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April 2015
1. Ten Squared Turkey
2. Timothy Bishop joins SAI BOD
3. SA8000 Calibration Meetings
4. Why We Dedicate Ourselves to Human Rights at Work
5. Highlights & Announcements
Jobs & Internships  

 

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SAI - New York

Pillars in Practice Program
 

 

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Training Courses  

Bangalore, India

(English) 

April 20-21



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May 7-8


-Getting Started in Your Company

-Building Your Internal Social Performance Team  

 

  SA8000 Fire Safety Webinar  

Auditing for Fire Safety in the SA8000 & BSCI System
[Mandatory for SA8000/BSCI Auditors]
 

SA8000 Online Training 

SA8000 Online Revision Course
   
NGOs & Trade Unions
Complimentary seats available for NGO & trade union representatives. For more information, email SAI Training Coordinator Stephanie Wilson at  ECrain@sa-intl.org .

  

 
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Social Accountability International (SAI) is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization established to advance the human rights of workers by promoting decent work conditions, labor rights, and corporate social responsibility through voluntary standards and capacity building. 

 

SAI is headquartered in the United States with field representation in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, India, the Netherlands, Philippines, Switzerland, and UAE.


SAI- Human Rights at Work
Website: www.sa-intl.org

For newsletter inquiries contact: SAI Director of Operations Michelle Bhattacharyya, mbhattacharyya@sa-intl.org 
April2015

TenSquared: Team + Goal + Process = Exponential Results

 100 Day Projects Launch in Turkey

 

In February, our TenSquared program accelerated in Turkey as the first two "waves" of companies launched their 100-day health & safety projects. Wave One's 4 teams came together in Istanbul and Wave Two2's 5 teams came together in Iskenderun for the 2-day Launch Workshops. The workshops focused on team-building, goal-setting and work-plans. All teams were highly energized and eager to tackle their ambitious 100-day goals.


 

With the generous support of The Walt Disney Company, the TenSquared program is currently offered free of charge for the first 6-8 waves of companies in Turkey. These waves will launch in June, July, September, and November 2015.  

Worker-Manager Teams at the TenSquared Launch Workshops in Turkey. Facilitators: TenSquared creators SAI and Rapid Results Institute and Turkey partner AKUT Institute.

Companies in Wave 1 and 2 

  • Pharmaceutical Manufacturer
  • Packaging Plant
  • Call Center
  • Label Manufacturer
  • Steel Plant (5 different units)
    • Steel Production
    • Iron Production
    • Mechanical and Auxiliary Shops
    • Plant Utilities
    • Hot Strip Rolling Mills Plant 

Challenge Areas

  • Emergency Preparedness & Evacuation
  • Fire Prevention
  • Accident Prevention
  • Hazardous Substances & Materials
Here is how a worker team member describes how he would explain to his family or colleagues what he has been doing for the last two days at our workshop?


"I would tell my son that I have been working on a team to make things safer for in my workplace. That the things I learned make me think differently about health and safety, and I want to apply what I have learned to make things safer for him and our family in our home as well."

- Worker, Steel Plant


TenSquared is a joint program of SAI and Rapid Results Institute (RRI). It combines SAI's expertise in labor standards, management systems and worker engagement, with RRI's proven change acceleration methodology, to drive immediate, practical improvements in the health and safety conditions of participating companies. TenSquared is based on the principles of Team, Goal and Process. Workers and managers are brought together to form joint teams that choose ambitious health and safety goals to pursue over the course of 100 days. To meet the goals the teams are empowered to overcome the hurdles to change, improve processes and achieve results, "learning through doing".

 

The name, TenSquared, encapsulates these three principles.

 

TEAM: TenSquared teams are composed of five workers and five managers. By working together in a collaborative manner, these ten individuals drive tangible change and improvements that directly impact the lives of their co-workers. Just one TenSquared team can have a lasting, sustainable impact on all workers in a facility.

 

GOAL: TenSquared teams are given 100 days to achieve their goal.  This timeframe creates a sense of urgency, encouraging team members to work collaboratively to develop innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems. 

 

PROCESS: In order to achieve their goal, Ten Squared teams must think "outside the square" to improve their existing processes or create new & innovative processes.

 

Confidential worker surveys administered at Days 85 and 150 through Good World Solutions' mobile survey platform, Labor Link, capture worker feedback and program impact.

 

TenSquared, originally named the Social Fingerprint Rapid Results (SFRR) Worker Engagement Program, was first launched as a pilot in Brazil, through a grant from The Walt Disney Company.

In recognition of the remarkable success of the pilot, Disney has funded the expansion of the program to Turkey. With growing interest from other companies and funders, the program is also planned for China, India and Bangladesh in 2015-16.

