disclosure 402-1 Minimum notice periods regarding operational changes corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Labor/management relations

 

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, ISEP, 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

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Wharf, 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) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Wharf: 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.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2018 Sustainability Report Semperit identified a range of material issues, such as occupational safety and health protection, energy, sustainability in the supply chain, raw materials, innovation. Among these, promoting employee development stands out as a key material issue for Semperit.

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:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process 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 Semperit engages with: 

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Shareholders, capital market	·      Individual and group interviews ·      Conferences ·      Information events ·      Road shows ·      Telephone meetings ·      Annual General Meeting ·      Annual press conference
Employees	·      Employee dialogues and surveys ·      Internal media ·      Townhall meetings ·      Staff meetings ·      Mentoring programmes ·      Group conference ·      Management calls ·      Employee events
Customers	·      Customer meetings ·      Customer surveys ·      Social media ·      Fairs ·      Media
Suppliers, business partners	·      Dialogue ·      Events ·      Trainings ·      Speeches ·      Supplier surveys ·      Audits
Civil society, NGOs	·      Dialogue ·      One-to-one meetings ·      Specialist events ·      Answers to inquiries ·      Media
Local stakeholders	·      Personal conversations ·      Factory tours ·      Neighbourhood meetings ·      Press conferences
Political decision makers	·      Events ·      Submissions
Science, research	·      Round tables ·      R&D cooperation ·      Speeches ·      Discussions
Media	·      Press meetings ·      Releases and conferences ·      Fairs ·      Interviews ·      Individual interviews ·      Phone calls ·      Informal exchange
Networks, associations	·      Participation of Management Board members, managers or technical experts in initiatives, forums and events ·      Memberships in initiatives

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics Semperit engaged with its stakeholders through a qualitative survey of 52 stakeholders across all stakeholder groups and also performed a quantitative assessment of key sustainability topics, that included the assessment of 18 external and 22 internal stakeholders.

What actions were taken by Semperit to promote employee development?

In its 2018 Sustainability Report Semperit reports that it took the following actions for promoting employee development:

• Implementing a global training system
• As early as 2014, the global human resources IT system “SuccessFactors” was implemented by Semperit, which served primarily for processing the most important employee and position data. Over the years, the system was gradually developed and, in 2017, expanded by a learning management system and a career platform. The online training offer is constantly growing and now includes language training, compliance courses and, since 2018, a sustainability module. Every new employee is assigned a customised training programme as part of the onboarding process and the annual employee appraisals’ content and objectives are also documented on the IT platform.

• Launching a Talent Academy
• Future experts and managers receive special promotion within the scope of Semperit’s Talent Academy. Based on a potential analysis, three specific module units follow and, in 2018, over 30 young employees from Europe, Asia and North America were nominated to qualify for the next Talent Academy starting in early 2019, within a development centre.

• Applying a mentoring system
• Another part of Semperit’s human resource policy is the mentoring system for certain employee groups or the training of young specialists. Additionally, Semperit’s cooperation with technical schools, universities and universities of applied sciences was continued in the reporting year, with numerous diploma theses, dissertations and internships completed. The international exchange within the Group will also be intensified through an expatriate programme – in 2017, 17 expatriates were on duty, while 14 were on duty in 2018.

• Promoting know-how transfer
• In addition to employee training and further education, the exchange of knowledge and experience within the Semperit Group is strongly encouraged. Regular international meetings, the so-called Segment Days, and Group Conferences, which take place annually, contribute to a high degree of know-how transfer and ensure an exchange between all levels.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs

Disclosure 404-2 Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Employee training and education

 

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, ISEP, 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

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by Semperit, 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) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

Note to Semperit: 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.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2016 Social Responsibility Report IIAC identified a range of material issues, such as anti-corruption, compliance with social regulations, customer safety and health, compliance with environmental regulations, customer privacy protection. Among these, improving employees’ quality of life stands out as a key material issue for IIAC.

