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INTRODUCTION
This statement has been produced in compliance with the requirements of section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It sets out our stance on tackling modern slavery and reducing the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking in our business and extended supply chain. This report is submitted by WeWork International Limited on behalf of itself and all of its subsidiaries with operations in the UK listed in Schedule A (together “WeWork”). It also references the operations and policies of WeWork Inc. and its affiliates - the ultimate parent company of WeWork International Limited - which are designed to mitigate the risk of modern slavery in our global business.
This statement relates to the financial year ended 31 December 2023.
Reflecting this, the following statement sets out:
The procedures WeWork currently follows to mitigate the risk of slavery or human trafficking in our own business and our supply chain, and
The work we intend to carry out in the coming year and beyond to further strengthen these processes.
ABOUT WEWORK
WeWork was founded in 2010 with the vision to create environments where people and companies come together and do their best work. Since opening our first location in New York City, we’ve grown into a global flexible space provider committed to delivering technology-driven flexible solutions, thoughtfully designed spaces, in-building amenities and hospitality and an exceptional member experience. Today, we’re constantly reimagining how the workplace can help everyone. From intimate private offices to expansive full floors, we support modern businesses to do their best work, from global enterprises, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.
We recognize that, as a global company, we have a responsibility to look after and protect the wellbeing and safety of those who work with us and for us. We continuously seek ways to empower our employees to support and connect with local communities, driving positive impact and change to improve the lives of our members, employees and those individuals involved in our wider operations. We are committed to working together effectively and being present for and supportive of each other: this commitment extends to our employees, our members, our suppliers and the communities in which we operate.
OUR CORE VALUES
We want to create an environment where our members, guests, employees and suppliers feel safe and supported and in which they can thrive. Our core values underpin the work that we do, and they are:
Do The Right Thing.
We know the “right thing” is a deliberate action we must always take, and that it is based on integrity and builds trust with those who we care about, including our people, members, and our community.
Strive To Be Better, Together.
We’ve always believed that we are better together. We must operate with a shared purpose to constantly improve and grow and to become better as individuals, as teams, and as a company.
Be Entrepreneurial.
To reshape the way the world works, we must be bold, act with courage, and demonstrate the resiliency to push ahead no matter the odds or the circumstance.
Give Gratitude.
We will not take anyone or anything for granted. We are grateful for our people, members, and our greater community as well as for the opportunities we have in front of us.
Be Human, Be Kind.
Collaboration, kindness, and authenticity are essential to our humanity. We must cherish each other and build a community that celebrates each person’s unique talents, passions, and backgrounds.
APPROACH AND STRATEGY
Our commitment to identify and reduce the risks of modern slavery in our supply chain and our wider business operations is a natural and important extension of our mission and values. We have zero tolerance for any instances of forced or bonded labour or human trafficking in our supply chains.
We are proud of the impact that we can have on our employees, members and wider communities through delivering our mission. We recognize that being able to choose a career is a privilege and, for many people across the world, is still far from being a reality. With our operations spanning across the globe, we have a great opportunity to bring meaningful change and we will continue to include the eradication of modern slavery in our approach.
Our Commercial Relationships
Our determination to fight against modern slavery and human trafficking is strengthened by our desire to work only with businesses and individuals that support our mission and share our values. It is important to us to build lasting relationships with our suppliers and we continue to review and enhance our contracting procedures to ensure our business partners are fully aligned with our objectives.
We strive to take all reasonable and practical steps to ensure that our standards are being implemented throughout the businesses of our suppliers and that local legislation and regulations are complied with. We take a risk-based approach to our sourcing practices. We recognise that the nature of our operations means that we contract with some suppliers in industries which have a higher risk index than others for the potential for human trafficking and modern slavery. Examples within our business of these at-risk groups include cleaning providers and construction companies.
We will continue to challenge ourselves to seek out solutions to identify as early as possible any incidence of modern slavery or any practice which could facilitate such abuses.
Framework:
Our approach to modern slavery is articulated around a framework focusing on prevention, detection, and assurance. The key pillars of our strategy involve:
Internal and external policies;
Annual compliance training;
A robust procurement function and diligence programme;
Enhanced vetting & tendering process; and
High-risk vendor/contract reviews and audits.
POLICIES & TRAINING
Procurement Policy
We have established a global, risk-based due diligence programme which informs and guides all of our interactions with suppliers and potential business partners through regular engagement with stakeholders and collaboration with our Compliance and Legal Teams. Our global procurement policy sets out our approach to the purchasing of those materials, goods and services which are essential to the creation and operation of our communities. This policy sets out the mandatory process for engaging our Procurement Team prior to the introduction of any new supplier.
Policies
Internal Policies
As part of our strategy to identify and mitigate risk in our supply chain, including modern slavery, we operate a range of policies and procedures within WeWork. All WeWork company employees are required to adhere to and comply with our Code of Conduct and Ethics as well as anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and progressive discipline policies. These policies are based on industry-standard principles and they help us set clear expectations for our employees, suppliers, and other business partners, while also establishing a framework that helps us monitor compliance with our standards. All employees are required to read and acknowledge these policies on an annual basis.
