ServiceNow

ServiceNow partnered with the non-profit organisation Code First Girls to run a free eight-week coding course, where participants were trained, mentored and encouraged to consider a career working in the digital industry. The company also facilitates access for diverse users by incorporating accessibility considerations in its products and websites. For instance, it provides several accessibility features for users with disabilities, including keyboard navigation, colour and style settings, using a screen reader, typography options, etc.

ServiceNow operates programmes for advancing intermediate and technical digital skills. Its NextGen programme aims to provide entry-level workplace digital skills to help students, veterans and those in career transition improve their employment prospects. Notably, in the United States, NextGen is delivered in partnership with a Historically Black College.

ServiceNow demonstrates leading practice in its senior-level oversight of cybersecurity and has a high-level commitment and a white paper that details how cybersecurity is managed within the organisation. The company has been certified since 2012 for its information security management and makes its certification publicly available. It considers data privacy and security highly material and has a group-level privacy statement.

ServiceNow supports the tech start-up ecosystem through its venture capital fund. It also has a commitment to support entrepreneurship within black communities across the United States. The company partnered with MIT on its 2021 MIT Solve Digital Workforce Challenge, which explored how underserved populations can participate in the digital workforce of the future. The company discloses the number of its women employees in tech roles and has convened an ethics committee for its research and development (R&D) activities.

ServiceNow can consider introducing more initiative to enhance universal and affordable access to digital technologies. The company can also enhance transparency by disclosing how its economic value is generated and distributed among stakeholders, as well as its employment and the income taxes it pays in the markets where it operates.

ServiceNow should consider seeking third-party assessments to gauge the impact of its programmes. The company can also improve disclosure for its digital literacy training initiatives by reporting on its financial and in-kind contributions to the programmes.

The company can more clearly demonstrate how it monitors, remedies and reports on security incidents. Furthermore, as a digital technology company, it should also make a commitment to child online safety.

Little evidence was found of the company’s activities relating to open innovation, such as participation in standards organisations and open source research. The company can enhance transparency by disclosing how ethics and human rights considerations are applied in its R&D activities.

ServiceNow commits to respecting human rights. However, it does not publicly commit to respecting the ILO core labour rights. Furthermore, the company does not disclose a process to identify, assess and take action on salient human rights risks in its own operations and in its business relationships. ServiceNow does, however, have a grievance mechanism accessible to both workers and external stakeholders to raise human rights concerns and complaints.

ServiceNow discloses in its Human Rights Statement that it believes in providing a safe and healthy environment for all its workers. However, it does not have a formal policy document committing to upholding workers’ health and safety. While the company expects its suppliers to commit to respecting workers’ health and safety, it does not monitor their health and safety performance. In relation to diversity, ServiceNow provides a breakdown of employees in different employee categories by gender, age and ethnicity. However, the company does not have a public commitment to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. Additionally, the company does not specify that it does not require workers to work more than regular and overtime hours.

ServiceNow publicly commits to protecting data privacy. While it has a global tax strategy that is ultimately overseen by the company’s board, it does not disclose its income tax payments in individual tax jurisdictions. The company has anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies, and it includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in contracts with its business relationships. It also has a grievance mechanism for stakeholders to raise concerns and complaints on the topic. However, it does not describe how it identifies bribery and corruption. Further, ServiceNow does not disclose its lobbying expenditures or provide a publicly available policy statement describing its overarching approach to lobbying and political engagement.