Human resource management — Diversity and inclusion
ISO 30415 is an international standard from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that focuses on diversity and inclusion (D&I) in human resource management. This standard aims to help various organizations establish and maintain a diverse and inclusive work environment. Here is a detailed explanation of this standard:
1. Objectives and Scope
- This is intended for all types of organizations, including public, private, governmental, or non-governmental organizations.
- Applicable to organizations of different sizes, types, activities, industries, or sectors.
- It emphasizes that regardless of the specific circumstances of the organization, decision-makers need to determine the most suitable way to integrate D&I into their organization.
2. Core Concepts
- Diversity: Refers to the different identities and perspectives that people bring to their interactions in the workplace.
- Inclusion: Refers to practices that ensure all stakeholders are included within the organizational environment.
- Accessibility: Refers to the extent to which the workplace environment, systems, and organizational products and services are accessible and usable by the widest range of people.
3. Basic Principles and Prerequisites
- Recognizing the value of diversity, including the different dimensions of diversity that may be protected by laws and regulations.
- Effective governance through inclusive organizational systems, policies, processes, and practices.
- Act responsibly by promoting productive employment and decent work in an ethical and socially responsible manner.
- Inclusive work, creating an accessible and respectful workplace environment.
- Inclusive communication that meets the needs of people with different communication requirements.
4. Responsibilities and Duties
- The organization's governing bodies and senior leadership are responsible for establishing D&I principles and objectives.
- Assign individuals with D&I expertise and understanding to be responsible for D&I.
- Everyone in the organization is responsible for achieving D&I principles and fostering an inclusive work culture.
5. D&I Framework
- Provides a support structure with interconnected components that organizations can use to strategically and cross-functionally manage D&I.
- The framework includes D&I principles and objectives, responsibilities and duties, D&I actions, and more.
6. Inclusive Culture
- Cultivate an inclusive culture through the behaviors of leaders and employees.
- Prioritize and promote D&I through communication, engagement, and outreach activities.
7. Human Resources Management Lifecycle
- The Human Resources Management Lifecycle describes the various stages individuals go through in their relationship with an organization, from recruitment to departure.
- The Human Resources Management Lifecycle includes workforce planning, compensation, recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, performance management, succession planning, workforce mobility, and employment termination, among others.
8. Products and Services
- Guides organizations in integrating D&I principles into the design, development, and delivery of products and services.
9. Procurement and Supply Chain Relationships
- Guides organizations in integrating D&I principles into procurement processes and supply chain partnerships.
10. External Stakeholder Relationships
- Discusses how organizations establish and maintain D&I principles with external stakeholders.
11. Self-Assessment Checklist
- Provides a self-assessment tool to assist organizations in evaluating their current D&I practices.
ISO 30415:2021 standard emphasizes the need for organizations to adopt a continuous improvement approach to achieve D&I goals through planning, execution, checking, and review methods, while regularly assessing their impact on personnel, communities, and society. Additionally, the document provides information related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and adheres to workplace human rights principles.
The primary assessment content：
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE
- Guides senior leadership in establishing D&I principles and objectives, and allocating resources to achieve these goals.
- Demonstrates commitment to D&I and sets an example by behaving consistently with D&I principles.
- Challenges behaviors that are inconsistent with D&I principles and ensures that individuals engaging in inappropriate behavior and affected parties are protected and supported.
- Holds senior leadership accountable when assessing the organization's D&I opportunities and risks, reviewing performance and progress towards achieving D&I goals.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP
- 确立D&Establishes D&I principles and objectives, and creates a supportive framework to achieve these goals.
- 通过建立D&Promotes an inclusive organizational culture by establishing D&I expectations and responsibilities, communicating with all stakeholders, and fostering inclusive relationships and shared values.
- Demonstrates commitment by modeling inclusive behavior, setting behavior expectations for employees, challenging and addressing inappropriate behavior, and recognizing and rewarding D&I inclusive practices and behaviors.
Appoints organizational functional area leaders responsible for achieving D&I goals.
ORGANIZATIONAL DELEGATED RESPONSIBILITIES FOR D&I
- Ensures that D&I principles are embedded into functional systems, policies, processes, and practices.
- Shares D&I knowledge, skills, and expertise, and provides advocacy and guidance to promote policies, processes, and practices that foster a diverse and inclusive organizational culture.
- Demonstrates and models inclusive behavior.
- Deploy resources to address opportunities, risks, constraints, and challenges to achieve D&I goals.
INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Treat colleagues, clients, suppliers, and other stakeholders with respect and fairness.
- Meet expectations for organizational D&I principles and goals.
- Act in an inclusive manner, actively promoting inclusivity, trust, and a sense of belonging.
- Express concern and challenge inappropriate behavior.
D&I FRAMEWORK
- Appoint responsibilities to ensure the relevance, development, and maintenance of the framework.
- Establish the rationale for D&I.
- Ensure organizational leaders express their commitment to sponsoring, developing, and sustaining an inclusive organization.
- Integrate D&I principles and objectives into organizational policies, processes, and practices.
INCLUSIVE CULTURE
- Prioritize and promote D&I principles and objectives through communication, engagement, and outreach activities.
- Ensure ethical and regulatory considerations are applied when collecting, interpreting, and using data.
