SA 8000 Social Accountability

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and investment analysts scrutinize organizations to assess that minimum standards are upheld in the workplace and ensure that workers are getting a fair deal.

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These and other stakeholders, including your employees, are increasingly evaluating your organization’s commitment to ensuring a fair and equitable working environment and transparent business practices.

 

This climate means that your organization will be called upon more and more to demonstrate its social responsibility.

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The most widely recognized global standard for managing human rights in the workplace is Social Accountability International’s SA 8000:2001. It is the first auditable standard, suitable for organizations of all sizes anywhere in the world, and provides a framework for assuring all of your stakeholders that social accountability is being stewarded by your management.

1. Gap Analysis & Planning:

 

• Ensure you have the commitment of top management.
• Define, with the authorization of top management, your company's social policy.
• Planning must be completed to establish a framework for identifying  gap assessments and the implementation of necessary control measures.
• Legal obligations must be identified and understood, objectives set and a management programme for achieving them implemented; this entire process should be documented.

2. Implementation of SA 8000:

• Introducing performance, measuring and monitoring practices.
• Establishing and documenting responsibility and authority for accidents, incidents, non-conformities, and corrective and preventative action.
• Establishing a procedure for records and records management.
• Auditing and assessing the performance of the management system.
• Performing management reviews of the system at identified and defined intervals.

3. Internal Audit Process

4. Certification Audit Process

Managing your reputational risks in the world business environment also gives you an opportunity to demonstrate good business practice and ethical trading.

 

A strong social accountability management system will benefit your business by:​

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• Enhancing your brand image and reputation
• Differentiating you from your competition
• Attracting new customers
• Improving worker morale and effectiveness
• Opening up new markets
• Attracting ethical investment
• Demonstrating transparency to stakeholders

The only way to legitimately demonstrate transparent and effective social accountability is to implement a robust management system.