Pillars in Practice Program
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Training Courses
-Getting Started in Your Company
-Building Your Internal Social Performance Team
NGOs & Trade Unions
Complimentary seats available for NGO & trade union representatives. For more information, email SAI Training Coordinator Stephanie Wilson at [email protected].
View Photos from SAI's Training Courses
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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
For newsletter inquiries contact: SAI Director of Operations Michelle Bhattacharyya, [email protected]
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 TenSquared
Rebranding the SFRR Program
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In May 2014, SAI and our partner the Rapid Results Institute (RRI) were excited to learn that we were awarded a second grant from The Walt Disney Company to expand our Social Fingerprint Rapid Results (SFRR) Program to Turkey. SFRR garnered highly impressive results during the pilot phase in Brazil throughout 2012 and 2013 (for more information, please click here) and generated interest among many brands & retailers throughout the world. With the program entering a new phase and new country, SAI and RRI decided to undergo a strategic re-branding process, ensuring the program's brand reflected the unity of both partner organizations and embodied our vision, core values and strategic objectives.
SAI & RRI were fortunate to partner with Branding expert, Slava of Service 52 to embark on a transformational and creative journey to design and agree a new program name - TenSquared - a new logo (above), and a new overall visual identity.
This month, SAI caught up with Slava to discuss branding, as well as the process of transitioning Social Fingerprint Rapid Results to TenSquared.
Hi Slava, can you share with us a little bit about yourself?
I started my professional career as an architect, and then, over time I gradually shifted my interests toward graphic design and marketing with a focus on branding. In retrospect, I believe that my move was very logical - as architects help their clients to organize space, graphic designers help their clients organize information.
What is branding and why is branding important?
There are many ways to define what brand is. I would like to quote one of my favorite definitions given by Marty Neumeier in his book The Brand Gap: "A brand is a person's gut feeling about a product, service or organization... In other words, it's not what you say it is - it's what they say [believe] it is." I think, this definition is so powerful and encompassing and explains why branding is important.
Slava, can you please walk us though the overall re-branding effort and strategy you took with taking Social Fingerprint Rapid Results to TenSquared.
The very first and absolutely necessary condition for the re-branding process to start is a client's realization of the need and the urgency of the re-branding. It is also desirable that re-branding efforts are aligned and conducted concurrently with any organizational change.
The re-branding of SFRR was really a collaborative effort between myself and the SAI & RRI team. Fortunately the team had a great balance of knowing what they wanted but being flexible and open to new ideas, and therefore they made my role easy and limited to only facilitation of the results and professional guidance. Ultimately, we were working together, identifying needs, limitations and criteria for success.
If you would like to learn more about technicality of the process, I would like to redirect you to the expert - UK's Design Council (http://www.designcouncil.org.uk) and their 4D model with four main milestones: Discover, Define, Design and Develop. Sometimes there is a fifth milestone - Deploy - and this is where TenSquared is now.
Not only did you help SAI & RRI with developing a new program name, you also created a new logo for the program. Why are logos important?
I would like to start with the definition of the term:
Logos (Greek: λόγος, from λέγω lego - "I say")
The original meaning of the word is "a ground", "an opinion", "an expectation", "word", "to reason" it became a technical term in philosophy used to communicate a principle of order and knowledge.
Logos are important and very visible parts of a company's Visual Identity. Most of the time, our introduction to a company or a service starts with the name and/or the logo; so, in short, we can refer to these elements as "The Face" of the enterprise. As the very first "touch point" of client-service (client-enterprise) interaction, the name and the logo are critical elements that help to set the stage and start the conversation on the right note.
Please share with us the story behind the new TenSquared logo - what does it mean?
I hope that the new TenSquared logo represents all the attributes and features we (TenSquared team and I) identified during the "Discover and Define" phases. Therefore the new TenSquared should communicate and support ideas of being:
- fun
- supportive
- creative
- empowering
- bridging
- unleashing
- innovative
- replicable
- engaging
- life changing
Can you please share with us three tips for other organizations going through a new branding or re-branding effort?
"First do no harm"
I learned that the re-branding process needs to be very sensitive to all the existing internal and external issues and constraints. Organizations are "living organisms" and need to be handled with empathy and extra care. Sometimes it takes a little effort to break something that has been working for a long time and is difficult or even impossible to fix.