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT LIFE CYCLE
- Include D&I actions at various stages such as workforce planning, compensation, recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, performance management, succession planning, workforce mobility, and employment termination.
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
- Integrate D&I principles into the design, development, and delivery of products and services, and promote inclusive and respectful customer service.
PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN RELATIONSHIPS
- Integrate and communicate D&I principles, objectives, and expectations at each stage of the procurement process.
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS
- Identify the needs, expectations, and interests of external stakeholders related to the organization's D&I principles and objectives.
- The self-assessment checklist helps organizations identify D&I opportunities and risks by providing specific D&I actions and corresponding supporting evidence. It also helps optimize and mitigate these risks and develop strategies to close gaps.
About the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), established in 1947, is an international organization in the field of standardization. It defines itself as a non-governmental organization, and its official languages are English, French, and Russian.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) currently has 165 members, including national standards bodies of member countries and major industrial and service sector enterprises. The Standardization Administration of China (SAC), managed by the State Administration for Market Regulation, joined ISO in 1978, and China became a permanent member of ISO at the 31st ISO General Assembly in October 2008. ISO is responsible for standardization activities in most fields worldwide, conducting technical activities through 2,856 technical structures, including 611 technical committees, 2,022 working groups, and 38 special working groups.
What is legal certification?
In China, legal certification is carried out by certification bodies authorized by the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China (CNCA), which is under the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). According to the "Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Certification and Accreditation," any organization or individual engaged in certification activities must be approved by the CNCA and conduct certification activities within the approved scope.
What are the consequences of obtaining certification from a 'certification body' that does not have the qualifications stipulated by the 'Regulations on Certification and Accreditation of the People's Republic of China'?
Based on the "Regulations on Certification and Accreditation of the People's Republic of China," certification bodies must obtain approval and qualification certification from relevant national departments to conduct certification activities legally. If a business or individual receives certification from an unqualified certification body, they may face the following consequences:
- Invalid Certification: Certification certificates issued by unqualified certification bodies do not have legal validity and cannot serve as proof of product quality, service level, or other relevant standards.
- Legal liabilities: If a company promotes or misleads consumers using invalid certification certificates, it may be deemed false advertising. Under laws such as the "Anti-Unfair Competition Law of the People's Republic of China," it could face administrative penalties, including fines and orders to cease illegal activities. If it's a publicly listed company, it may also mislead investors due to "business fraud," resulting in collective lawsuits and claims from investors.
- Loss of credibility: Consumers and partners may lose trust in a business due to its dishonest behavior, resulting in damage to the company's reputation.
- Economic loss: A company may lose market opportunities due to using invalid certifications or incur fines from illegal activities, resulting in financial losses.
- Breach of contract: If a contract explicitly requires products or services to have valid certifications, using invalid certifications may result in a breach of contract.
- Market access restrictions: Certain markets or industries have strict certification requirements, and products or services without valid certifications may be unable to enter the market.
For publicly listed companies, what serious consequences may arise from obtaining certification from a "certification body" that does not have qualifications specified in the "Regulations on Certification and Accreditation of the People's Republic of China"?
- Information disclosure violations: Publicly listed companies are obligated to disclose truthful, accurate, and complete information to the public and regulatory authorities. If a company includes invalid certification information in its disclosures, it may be considered a violation of information disclosure requirements.
- Securities fraud: If a publicly listed company intentionally uses invalid certifications to mislead investors, it may be deemed securities fraud, which could result in severe penalties under the "Securities Law of the People's Republic of China" and other relevant regulations.
- Stock price volatility: Once the use of invalid certifications is exposed, it may trigger panic among investors, leading to a decline in the company's stock price, adversely affecting its market value and financing capabilities.
- Investor lawsuits: Misled investors may file collective lawsuits against the company, seeking compensation for losses incurred due to reliance on invalid certifications.
- Regulatory penalties: Securities regulatory authorities may investigate the company and impose appropriate measures based on the findings, such as warnings, fines, orders for correction, or market bans.
- Internal management issues: The use of invalid certifications may lead to internal reviews, raising questions about the management's competence and affecting the company's internal management and decision-making.
- Criminal liability: In extreme cases, if the company's actions constitute a crime, relevant responsible parties may face criminal charges.
What are the legal consequences of using illegal certification?
If a company uses "certification" issued by an institution that has not been authorized by the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China (CNCA), it will face the following legal consequences:
administrative penalties
If a company uses "certification" issued by an institution that has not been authorized by the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China (CNCA), the market regulatory authorities will impose penalties for the illegal act of forging or misusing certification marks.
civil liability
If a company's false certification causes losses to other organizations, it must bear the corresponding civil liability for compensation.
criminal liability
If a company’s actions constitute a crime, such as being classified as forging or altering certification certificates or marks, it will be held criminally liable.
market exclusion
For companies with serious violations, they may be banned from entering the relevant market or industry for a certain period or permanently.
supervision and inspection
The company will face more stringent supervision and inspection by market regulatory authorities to ensure the legality of its business activities.
How to determine whether a company has obtained Is the certification valid？
How to check if a certification body has legal qualifications?
Official Standard Introduction： https://www.iso.org/standard/71164.html