Workforce Disclosure Initiative
Improving data from listed companies on how they manage workers in their direct operations and supply chains.
More than 120 investors, with over $13 trillion AUM, back the Workforce Disclosure Initiative (WDI). These investors are calling for transparency from companies on how they manage workers. 90 global companies disclosed to the 2018 WDI survey. The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of jobs in companies’ operations and supply chains.
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Why this is important and what we’re doing about it
There are too many poor quality and precarious jobs around the world. The United Nations recognised this in the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 8 calls for ‘decent work for all’. Multinational companies have a key role to play in meeting this goal. Through their operations and supply chains, they are responsible for the pay and wellbeing of millions of workers.
Importantly, it’s been shown that both companies and workers can benefit from creating better quality jobs.
As shareholders of these companies, institutional investors are well placed to make a difference. The Workforce Disclosure Initiative (WDI) mobilises these investors to push for better jobs. The first step is to make sure companies disclose comparable workforce information. Investors can then use this data to engage with companies and drive a race to the top.
The WDI brings investors together to request comparable data from companies via an annual survey. Its ultimate goal is to improve the quality of jobs in multinational companies’ operations and supply chains.
The WDI is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) and run in partnership with Oxfam, Canada’s Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE), consultants Lake Advisory, and the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA). In addition, a range of civil society and private sector organisations are helping to shape the WDI. The initiative is also endorsed by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA).
Why this is important and what we’re doing about it
There are too many poor quality and precarious jobs around the world. The United Nations recognised this in the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 8 calls for ‘decent work for all’. Multinational companies have a key role to play in meeting this goal. Through their operations and supply chains, they are responsible for the pay and wellbeing of millions of workers.
Importantly, it’s been shown that both companies and workers can benefit from creating better quality jobs.
As shareholders of these companies, institutional investors are well placed to make a difference. The Workforce Disclosure Initiative (WDI) mobilises these investors to push for better jobs. The first step is to make sure companies disclose comparable workforce information. Investors can then use this data to engage with companies and drive a race to the top.
The WDI brings investors together to request comparable data from companies via an annual survey. Its ultimate goal is to improve the quality of jobs in multinational companies’ operations and supply chains.
The WDI is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) and run in partnership with Oxfam, Canada’s Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE), consultants Lake Advisory, and the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA). In addition, a range of civil society and private sector organisations are helping to shape the WDI. The initiative is also endorsed by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA).
We believe integrating ESG issues into our investment process will lead to favourable long-term outcomes for our members. By collaborating with other investors through the WDI we want to encourage companies, both in Australia and further afield, to improve their reporting on workforce and supply chain related topics.
LIZA MCDONALD, HEAD OF RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT
FIRST STATE SUPERANNUATION SCHEME
Latest news
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The Workforce Disclosure Initiative Goes Global in Second Year
Partners
Meet the WDI team
Charlie Crossley
Project Coordinator - WDICharlie Crossley
Charlie joined ShareAction in November 2015, working in the digital team. He moved to the Workforce Disclosure Initiative in late 2016. Previously he worked in a policy role focused on financial inclusion at Toynbee Hall. He has a First Class BA in Politics from the University of Sussex and an MA in International Relations from the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals.
Clare Richards
Programme Manager - Good WorkClare Richards
Clare leads ShareAction’s Good Work programme, which includes the Workforce Disclosure Initiative and the Living Wage campaign. She first saw the potential of responsible investment through attending one of ShareAction’s AGM activism training sessions and has been a convert ever since. Clare joined ShareAction in May 2016 and initially led investor and corporate engagements in support of sustainable food systems and renewable power. She contributes a broad range of insights from her previous involvement in international development and peacebuilding projects, having worked at a range of organisations including Conciliation Resources, the Quakers, and UNICEF UK.
James Coldwell
Investor Engagement Manager - WDIJames Coldwell
James joined ShareAction in January 2017 as part of the Workforce Disclosure Initiative, an investor-backed programme to increase transparency and improve job quality in listed companies. He manages relationships with the institutional investors supporting the programme – currently 120 institutions with assets valued at $13.5 trillion – and ensures investors make the most of the WDI as a tool to engage with investee companies and improve disclosure. He previously worked for a social finance intermediary, and has been an elected councillor since 2016.
Rosie Mackenzie
Company Engagement Manager - WDIRosie Mackenzie
Vaidehee Sachdev
Senior Research Manager - WDIVaidehee Sachdev
Vaidehee joined ShareAction in November 2016. She is working on the new Workforce Disclosure Initiative building on ShareAction’s work on the Living Wage. She previously worked for a number of organisations including Global Witness, Womankind and Global Justice Now. She holds a BA in Philosophy and an MA in International Politics at Manchester University.