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:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process 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 IIAC engages with:

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
The People/National Assembly	·      Homepage ·      Corporate news letter ·      Business report ·      Investor relations ·      ALIO
Government	·      Homepage ·      Corporate news letter ·      Business report ·      Investor relations ·      ALIO
Media	·      Homepage ·      Corporate news letter ·      Business report ·      Investor relations ·      ALIO
Local community	·      Volunteers ·      Committee for specialised business for local schools
Employee/family	·      Conversation with CEO ·      Vision workshop ·      VOE ·      Labour-management meeting ·      HR Ombudsman
Labour union	·      Conversation with CEO ·      Vision workshop ·      VOE ·      Labour-management meeting ·      HR Ombudsman
Business partners	·      Meeting with representatives ·      Middle management meeting ·      Site management meeting with 2nd tier business partners ·      Communication workshop
In-house retailers	·      Service improvement committee ·      Airline operation committee ·      Business facility operator meeting ·      Free-trade zone operation committee
Airport users including passengers	·      VOC customer committee ·      SNS

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics IIAC engaged with its stakeholders through an on-line stakeholder survey among business partners/ construction companies, employees, in-house retailers/ logistics companies, customers, the local community and airline/ ground staff. Stakeholders were asked to rank issues according to importance, on a 5-point scale.

What actions were taken by IIAC to improve employees’ quality of life?

In its 2016 Social Responsibility Report IIAC reports that it took the following actions for improving employees’ quality of life:

• Reducing customary overtimes
• IIAC seeks to reduce customary overtimes so as to improve employees’ quality of life and create a happier workplace. Accordingly, IIAC implemented the refresh and recharge (5 consecutive days of leave) vacations, to encourage its employees to take days off, and designated every Wednesday as no-overtime day. Additionally, IIAC introduced the Smart Work System, increasing work efficiency by dispensing of unnecessary work procedures. IIAC is monitoring these programmes, to make sure that they are effectively improving employees’ quality of life.

• Offering flexible working hours
• To support a balance between work and family IIAC implements various forms of flexible working hours, to cater to the needs of child-rearing employees, long-distance commuters, students, and employees with health concerns. Application procedures for flexible working hours were, however, complicated, and IIAC established the one-stop flexible working hour registration system, to facilitate application and approval. IIAC also updated its flexible working hour system, to improve its effectiveness. Before the update, flexible working hours had employees work 3 – 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. After the update, employees can choose to work on any 3 days of the week, for a total of 25 hours.

• Creating a family-friendly working environment
• IIAC has created and supports a family-friendly culture that enables its employees to balance work and family. Accordingly, IIAC has implemented 119 dinner campaign and family days to create a culture conducive to family life, and has also implemented the “change over plan” (enabling transition from maternity leave to child-rearing leave), installed nursery homes at the workplace, and reduced working hours for pregnant employees. In addition, IIAC encourages its male employees to also take parental leave, to lessen the burden of child care.

• Promoting occupational health and safety
• IIAC implements various support programmes to improve employees’ occupational health and safety. For example, IIAC established the Occupational Health and Safety Committee, jointly run by labour and management, which makes key decisions regarding employee health and safety in order to prevent industrial accidents and provide a safe work environment. Additionally, IIAC provides safety education to employees for at least one hour every month on the Safety Check Day (more than 3 hours each quarter). IIAC also provides professional services that include an annual medical check-up and a biannual complete check-up, follow-up examination for select conditions, and consultation with doctors. In addition, IIAC has introduced the EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) to measure and manage employees’ stress levels (8 times a year), to care for employees’ mental health as well.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:

1) Disclosure 401-2 Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees

2) Disclosure 401-3 Parental leave

3) Disclosure 403-1 Workers representation in formal joint management–worker health and safety committees

 

Disclosure 401-2 Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Earnings, wages and benefits

Disclosure 401-3 Parental leave corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Business theme: Parental leave
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Parental leave

Disclosure 403-1 Workers representation in formal joint management–worker health and safety committees corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Occupational health and safety

 

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, ISEP, 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

See upcoming training dates.

 

References:

1) This case study is based on published information by IIAC, 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 IIAC: 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.

What are the material issues the company has identified?

In its 2017 Sustainable Value Report the BMW Group identified a range of material issues, such as fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions of vehicles, product safety, environmental and social standards in the supply chain / sustainable sourcing, occupational health and safety, pollutant emissions of vehicles. Among these, promoting work-life balance among employees stands out as a key material issue for the BMW Group.

