Call for Suppliers: Brazil Worker Engagement Program

Established October 2012, Social Accountability International's (SAI) Worker Engagement Program in Brazil aims to to improve health and safety in workplaces of companies in the São Paulo region. This program is designed to help supplier factories enhance its health and safety systems to better meet international labor standards.

The program will work with groups of companies to set 100-day goals towards improving a specific health and safety issue. It will utilize the award-winning Rapid Results Institute methodology for change management to set and achieve goals through team building. It will also leverage cutting-edge mobile technology to help support internal communications during the process.   Delivered in partnership with the Rapid Results Institute, the program will: 

• Address root causes of health and safety issues
• Expand on your existing health and safety committees to form worker-manager Social Performance Teams
• Make measurable improvements in one specific health and safety issue in a 100-day Rapid Results project – a methodology that can be used for further achievements in other areas

Thanks to generous support from the Walt Disney Company, SAI and its partner, the Rapid Results Institute, will offer world-class training and cutting-edge technology at no cost. Additional program services will come from Labor Link and The Cahn Group, both of which have deep expertise in working with manufacturers around the world.   Application Process Applicants will be selected from a range of industries, sizes and health and safety performance levels. Commitment of senior management will be factored into the final selection.    Timeline The project will be organized into three groups of companies, starting in April 2013. View the tentative timeline of sample activities at www.sa-intl.org/brazilregistration.    Program Benefits

• Measurable Improvements – conduct a 100-day project to improve a specific health and safety challenge at your company
• Increase Skills & Knowledge – learn world-class skills and knowledge related to management systems, team building and project management
• Build Improvement Teams - worker/manager Internal Social Performance Team helps to build effective worker-manager communication channels and trust, which can then be used to tackle additional problems in a systematic and sustainable way
• Increase Social Compliance - factories that are suppliers to multi-national companies will benefit by being better able to meet international labor codes
• Improve Worker-Manager Communication – establish a trusted complaints management system as a preventative measure and early-warning system  

Your Commitment As this program is offered at no cost, we ask for your commitment to the following:

• Announce Senior Management Support for the project to all workers and employees at your company
• Establish an Internal Social Performance Team (estimated team size is 5-9 people) that includes representatives from management and workers, and allow peer selection for worker representatives
• Pay members of the Internal Social Performance Team their regular wages for the time spent in training and working on the program
• Establish a complaint management system as a constructive tool for workers
• Conduct a worker survey using the Labor Link mobile technology (included in program, no extra cost)
• Pay cost of travel and accommodations for your team -three workshops at a location in central São Paulo.
  • 1st workshop - 3 days
  • 2nd workshop - 2 days
  • 3rd workshop – 2 days
• Hold a town hall meeting at the end of the 100-day Rapid Results project involving all managers and workers
• Willingness to support the team, allocate necessary resources and follow through on the improvement

More Information   If you are sourcing from or working with companies located in the Sao Paulo region of Brazil, please forward this to them. Due to the generous support of Disney, the program is open to all applicants.   For more information about the Brazil Worker Engagement Program, please visit www.sa-intl.org/brazilworkerengagement. Application to participate, and materials about the program for suppliers is available in English and Portuguese at www.sa-intl.org/brazilregistration.