With a board of supervisors made up of labour unions, NGOs, businesses, and civil society organizations, the SA8000 (Social Accountability) Standard is a prominent social certification program on a global scale. It was established in 1989 by Social Accountability International. The requirement encourages businesses of all sizes, in all sectors, and in every nation to create, uphold, and implement socially conscious and legal workplace policies. The program offers a thorough structure that companies can use to show that they adhere to fair treatment policies and manage their workers' affairs in a fair manner. A variety of business and industrial codes were used to create the standard criterion. In contrast to many other international standards that use checklist-style auditing to evaluate social performance, SA8000 adopts a management system-inspired approach.
SA8000 certification makes it simpler for businesses to comply with the requirements and successfully implement the standard inside the organization. Additionally, it is designed by the fundamentals of international human rights requirements as outlined in the conventions of the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
An organization must have a written complaint procedure according to the SA8000. Employees and other interested parties must have easy access to this complaint process to submit concerns or report workplace issues or SA8000 standard violations. In compliance with the SA8000, the complaint process must also be fair, confidential, and devoid of retaliation. The business must have a defined procedure in place for looking into and acting upon concerns about the workplace or non-compliance with SA8000 requirements after receiving a report. All staff and interested parties must have open access to the conclusions of the inquiry and the solution upon request. Last but not least, The SA8000 makes it abundantly clear that if a staff member chooses to file a complaint, the company cannot in any manner penalize, fire, or treat them unfairly.
The backbone of SA8000 is a solid management structure, which allows organizations to sustain SA8000 adoption over time. The SA8000 management system is comprised of the ten interconnected components listed below, each of which is represented by an SA8000 requirement (SA8000 9.1-9.10).
- Policies, Procedures and Records: How the organization defines its values, aims, and dedication to SA8000, and how it directs its people to put those concepts into action daily.
- Social Performance Team: The team of experienced SA8000 consultants in charge of leading and facilitating the organization's SA8000 implementation, as required by SA8000 9.2.
- Identification and Assessment of Risks: How the organization identifies its risks and prioritizes its activities to address them.
- Monitoring: How the organization monitors and measures its SA8000 implementation and performance to meet its objectives and targets.
- Internal Involvement and Communication: Methods and channels used by the organization to communicate with employees and solicit their feedback on SA8000 implementation.
- Complaint Management and Resolution: How the organization receives and responds to worker or interested party grievances or suggestions.
- External Verification and Stakeholder Engagement: How the organization collaborates with external auditors or includes interested parties to obtain thorough input for its SA8000 implementation.
- Corrective and Preventive Actions: How the organization addresses risks and weaknesses in its SA8000 implementation and modifies the system to avoid recurrence and drive continuous improvement.
- Training and Capacity Building: How the organization provides SA8000 auditor trainingand develops its personnel's attitudes, skills, and knowledge to effectively execute SA8000.
- Management of Suppliers and Contractors: How the organization performs due diligence on its business partners and encourages them to apply and improve the SA8000 standard.