We also maintain policies that address discrimination, harassment, and general workplace conduct. Together, these resources play an integral role towards embedding our values throughout our business.
Supplier Policies
As part of our commitment to advance respect for modern working practices throughout our broader value chain, we published a supplier code of conduct (“Vendor Code of Conduct” or “The Code”) in 2020 to enhance our existing supplier requirements. The Vendor Code of Conduct applies to all suppliers working on WeWork’s behalf and sets forth WeWork's standards and expectations for our vendors across labour and human rights, ethics, environment, and sustainable procurement. The Code requires that vendors take appropriate measures to ensure that no child labour or forced labour occurs at their place of production or operations. It also places a responsibility upon our suppliers to ensure that sub-contractors or suppliers they work with also have appropriate practices and policies in place to mitigate the risk of modern day slavery and forced labour in their places of production or operations. The standards and expectations established in the Vendor Code of Conduct are the foundations of our supply chain sustainability program and sustainable sourcing policies, which are fundamental to increasing accountability throughout our supply chains. The Vendor Code of Conduct is available at https://www.wework.com/info/vendor-code.
Employee Reporting
Modern slavery can be challenging to detect and we recognise that our policies and programmes alone may not go far enough to prevent against the risk of all adverse impacts in our supply chain. For this reason, WeWork actively encourages employees to report any and all suspected violations of our values, Code of Conduct and Ethics, policies or applicable law, including those violations that could arise within our supply chain. Through fostering an environment of openness, collaboration and community, we aim to empower all of our people to speak up and be heard. Colleagues are also able to seek advice from their manager, the Global People Team, the Compliance & Ethics Team or the Legal Team.
In addition to raising issues through internal processes WeWork also operates a ‘Raise a Concern’ helpline to enable our employees and partners to report compliance and ethics concerns easily and, if needed, anonymously. The helpline is an important part of our culture of ethics and integrity and is operated by an independent and leading company who provide the facility 24/7, 365 days a year, in a number of languages. Information from reports are shared with members of the Legal Investigations Team. All allegations of improper conduct received through the helpline are promptly and confidentially investigated. Matters are reviewed and oversight of issues is provided by the Investigations Review Committee and by WeWork Inc.’s Audit Committee. To support this facility and to encourage concerns to be raised, we have a strict Anti-Retaliation Policy.
Training
Training plays a fundamental role in our work to embed our core values and expectations around compliance. We have established formal training programmes for our employees and we continue to evaluate, review and enhance these programmes. These programmes help us to raise awareness of potential issues, to communicate our policies and standards, and to provide our employees, particularly those involved in sourcing, with guidance on issues related to modern slavery and empower them to speak out safely on any risk of other violations. We require employees at all levels in the company globally to complete training in our interactive and updated Code of Conduct and Ethics as well as additional courses on business ethics and workplace conduct. The Code requires that we engage ethical partners and vendors, and that all vendors must go through our vetting process. We also provide a ‘Raise a Concern’ helpline to all employees where concerns can be raised anonymously (see further details in the paragraph above).
DUE DILIGENCE PROGRAMME
To date, the focus of our due diligence programme has been on our own operations, direct suppliers, and business partners globally. The Procurement Team will review all new supplier requests and conduct additional checks based on the risk profile of the spend category and terms of the deal. It aims to ensure that we work with reputable suppliers that share our values. When we consider whether to work with a prospective supplier or partner, the first step is to ensure that the supplier is reviewed in accordance with our Procurement Policy. In addition, we assess the jurisdiction, industry, and any government ties the supplier may maintain, among other key factors. This allows us to create a risk profile which will inform our decision as to whether we engage with the supplier.
Our global Sustainability Team was established in 2018, with supply chain sustainability as a core pillar. The team collaborates with stakeholders across the company to drive implementation of initiatives to create positive social and environmental impact. In 2019, we implemented a third party procurement platform as part of continued efforts to improve supply chain management and consistency across our procurement processes. This platform allows us to conduct supplier assessments and establish a central tool for communicating scorecards and corrective action plans with suppliers. We have continued to expand assessments to additional suppliers throughout 2023 and monitored performance through annual reviews.
We also have pre-qualification questionnaires for vetting new suppliers, including social and environmental sustainability questions to evaluate risks and opportunities early in our relationship with suppliers.
Where we identify a supplier which we consider to be operating in an at-risk industry or location, we perform additional checks which may include site visits to check the working environment and the labour practices of that supplier. In addition, all suppliers are required to undergo compliance screening which evaluates legal and reputational risks and covers required sanctions screening. If a supplier or partner operates in a country or industry with a higher risk index, or in the event that our standard diligence checks highlight areas of concern, suppliers are subject to completing a Compliance & Ethics questionnaire and undergoing enhanced due diligence by the Global Compliance & Ethics Team.
