SWITZERLAND Law and Practice Contributed by: Liburn Mehmetaj, Roxane Allot and Andreas Hösli, Walder Wyss Ltd
• Supplier code of conduct: Related to the human rights policies, many large compa - nies extend their BHR expectations to their suppliers (and other business partners) via a supplier code of conduct that (larger) suppli - ers are required to sign. • Due diligence: Many companies have adopt - ed, in various forms and to varying degrees of maturity, risk-based HRDD policies, typically as part of their human rights policy. Due dili - gence involves, in particular, regularly assess - ing actual and potential human rights impacts of their operations and supply chains (eg, through human rights impact assessments), tracking the effectiveness of their actions to mitigate or prevent such impacts, commu - nicating about their efforts, and, as the case may be, providing for adequate remediation. • Grievance mechanisms and whistle-blower hotlines: It has become best practice to have accessible grievance channels. Swiss com - panies generally maintain internal whistle- blowing systems to report misconduct. Such misconduct may be workplace-related (eg, harassment) or related to business miscon - duct in the supply chain (eg, human rights abuses). These mechanisms serve as early- detection tools.
• Transparency and reporting: Many Swiss companies, even those not in scope of any mandatory BHR-related reporting obliga - tions, regularly publish sustainability reports covering BHR topics, typically in reference to established international standards such as GRI. • Training and capacity building: Large and high-risk companies conduct regular trainings of employees and management on BHR top - ics. This could include training procurement teams to spot red flags in supplier labour practices and general ethics training that cov - ers harassment or diversity and inclusion. • Stakeholder engagement: Another best practice is meaningful engagement with stakeholders such as local communities, civil society, trade unions, or investors concerned about BHR. This can take various forms including dialogues and roundtables. • Industry collaboration and initiatives: Rec - ognising that certain problems are systemic and sector-specific, Swiss companies often join collective initiatives, for example in the pharmaceutical, cocoa, commodity trading, financial, or the watch and jewellery sector. • Diversity and inclusion initiatives: Many Swiss employers promote inclusive workplaces as part of their human rights commitments.
110 CHAMBERS.COM
Powered by FlippingBook