United Nations Responsible Business Human Rights Forum - Asia and Pacific, 2023

As part of the United Nations Responsible Business Human Rights Forum - Asia and Pacific, GBL organized a side session on June 6, 2023. The theme of this year’s forum was “From Commitment to Action”. It aims to build on ongoing dialogue on the issues, challenges, and sectors the business and human rights community needs to act upon and what needs to be done to ensure commitments are put into action.

Our side session, in alignment with the theme, intended to bring to light the challenges related to lack of worker voice mechanisms while emphasizing technologically enabled solutions that facilitate worker voice, and showing a clear business case for the same. 

| Title: Championing Worker Voice: The role of technology in promoting worker wellbeing 

| Date: June 6th, 2023

The panel featured subject matter experts on worker well-being as well as corporate representatives who have used technology to resolve labour difficulties.

Following the discussion, the programme concluded with a special demonstration of Inache, GBL’s worker voice tool.

They discussed how businesses ought to acknowledge the significance of worker voice, but in order to effectively affect change, the solution must focus on employers' ability to listen to and respond to their employees. Moreover, while worker well-being is regulated solely by brands, as they are in charge of the global supply chain; there must also be supplier ownership of these programmes, as the supplier is the direct employer.

Panelists

Shruti Singh, Country Head, Fashion Revolution

Shruti is an advocate for sustainability, transparency, and climate justice within the fashion industry with over 14 years of experience in the industry. She is dedicated to promoting a fashion industry that is clean, safe, fair, transparent, and accountable. Under her leadership, the organization was honored with the prestigious Elle Sustainability Awards in 2023, recognizing their impactful contributions to eco-innovation and slow fashion. 

Sowmya Vinayagamurthy, Social Program Specialist, H&M India

Sowmya is focused on the welfare of the workers in the supply chain by exploring and implementing systems and methods that would create a safe environment for the people. With a combined experience of 14+ years in business and sustainability, she is passionate about creating a simple and seamless environment for people working at their jobs which primarily includes the way that they are being treated in the professional space & time.

Mamta Pimoli, Associate Director - Ventures, Good Business Lab

Mamta has worked on multiple fronts in the development sector, including program implementation, partnerships, fundraising, and research over the last five years. In her current role, she is bringing technological transformation to workplace challenges, largely affecting low-income, underserviced workers. She is responsible for scaling the impact of GBL’s proven solutions, which improve well-being outcomes and business returns for workers and firms respectively. 

Ayushi Ghosh, Senior Executive, Communications and Sustainability Innovation, Shahi Exports

Ayushi‘s interdisciplinary education background sparked an interest in data-driven communications and change management. She served as a Resident Assistant at the University, which trained her as a first responder for students, including grievance resolution and directing them to redressal mechanisms. In her current role, Ayushi focuses on multi-stakeholder communications with workers, customers, and partner organizations with a core focus on worker well-being, CSR, and social programs at Shahi.

Moderator

Bethamehi Joy Syiem, Senior Partnerships Associate, Good Business Lab

Bethamehi has a wide experience in public sector consulting, having worked on India's 'One District One Product' Initiative under the Ministry of Commerce & Industries. In her current role, she works on establishing critical partnerships, dissemination, and increasing the uptake of research-backed technology products developed at GBL. She also leads engagement on climate action-related projects. 

Listen to the full discussion below:

If questions still linger, drop us an email at info@goodbusinesslab.org.

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