“We came back to deadline-city” “I am drinking out of a firehose right now” “It feels like October already” “It’s just go go go go”
These are actual sentences I’ve heard from some of you this week.
Can I just say - I’m in awe at the work you are doing. 👏
Yes, you.
I see it. 👀
I see you fighting to make the case for business understanding of this topic. I see you seeking to pinpoint the human rights issues your organisation will be facing - and finding a meaningful strategic plan forward - while allowing for quick wins and successes to take place now. I see you navigating sceptical colleagues. I see you trying new strategies - using the law to make the case for meaningful due diligence now. All while navigating a hundred other deadlines.
It feels like we’re entering a new era of business and human rights. We have due diligence laws. We have reporting laws. We even have import bans. And yet, the stakes are even higher than before. We are trying to bring new colleagues along, bring the business along and trying to counter the tempting easy-fix solutions that we know do not work. We have new salient issues coming up, new high-risk operating contexts, and new business models to think about.
I think it helps to just name it - whatever the push back or proposed quick fix solution is.
Yes, you can delay due diligence implementation until the actual day the national law enters into force. But then let’s just accept that you will be a laggard company and you’ll be subject to how other companies have implemented the law with a 2-year head start.
Yes, you can invest in a technical supply chain tool. But then let’s just accept that you’ll have significant blindspots - which are most likely to be exactly where the risks are the most severe.
Yes, you can ask your suppliers to implement blanket action plans. But let’s just be honest that the request is more to make us feel better than to actually tackle the issues we’ve found.
Honesty doesn’t mean adversarial. It just means naming the dynamic for what it is. Then this paves the way for more meaningful conversation. Honesty is a gift.
Keep it up. Stay strong and grounded. The world needs you at your best right now. 🌎
If you don’t meditate already, now is a good time to start. (I have a pulse point oil - lavender - on my desk to remind me to do it - even though I don’t always manage it, sometimes just a few breaths is enough to take perspective.) Take perspective: which actions taken today will be important tomorrow, and which won’t? What will really matter a year from now?
Also, I have a new calendar on my desk. I write in it every evening for the next day: if I achieve one thing tomorrow (work-wise), one thing personal (on that never-ending admin to-do list), and one thing joy-wise, what would it be? Then I tick it off at the end of the day. It’s odd how very satisfying the feeling is. ✅
I also have picked up journalling every evening again as I read that it’s one of the best ways to slow down time and revel in the transience of life.
Speaking of new eras, for those who didn’t see, our London office moved! But don’t worry, not far - just down the corridor! You can still find us at Aldgate East – but it’s a little bigger, and now we are officially part of the sharing economy (i.e., used by another team on our WFH days). See pic of our London office team on our last day in our old office below.
Also, we can’t wait to host our first Be Human Rights Confident Collective! We’ve got such an amazing group already - yay! You can sign up below. No preparation needed at all - this is just us as practitioners, getting together, having a safe space, sharing what’s top of mind for us - and also we’ll delve into top takeaways for business from NYC Climate Week. We’re structuring it as 30 minutes so you can be with us during your lunch/ breakfast - and if you have an extra 15 minutes to spare, you’re welcome to stay with us for extra to continue the convo.
We’re kickstarting our new FAQ series next week as well. More details on that here, and you can find the box below for your question.
Anna 🌟
PS: I won’t comment on the Draghi report but for those of you who want some ‘fun’ reading over the weekend, here it is and Linkedin offers many commentaries!
PPS: For those of you who have had difficulty re-subscribing, we had a listserv glitch which we have now fixed - so sorry - you can find all our past updates here and here.
