At Slalom, people always come first. We embody this in our Human Rights and Labor practices globally. Slalom’s Human Rights and Labor commitments are grounded in Slalom’s 10 core values and the 10 principles of the United Nations Global Compact (U.N. GC). Slalom anchors Human Rights and Labor to our purpose of building better tomorrows for all.
The ten U.N. Global Compact Principles state that business should:[1]
Human Rights
Principle 1: Support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights.
Principle 2: Ensure they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
Labor
Principle 3: Uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
Principle 4: Work to eliminate all forms of forced and compulsory labor.
Principle 5: Work to abolish child labor.
Principle 6: Work to eliminate discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Environment
Principle 7: Support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.
Principle 8: Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.
Principle 9: Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
Anti-Corruption
Principle 10: Work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.
Purpose:
The purpose of this Human Rights and Labor Statement (“the Statement”) is to affirm Slalom’s commitment to respect human and labor rights. Slalom actively works to integrate this commitment and its fundamental principles into the policies and operations across our organization.
Scope:
This Statement applies to all of us at Slalom. When we say “we,” “our,” or “us” this includes Slalom team members,[2] and board members. This Statement covers 100% of Slalom’s brands and locations globally. Where appropriate, we also encourage our suppliers, vendors, alliance partners, clients, and community stakeholders to respect this Statement. This Statement covers the following four areas:
People
- Right to Labor: The right of all people to just and favorable terms of employment.
- Right of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (ID&E): The right of all people to be respected and valued for their differences, with equitable opportunities and outcomes.
- Right to Safety: The right of all people to enjoy a physically and psychologically safe work environment.
Community
- Right of the Children: The right of all children to health, education, and equal protection.
- Right to the Elimination of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery: The right of all people to be free of any form of compulsory, trafficked, bonded, or forced labor.
- Right of the Communities: The right of all communities to thrive and grow with economic opportunity free of dependencies.
Technology
- Right to Data Privacy: The right of all people to data privacy and the highest standard of confidentiality.
- Right to Responsible Technology: The right of all people to have technology that is developed and used for good, inclusive, fit-for-purpose, and accessible.
Planet
- Right to a Healthy Environment: The right of all people to a healthy environment which can sustain life in the future.
Statement
People
Right to Labor: The right of all people to just and favorable terms of employment.
Slalom Team Members: All of our team members are treated with respect and dignity. Slalom prohibits physical, sexual, psychological, or verbal harassment, abuse, or other forms of intimidation. In addition, Slalom prohibits discrimination in employment, including hiring, compensation, advancement, discipline, termination, or retirement. Slalom is committed to complying with all applicable law regarding equal employment opportunity including those in protected classes (as defined by the specific jurisdiction in which Slalom is operating). Attention is paid to the rights of team members most vulnerable to discrimination. Due to the nature of Slalom’s operations, entitlement to compensation for overtime or consecutive work is based on location, employment type, and status. While Slalom aims to ensure appropriate rest periods for all team members, there may be business needs or client requirements that may impact a team member’s rest period from time to time. When applicable and legally required, Slalom team members may receive special remuneration or time off for overtime work and team members may receive a minimum of 24 hours rest within a timeframe of seven consecutive days or another similar arrangement determined by the team member’s People Leader. Higher minimum rest periods may apply and the definition of overtime may vary in certain jurisdictions.
Slalom Suppliers: All of Slalom’s suppliers are held to a code of conduct. Where we have concerns that the products or services supplied to us are directly linked to human rights violations, we will use this Statement, as well as our Responsible Sourcing Policy, to communicate our requirements and expectations to the relevant suppliers and work to mitigate the impact as appropriate and/or terminate the relationship, if necessary. Suppliers are free to exercise their right to form and/or join trade unions or refrain from doing so and to bargain collectively. For more information, see Slalom’s Responsible Sourcing Policy.
Slalom Clients: For our clients, where we have concerns that our work will be linked to human rights or labor violations, we will discuss our concerns with relevant parties, seek to mitigate the impacts, and only proceed if we are comfortable that our work will not contribute to human rights violations. We will be prepared to uphold Slalom values and universal human rights principles if we believe engagement with a customer might jeopardize these values.
Right of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (IDE): The right of all people to be respected and valued for their differences, with equitable opportunities and outcomes.
ID&E is not just something we do, but rather who we are as a company. We value the uniqueness of every individual and want each person to bring their authentic self to work. Our goal is to create a thriving, inclusive, and diverse team where everyone has the opportunity to love their work and life. Slalom is an equal opportunity employer, and strives to find ways to attract, develop, and retain highly qualified individuals representing the diverse communities in which we live. Slalom complies with all applicable law for hiring diverse talent, including those in protected classes (as defined by the specific jurisdiction in which Slalom is operating).
Slalom believes the Land Rights of Communities, including indigenous peoples, should be protected, respected, and promoted. All negotiations regarding their property or land, including the use of and transfers of it, should adhere to the principles of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), contract transparency, and disclosure.
Right to Safety: The right of all people to enjoy a physically and psychologically safe work environment.
Slalom complies with all applicable law regarding team member health and safety. Slalom employs proper measures to ensure safe working conditions. Slalom team members are responsible for using proper health and safety practices at all times. Slalom provides assistance to support the mental health and wellbeing of its team members.