We continually assess the efficacy of our due diligence programme and we are committed to enhancing our current due diligence procedures to proactively identify, address, and track negative impacts at all stages of our supply chain. Moving forward, insights from our due diligence programmes and stakeholder feedback will continue to be integrated into our internal processes to help ensure that we have the appropriate policies and management systems in place to prevent, identify, and address potential modern slavery risks across our supply chain.
CASE STUDY: THE POWER OF COMMUNITY
Diverse Founders Programme.
By partnering with UK social enterprise Foundervine, we aim to break down the racial and economic barriers that ethnically diverse founders in the UK and Ireland face, and open our doors so that entrepreneurs – regardless of their background – have access to the opportunities needed to succeed. The Diverse Founders Programme that we launched together in 2021 and continued in 2022 has been providing programming and mentoring support for start-ups in the UK and Ireland, as well as workspace for 12 months, to 100 diverse early-stage entrepreneurs.
Youth employment programme.
We believe that everyone should have equal opportunities to join the workforce. In 2019 we started supporting the world’s largest and fastest-growing youth employment charity, Generation. The nonprofit transforms education to employment systems by providing training to unemployed young people that are disconnected from the labour market and struggle to find financial security. Following the training, graduates are ready for specific entry-level roles and are guaranteed an interview with an employer. On average the job attainment rate of the programme within three months after graduation is 80%. We support the programme by welcoming their teams and some of their students in our spaces, connecting employers from our community of members to Generation and opening up our network to the graduates. To date, we have supported more than 1,500 young people in seven cities, and, in 2023, 72 learners were able to access WeWork facilities for their 8 to 12 week long bootcamps
Supporting underserved and underrepresented people in our community
In support of our belief that every person should have the opportunity to create their life’s work, in March 2019, WeWork began a collaboration with Change Please to provide barista services in some of our buildings. Change Please initially took advantage of the growing demand for coffee in London, offering people experiencing homelessness all over the city the opportunity to train as baristas. The organisation provides people affected by homelessness with accommodation, training, and employment paying the Living Wage, in a variety of locations to support them to move forward. Since then, we have worked with Change Please to expand their footprint by implementing their baristas in WeWork locations across London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Cambridge and Birmingham, and to our buildings in Paris. By working with Change Please, we have directly supported 90 people into future employment, since the partnership’s inception. And by purchasing Change Please’s award-winning coffee — which supports farmers by paying them two to three times more than fair trade — we are indirectly supporting many more through Change Please’s training academies and mental health support programs.
In South Africa, we collaborate with I Love Coffee, a social enterprise that employs and trains Deaf young persons to become baristas – part of a movement that helps create a more accessible and independent future for the Deaf community. We supported their expansion to the UK, starting with I Love Coffee baristas in four locations in London. In 2023, we supported seven Deaf individuals into employment. Together, these organisations have transformed WeWork’s signature coffee service into an opportunity to champion economic opportunity.
Environmental Action
At WeWork, we’re integrating sustainability across our business and making sure that we are great citizens of the cities and communities in which we operate as we transition to a low carbon economy. We are vigilant about the energy, water and waste usage within our control and have three main priorities:
improving our energy management by focusing on optimising electricity consumption and the increasing use of renewable energies;
reducing waste in our spaces by removing single-use plastics and integrating circular reuse throughout our operations; and
optimising our water usage with innovative management technologies and a focus on resource education.
We have also seen an increase in members requesting sustainability data for their operating space, and in 2023 we issued 850 Member Sustainability Reports. These consist of greenhouse gas emissions, waste and recycling rates, water usage, electricity and gas consumption.
As WeWork continues to expand, we are confident that these global environmental initiatives will positively impact our supply chain and the rights of workers around the world.
ASSESSMENT OF EFFECTIVENESS IN PREVENTING MODERN SLAVERY
We continue to be proud of our ongoing work and achievements over the past year towards improving our internal processes and third party diligence. We continue to review and develop internal tools and measurements to gauge the effectiveness of our programmes and determine any changes to implement going forward.
We recognise the opportunity WeWork has to have a significant positive impact on the communities that it touches. We must be particularly alert to new risks and opportunities that will arise as a result of our operations and expansion. This is a responsibility which we welcome and which we take seriously. We continue to invest in our approach, investing in new talent and new technology to allow us to reflect on, develop and enhance our strategy to combat modern slavery and human trafficking in our wider business and supply chain. We want to be accountable and transparent about our future goals to improve our current practices.
UPDATE ON PROGRESS TO DATE
In our previous statement, we set out the following commitment for 2023. Our progress on this commitment is set out below:
Standard Global RFP templates including commitment to our Vendor Code of Conduct: implementation of standardised templates when we carry out requests for proposals (“RFPs”) relating to committed spend to ensure that these RFPs consistently require vendors to adhere to our Vendor Code of Conduct, including requirements relating to modern slavery diligence and compliance.
We look forward to reporting on our progress in future modern slavery statements.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 31 December 2023. It has been approved by the Board of Directors of WeWork International Limited on 28 June 2024 who will review and update it on an annual basis or more often as we progress with the objectives set out in this statement.
Claudio Hidalgo
Director
WeWork International Limited
Last updated on 27 June 2024