 

For more information, and to apply, please contact SAI's Senior Program Manager, Stephanie Wilson, at swilson@sa-intl.org 


SAI Welcomes Timothy Bishop to Board of Directors
Former US Congressman Joins SAI BOD

SAI is pleased to announce that Congressmen Timothy Bishop has been elected to SAI's Board of Directors. Mr. Bishop has served his community for much of his career, representing New York's First Congressional District from 2003 to 2015. Mr. Bishop served as a senior member of the Education and Workforce Committee as well as the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and has extensive experience working with all levels of government and senior executives of nonprofit organizations, major corporations, social service agencies, and hospitals.  Securing over $150 million dollars of direct federal spending for various projects within his Congressional district, Mr. Bishop has a proven record of success! Working as the sole public representative of his congressional campaign, he was responsible for raising over 18 million dollars over 12 years. SAI is very pleased to have Timothy Bishop join our Board of Directors! 


 


Launching SA8000: 2014 Calibration and Training

China, India, and Italy

 

In March and April, SA8000 certification managers and training course providers are coming together in China, India & Italy to gear up for the global launch of SA8000:2014 certification in July.

 

The first half of these calibration and training meetings focus on updates to the Standard and SA8000 certification process.  The second half focus on updates to the delivery of the SA8000 auditor training course.  Specific topics include:

  1. Implementation of SA8000:2014 and use of the Performance Indicators Annex
  2. Integration of Social Fingerprint® management systems tool into the SA8000 certification process
  3. SA8000 certification methodology and certification body accreditation (the new Procedures 200 and 201)
  4. SA8000 training courses and the revised structure of course delivery and curriculum  
SAI and Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS) periodically schedule calibration and training meetings for program managers, field auditors and other participants of the SA8000 system. The purpose of such meetings is to provide a forum to discuss issues that affect all accredited Certification Bodies and Course Providers who deliver SA8000 services, answer any questions that may arise as a result of implementing the SA8000 certification program, and come to agreement on the interpretation and expectations of managing the system.  

 

For more information about SA800 calibration please contact SAAS Program manager Lisa Bernstein at lBernstein@sa-intl.org. For more information on SA8000 Training, please contact SAI Senior Program Manager Stephanie Wilson at swilson@sa-intl.org.


Why We Dedicate Our Lives to Human Rights at Work
Training Manager Emily Crain on Work with SAI
 

I have always had a passion for social justice. My grandparents and parents instilled a mindset of equity and equality inside of us, which shows through the work that my sisters and I do. For me, this passion has formed into working for human rights at work. The mission at SAI is simple yet complex. SAI has dedicated itself to "human rights at work" - which involves, but is not limited to, understanding multifaceted issues in the supply chain, and to creating a better environment at workplaces on a grass roots level through implementation of our Human Rights standard SA8000. The ability to look critically at the issues, and to look holistically at the solutions and their realistic implementation, is what drew me to SAI and what keeps me here. Over the past two years, I have been challenged and I have enjoyed working to improve and strengthen our Training Department. I have also had the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with amazing and experienced colleagues both in our New York office and abroad. There have been, and still are, incredible people that have worked for human rights at work around the world, and there is still much more to do.


Corporate Branding & CSR
Alice Tepper Marlin Co-Teaches NYU Stern Course
 

The NYU Stern School of Business course, "Branding & CSR", co-taught by Alice Tepper Marlin and  Prof. Bruce Buchanan, jumped into its spring session on April 2.

A decade after it was developed (with John Tepper Marlin), course enrollment continues to grow. Students know thatwhat was once a differentiation strategy for niche marketers has become a central concern of the Fortune 500.


 

Top business schools are paying attention as business and CSR become more integrated and executives look for the next generation of talent and leadership.


 
The NYU Stern course provides a theoretical and strategic overview of CSR in the context of corporate branding. The theory of the course proceeds from: i) the corporate need to protect long-term investments in corporate brand image, or to differentiate from competitors, or both, ii) the emergence of materially large segments of "ethically sensitive" consumers, and iii) the incompleteness of law and regulation with respect to sustainability, human rights, and other ethical issues, especially in global markets.

 

Guest speakers from SAI's and SAAS's boards will include: Amy Hall (Eileen Fisher), Coleen Vien (Timberland, VF) and Tensie Whelan (Rainforest Alliance).

Students will each complete a Social Fingerprint® self assessment on either the company they work for or another they choose and research on line. Three will be the topic of class discussion.
 

Highlights & Announcements
 
Tata Steel - Windows on the World

Our March newsletter featured President Alice Tepper Marlin's participation in Tata Steel's Windows on the World program in India. We are grateful to Sunil Bhaskaran for this prestigious invitation and for arranging meetings for Alice with Dr. Narendran, Managing Director of Tata Steel and Dr. J.J. Irani, prior Managing Director of Tata Steel who introduced SA8000 at Tata Steel. We are also grateful to Priyadarshini Sharma for arrangements throughout the visit of Alice and Badri Gulur to Tata Steel. Below are some additional images of her visit to the remarkable Pipla program, part of Tata's expansive community engagement work. Photos courtesy of Tata Steel.