Community
Right of the Children: The right of all children to health, education, and equal protection.
Slalom complies with all applicable law regarding and condemning child and forced labor. Keeping our commitment to community at the forefront, Slalom believes every child has the right to health, education, and equal protection. We expect our suppliers, vendors, clients, and communities to uphold this commitment and cooperate with law enforcement authorities to actively report and address instances of alleged child labor. Under no circumstances will Slalom employ individuals under the local legal minimum age for work in any jurisdiction in which Slalom is operating.
Right to the Elimination of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery: The right of all people to be free of any form of compulsory, trafficked, bonded, or forced labor.
Slalom is committed to ensuring any part of our business and supply chains remain free of modern slavery or human trafficking. Under no circumstances will Slalom knowingly use unwilling labor, whether in the form of compulsory, trafficked, bonded, or forced labor. Mental and physical coercion, slavery and human trafficking are prohibited.
Right of the Communities: The right of all communities to thrive and grow with economic opportunity free of dependencies.
Slalom is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work. We believe in a “do no harm” approach. We will avoid causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts through our own activities and address such impacts if they do occur in a timely and appropriate manner. Slalom will not engage in community and charitable projects which are unsustainable or create dependencies. Slaloms seeks to build capacity in our communities with solutions that are designed and led by the people who will benefit the most.
Technology
Right to Data Privacy: The right of all people to data privacy and the highest standards of confidentiality.
Slalom believes data privacy is a fundamental human right and underpins human dignity. Slalom is dedicated to proactively embedding foundational principles of privacy to protect our team members, suppliers, vendors, alliance partners, clients, community members, and those whose data we obtain through our work. Data should be obtained, collected, analyzed, or otherwise used through lawful, legitimate, and fair means with the highest standards of confidentiality and moral and ethical conduct. Those whose data is being utilized have the right to understand how it will be used, correct any errors, and revoke consent for use.
Right to Responsible Technology: The right of all people to have technology developed that is used for good, inclusive, fit-for-purpose, and accessible.
Slalom believes a human-centered approach is required for developing technology, including artificial intelligence, to unlock potential for today, tomorrow, and beyond. We believe technology should be accessible to all, provide opportunity to all, and be representative of all. Slalom seeks to build solutions that keep humans at the forefront, avoid bias, and protect privacy.
Planet
Right to a Healthy Environment: The right of all people to a healthy environment which can sustain life in the future.
Slalom has committed to a healthy environment through our Vision 2030 goals and joining the Climate Pledge. We will actively take steps to reduce emissions and consumption to support global, science-based targets. Where appropriate, we will also encourage our suppliers, vendors, alliance partners, clients, and community stakeholders to take this stance.
Governance of this Statement
It is the responsibility of all Slalom team members to adhere to this Statement. Slalom will review and update this Statement annually to reflect our commitment to upholding Human Rights and Labor principles. We will actively communicate this Statement to our Slalom team members, suppliers, vendors, alliance partners, clients, and community stakeholders.
Reporting
Any ethics concerns can be addressed via Slalom’s Ethics Helpline. Slalom strictly prohibits all forms of unlawful retaliation, including any form of discipline, reprisal, intimidation, or other form of retaliation for participating in any activity protected by law.
The Slalom Ethics Helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online at //slalom.ethicspoint.com. The Ethics Helpline is for reporting all potential breaches of Slalom policies, including Human Rights and Labor violations. Reporters may remain anonymous. All team members, suppliers, vendors, alliance partners, clients, and community stakeholders have Slalom’s promise that their comments will be heard.
Monitoring
To intake and track reports received, Slalom has engaged a third party, Navex, to maintain confidential reporting using a tool called EthicsPoint. This system is hosted on a non-Slalom server for confidentiality and conflict of interest purposes. The hosting provider is ISO 27001 Certified, and the EthicsPoint system completes a System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 audit annually.
On an annual basis, Slalom tracks the number of reports of violation of this Statement that have been received, those that were referred for investigation with findings, and those that were dismissed without findings. Slalom tracks the type of issue to identify if there are any trends or clusters to take corrective action.
Investigating
Slalom takes all allegations of behavior in violation of this Statement seriously. Reports are available only to specific individuals within Slalom who are charged with evaluating the report based on the type of violation and location of the incident.
Slalom will investigate all instances of questionable or unethical behavior reported in good faith promptly, fairly, and thoroughly. Information about matters reported to the Slalom Ethics Helpline will be treated as confidential and will only be shared with those who have a legitimate need to know. If the report requires additional involvement or skills that are not possessed inside of Slalom, Slalom will engage a third-party investigation firm to assist with the matter. At the close of the investigation, appropriate actions and resolutions will be considered.
Violation
In the event that our business activities are suspected of causing or contributing to Human Rights and Labor violations, Slalom will investigate, address and respond to the concerns raised and take appropriate corrective action. Any team member or board member, who Slalom determines has committed an individual violation of this Statement or has knowingly and willingly filed a false claim will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination of employment, or legal action.
[1] The Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact are derived from: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.
[2] Team members refer to all Slalom employees, including those that are part-time, temporary, and project employees.