Den udbredte virkning af coronavirus-pandemien afslører en betydelig sårbarhed i virksomhedernes forsyningskæder. Investeringssamfundet er står overfor at kigge på, hvordan man værdsætter og vurderer behandlingen af menneskelig kapital i virksomhedernes forsyningskæder fremover, skriver mediet Responsible-Investor i en artikel.
The widespread impact of the coronavirus pandemic is revealing a significant vulnerability in corporate supply chains — the potential for disruptions and delays born of employer-controlled working and living conditions that contribute to the spread of the virus. The investment community is now at an inflection point on how to value and assess the treatment of human capital in corporate supply chains going forward.
Once deemed reputational and regulatory risks, sub-standard labour conditions are now also manifesting as operational ones. Understanding how labour vulnerabilities and working conditions in lower-tier supply chains can impact operations will become core to investor assessments of supply chain management and business continuity.
Coronavirus amplifies supply chain risks driven by working conditions
COVID-19 is a crisis with global but uneven repercussions, driven by varying access to preventative measures and resources as well as differing levels of risk exposure. Business models with complex supply chains relying on cheap, unorganised workers in conditions with close proximity and repeated or extended interactions with others are vulnerable to disruptions in workforce continuity.
Workers in economically vulnerable conditions, such as migrant farmworkers, some of whom are in situations of forced labour, are especially at risk. The majority lack the ability to self-isolate, quarantine and access medical care or new information on the virus. Access to healthcare is limited by the scarcity of providers, not knowing the local language and how to access the healthcare system, as well as concerns that hospital visits could impact their immigration status. For others, healthcare is unaffordable.
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