Start with an "open mind"
Instead of starting project with a ready solution in mind, do your due-diligence, follow all the four steps in 4D method and identify success before you start your design work.
Identify Success and Listen
First you need to identify what success should look like then, with that definition in mind; you need to take your Client through all the steps of the design process to that goal. Design is "a two-way road" it cannot exist without a Client and Client's feedback. Listen to what everyone has to say and address all the concerns and issues to avoid any frustration at the end of the project.
For more information on Slava's work, please click here
For more information on TenSquared, please contact SAI Senior Program Manager Stephanie Wilson at [email protected]
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| Moving Forward on Living Wage
Anker Methodology Benchmark for Flower Producing Region of Kenya and Living Wage 101 Webinar Released
 | | Dr. Richard Anker, former ILO Senior Economist and Martha Anker, former WHO Senior Statistician in Kenya after a day of work on the Living Wage Benchmark for Naivasha |
SAI is pleased to release a fourth regional living wage study that sets a new living wage benchmarks for flower productions regions in Kenya. The study estimates living wage in comparison to wages paid in the flower sector of Naivasha, Kenya.
The report has been co-funded by Fairtrade, UTZ Certified, and Sustainable Agriculture Network/Rainforest Alliance (SAN/RA). Fairtrade, UTZ and SAN/RA collaborate on the living wage topic together with SAI and other members of the ISEAL Alliance of standard setting organisations, including GoodWeave and Forest Stewardship Council.
SAI is also very pleased to announce that one of its corporate members, Eileen Fisher, has joined the Living Wage working group effort by designating funding to establish Living Wage benchmarks in China. Their funds will go toward training a team that can set living wage benchmarks in various regions of China according to the Anker Methodology. This should result in the release of China benchmark reports in 2015.
Read the report on Living Wage for Kenya with Focus on the Fresh Flower Farm area near Lake Naivasha, as well as reports released for other country regions here.
SAI will launch its new "Living Wage 101" webinar in February 2015. This webinar explains the concept of a living wage and SAI's vision for its implementation. The webinar is a practical course for interested individuals to learn how they can help make the living wage a reality.
The concept of the living wage can be traced back to Adam Smith's teachings in the 18th century and is promoted by ILO and UN treaties, as well as the SA8000 Standard. The idea of a living wage is grounded in the belief that workers and their families should not have to live in poverty. A living wage would enable workers to make enough money working a normal work week to provide a decent lifestyle for themselves and their families. However, the implementation of the living wage has remained a challenge, due in part to a lack of consensus around the exact definition of the living wage or techniques for calculating it in different contexts. SAI has therefore partnered with Fairtrade International, UTZ, Fair Labor Organization, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), GoodWeave, Sustainable Agriculture Network/Rainforest Alliance (SAN/RA) to promote an innovative new estimation methodology developed by Dr. Richard Anker, former ILO Senior Economist, and Martha Anker, former WHO statistician. This methodology is grounded in the local context and can create accurate and reliable living wage estimates for workers worldwide. The "Living Wage 101" webinar is part of SAI's efforts to promote this methodology.
Interested individuals from any background can take the webinar to learn about the living wage and this new methodology. After taking this webinar, participants will be familiar with the context of the living wage and understand the need for and implications of the living wage. They will also understand the Anker methodology and how it is used in the field. Finally, participants will learn how the living wage is relevant to them and will be able to explain their own role in supporting and promoting the implementation of the living wage.
For more information on SAI's work on the Living Wage or the work of the Living Wage Working Group contact Alex Katz - [email protected].
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Auditor Training
Upgrades to BSCI and SA8000 Trainings
 SAI is pleased to announce major upgrades to our SA8000 and BSCI auditor training, in line with the recent changes to both systems. The new trainings incorporate the latest in instructional design and accelerated learning techniques, to improve auditor attitude, skills and knowledge.
SA8000
As of December 31st, 2014, training requirements for all new and existing SA8000 Auditors have changed due to the SA8000:2014 Revision transition. Please read the SAAS Advisory to understand what this means for you - Section 8 outlines the requirements for all existing SA8000 Auditors as of December 31, 2014; Section 9 outlines the requirements for all individuals seeking to become SA8000 Auditors as of January 1, 2015.
