Starwood Expands Human Rights Policy

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Making a commitment to CSR: Starwood has announced that it will refine its business practices and offer enhanced staff training to operate in-line with UN guidance on human rights issues.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced late last week that it has expanded its Human Rights Policy and will now conduct its business in-line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

This means that employees at any properties directly owned, managed or franchised by the company will now be expected to adhere to this policy, which underscores Starwood’s commitment to the prevention of crimes like human trafficking throughout its supply chain.

Michelle Naggar, Vice President of Social Responsibility at Starwood Hotels, spoke of the announcement in an official statement, saying, “At Starwood, we are fully committed to our company’s promise to ‘do the right thing’ throughout every step of our business operations, and our Human Rights statement, policies, training and response to issues are part of that commitment.”

Naggar also explained that this updated policy further clarifies the company’s commitment to creating not just a better working environment, but a better world.

The policy was released by Starwood’s newly formed Human Rights Council, which was created to advance and protect the rights of those working across the global hotel and hospitality industry.

Speaking of this industry-wide initiative, Naggar added that, “We recognize that for true advancement, we must join together with our industry peers, as well as government, non-profits and civil society to create and maintain lasting, measurable societal improvements.”

Operationally, this means keeping staff informed and abreast of major human rights issues across the industry. While 2014 saw Starwood launch internal management training about spotting and preventing human trafficking, this year will see additional training resources being made available to all employees.

“There is also training available for line-level staff, translated into nine languages, with additional resources available such as videos, reporting protocols, and back-of-house posters,” Naggar said.

In addition to these efforts, Starwood has teamed up with UNICEF to undertake a human rights impact assessment (HRIA) in Mexico. Results of this study will be made public later in 2016 and will be used to assess both the actual and potential human rights opportunities and risks within the hospitality industry as a whole.

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