A coalition of 79 global institutional investors, representing nearly $8 trillion in assets under management (AUM) is demanding companies disclose more information on how they manage their global workforces, Vancouver-based Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE) announced on Tuesday.
The group, which includes 19 Canadian invesors, says that its members are seeking deeper insight into companies’ policies and practices to see how firms compare in terms of managing workforce risks and opportunities.
To that end, the investors are surveying 75 mega-cap companies listed on 8 international stock exchanges, including 10 Canadian companies, about their governance of workforce issues, global workforce composition and stability, training and development, and worker engagement; both within their own operations and within their global supply chains.
“We believe integrating workforce issues into our investment process will improve long-term value and returns for our pension fund members,” says Katharine Preston, director of responsible investing at OPTrust, in a statement. OPTrust is a signatory to the initiative.
“In order to fulfill our role as an active owner in relation to these issues, we need to be able to measure how companies manage their workforces,” she adds.