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:

“The reporting organization shall identify its stakeholders, and explain how it has responded to their reasonable expectations and interests.”

Stakeholders must be consulted in the process 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 the BMW Group engages with:  

Stakeholder Group	Method of engagement
Capital market	·      Dialogue, conferences and technology workshops with investors and analysts on the strategic topics of electromobility and autonomous driving
Suppliers	·      Dialogue in the context of industry initiatives ·      Joint events ·      Training courses ·      Presentations ·      Supplier risk assessments ·      Learning from Suppliers forum
Networks and associations	·      Participation of Board members, technical experts or subject specialists in a number of initiatives, forums and events ·      Memberships of initiatives
Policymakers	·      Workshops on key topics ·      Regular “Green Tables” with German parliamentarians
Research	·      Round tables ·      Visits from universities ·      Lectures ·      Discussions ·      BMW Group Dialogue with students
Media	·      Dialogue within the context of press trips ·      Press releases ·      Informational events on new products ·      Test drives ·      Trade fairs
Business partners	·      Dialogue with sales organisations and the association of German BMW dealerships ·      Business conferences ·      Dialogue via the central coordinating units of importers
Local stakeholders	·      One-on-one dialogue ·      Plant visits ·      Neighbourhood dialogue ·      Press events
Civil society and NGOs	·      Face-to-face meetings/dialogue ·      Responding to enquiries
Employees	·      Dialogue with employees and managers ·      Employee survey ·      Idea management ·      Internal media
Customers	·      Customer survey ·      Social media ·      Trade fairs ·      Media

How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues

To identify and prioritise material topics the BMW Group conducted telephone interviews with 13 representative stakeholders, who included customers, suppliers, investors, authorities, NGOs and scientists from different regions of the world.

What actions were taken by the BMW Group to promote work-life balance among employees?

In its 2017 Sustainable Value Report the BMW Group reports that it took the following actions for promoting work-life balance among employees:

• Offering flexible working hours
• Through the concept of the working time account, BMW Group employees can exert some influence over their working hours. Office employees can take advantage of flexitime, for example, or production staff can trade shifts or reduce their hours to gain some free days. In addition to statutory working time arrangements in some countries, such as part-time work or parental or caregiver leave, the BMW Group also offers employees options such as sabbaticals or the “Vollzeit Select” (Full-time Select) scheme, to provide further attractive ways for employees to individually plan working hours. Sabbaticals can be arranged by employees worldwide, and the BMW Group’s “Vollzeit Select” working time tool allows employees in Germany and Austria to take 20 additional days of leave each year with corresponding adjustments to their salaries, without any complicated red tape. Demand for these options continued to increase in 2017, showing that the offer of flexible working time arrangements met a real need.

• Enabling mobile working
• In 2017, more than 31,700 BMW Group employees, or approximately 63% of those working outside the direct production areas, chose to work at least one partial and/or full day on a mobile basis. This represents a renewed increase, compared to 2016. By organising their working hours more flexibly, employees can, for example, better integrate childcare or caring for dependents into their everyday work routine. Outside of agreed working hours, employees have the right to switch off and be unavailable. Mobile working at the BMW Group, signifies a culture of trust, and relies on constructive dialogue.

• Supporting employees through family services
• The BMW Group has, for years, been offering its employees family support services. In Germany, for example, experts from the family support service help employees organise childcare and care for dependents as well as arrange household services. In 2017, the BMW Group responded to 830 employee requests of this nature, 160 of them dealing with the issue of care. Additionally, the BMW Group has set up childcare services at many of its German locations and, with the support of parents’ initiatives, was able to accommodate, in 2017, more than 460 children aged zero to six years.

Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?

The GRI Standard addressed in this case is: Disclosure 401-3 Parental leave

Disclosure 401-3 Parental leave corresponds to:

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Business theme: Parental leave
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Business theme: Parental leave

 

78% of the world’s 250 largest companies report in accordance with the GRI Standards

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References:

1) This case study is based on published information by the BMW Group, 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) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/

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