BSCI
As of May 1st, 2015, all BSCI audits must be conducted against the new BSCI Code of Conduct released in 2014. All auditors currently in the BSCI system must take the BSCI Auditor Upgrade Course before May 1st, 2015 in order to keep their qualification. You can find the schedule for the 2-day in-classroom course on SAI's 2015 Training Schedule. Instructions for enrollment will be released to all current BSCI auditors in the coming weeks. Please note, BSCI will not accept any new auditors as of January 1, 2015- April 30, 2015. Auditors that are active in the following countries MUST attend the 2-day classroom course: China, Brazil, India, Bulgaria, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Thailand, Germany, UK, Pakistan, Vietnam.
If you do not reside in any of the above mentioned countries, and do not intend on conducting BSCI audits in these countries, there will be an extensive e-learning module available for you to take in March 2015. Details of the e-learning module will be released in the coming month.
For more information about SA8000 Courses please contact Training Coordinator, Emily Crain at [email protected]
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SAI Pillars In Practice
Catalyzing Success
Globalization has led to economic growth but has entailed human rights abuses at work in many places. For Bangladeshi women, over 80% of the 4 million garment workers, employment in garment factories is one of the few ways to support their families. And so they have little power in the face of human rights abuses such as intimidating threats and sexual harassment from male bosses and factory owners and dangerous work conditions in facilities. Often they don't even know they have the right to speak up.
The story of human rights abuses is not so different in Zimbabwe, where conflict between mining companies and government about control of businesses deeply impacts workers lives. Salaries have been slashed, payments withheld for months; the resulting abject poverty has led to illegal diamond panning and other practices conducted at extreme risk of injury or even death. And, across oceans in Nicaragua, agricultural workers are paid the lowest minimum wage in the country and one of the lowest wages in Latin America. Children in Nicaragua are engaged in the worst forms of child labor, carrying heavy loads, using dangerous tools, being exposed to hazardous pesticides and fertilizers and working long hours.
In all three countries, governments, multi-national businesses and civil society organizations lack adequate understanding of the necessary regulations for globalized business and of what to do when laws are poorly enforced or absent. The worldwide response has varied from country to country, and the response of governments, business and civil society organizations lacks consistency from place to place.
To address these issues, Social Accountability International (SAI), in partnership with the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR), created Pillars in Practice (PIP), a program funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor. PIP was designed to advance the use of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) to RESPECT human rights, PROTECT human rights and REMEDY human rights abuses, and contribute to the social and economic sustainability of the garment, agriculture and mining industries in Bangladesh, Nicaragua and Zimbabwe respectively.
From September 2012 to September 2014, SAI and DIHR ran PIP with local partners-CSR Centre in Bangladesh, Uni�n Nicarag�ense para la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (UniRSE) in Nicaragua and Zimbabwe Environmental Lawyers Association (ZELA) in Zimbabwe. The project successfully built the skills of the local partners to promote and assist in the implementation of the UNGPs by various actors in their respective countries. Through PIP, the local partners created awareness, sparked dialogue and promoted organizational growth.
For more information , contact Senior Manager of Research and Stakeholder Relations, Alex Katz at [email protected]. To view this information in Spanish click here and in Bangla click here.
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Tribute to Eileen Kaufman
Saying Goodbye at the SAI Holiday Celebration
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 | | Eileen Kaufman at the December SAI Holiday Dinner |
Dearest Eileen,
You are a trailblazer who knows no bounds. We never could've imagined a more resilient and spirited individual to help guide the organization through its first 17 years. From crises to times of celebration, you pushed us to be better, do better, and not settle for the status quo. Thank you for your commitment to Social Accountability International and for being an exemplary role model to all of us here.
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Highlights & Announcements
SAI Trains the Trainers
From January 7 to 11, 2015, SAI will host a week-long Training of Trainers (ToT) in New York City for 15 field staff from eight different countries. The main purpose of the ToT is to review the Business and Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) system changes and workshop the new BSCI Auditors Upgrade course. The ToT is also an opportunity for teambuilding, calibration and learning among the trainers and SAI staff. External experts will conduct sessions on group activity facilitation, communication and presentation skills, and cross-cultural awareness techniques. SAI welcomes this unique opportunity to bring field staff together from across the world and looks forward to an engaging and productive training.
For more information about SA8000 Courses please contact Training Coordinator, Emily Crain at [email protected]
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