Why have a Human Rights Policy?

Respect by business of the human rights of their employees and their communities and consumers is rapidly gaining attention of consumers and product buyers around the world. A commitment to respect the human rights of others is evolving from a “nice to have” to a “must have” if you want to trade with the world.

NZEE sees such respect as fundamental to its commitment to being a group of responsible and ethical employers. By having the Human Rights policy, an NZEE member expresses its intention to live by the values NZEE espouses and tells its employees and customers that in doing business it will be done in a way that respects rights, is legally compliant and is, by doing so, a “good partner” for anyone wanting to do business with them.

By having and living by this policy the business takes on the duties it should always have to treat people decently and be open and transparent as to how it does this. This differentiates an NZEE member from the crowd and for any buyer or customer wanting to “de risk” their business relationships, an NZEE member can be seen as a “safe pair of hands”.

Through the NZ Ethical Human Rights Framework we will touch on the elements of the NZEE Human Rights policy to explain why those elements are there, and what are the expectations they contain.

Until then, as a member of NZEE, put your Human Rights Policy up on the wall, discuss it with your staff and share it with your customers. It is a living document and a “north star” to guide your relationships and decision making.

 

Tūhana Business and Human Rights is NZEE’s Human Rights Foundation Partner, to help members implement the UNGP framework in their operations and help identify and prioritize the risks they pose to people through their own business operations and supply chain and develop responses that look to prevent, mitigate, or remedy human rights issues.