Marks and Spencer Group

A signatory to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), M&S displays a commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment. The company has also established several gender-related, time-bound targets and tracks its progress against them. For example, it aims to increase women’s representation in management to 50% in the workplace and 25% in the supply chain by 2022. It also aims to transition all workers employed by its Tier 1 suppliers from a cash-based system to digital payments by 2020, empowering workers by offering more control over and access to their salaries. Moreover, the company has identified its director of sustainable business as responsible for its gender efforts. However, no information was found on whether M&S engages its own employees, for instance by conducting surveys, or external stakeholders on gender issues.

The company has a gender-responsive grievance mechanism that considers the specific needs of its women employees, for instance guaranteeing confidentiality, allowing concerns to be reported anonymously to someone other than the direct supervisor via a telephone line or website, and ensuring non-retaliation and protection of the aggrieved party. The company also requires suppliers to have their own grievance mechanism in place for workers to raise concerns.

M&S does not disclose information to demonstrate that it screens for gender-related issues among its suppliers as part of its audit processes, such as sexual harassment or discrimination against women based on their pregnancy and marital status. Furthermore, no information was found regarding whether the company requires its suppliers to take corrective action if these gender-related issues are identified.

M&S considers the fair representation of women in the workplace and publicly discloses the gender composition across various levels of leadership at least annually. With a workforce that is 71% female, the company currently maintains gender balance – 40-60% women – among its senior management (42%) and middle management (50%). However, women are underrepresented on its board of directors (33%) and among senior executives (22%). No information was found regarding the gender composition of the company’s workforce across occupational function or the gender breakdown of employee turnover or absenteeism rates.

M&S offers professional development opportunities to its women employees, for instance through its Inspiring Women Coaching Programme and Gender Equality Network. The company also supports its suppliers in offering professional development opportunities to women workers in the supply chain through skills training provided by its Gender Equality and Returns programme. The company also participated in the POWER (Promoting Opportunities to Women for Equal Rights) initiative in Indian clothing factories as well as the WOW (Work and Opportunities for Women) programme to reinforce female leadership across its supply chain.

The company addresses the systemic discrimination that women face, requiring suppliers to have a non-discrimination policy that explicitly protects pregnant women workers and prohibits pregnancy testing, except when required by applicable laws or for workplace safety. Furthermore, the company requires suppliers to have an equal opportunity employment policy that promotes gender equality in employment practices. The company does not, however, indicate how much it procures specifically from women-owned businesses or what actions it has taken to increase its support for these businesses.

Though no details were available regarding recognition agreements with local trade unions or collective bargaining agreements currently in place, M&S expects suppliers to respect the rights of workers to establish and join organisations.

While M&S reports on its gender pay gap in the United Kingdom, thereby complying with national regulation, no information was found regarding how the company specifically addresses the gender pay gap across its global operations to ensure its women employees receive fair compensation for their work.

In terms of family-friendly benefits, the company states that it meets local legal requirements for maternity, paternity and parental leave. However, it does not disclose a global policy of providing at least 14 weeks of paid primary carer leave and two weeks of paid secondary carer leave, as recommended by the International Labour Organization. Neither was information found on whether it promotes employees’ return to work after leave or offers childcare support. The company does, however, offer flexible working hours to its employees.

In the supply chain, the company requires suppliers to extend workers formal contracts. It also takes specific actions to help ensure its suppliers support formal rather than informal work, for example asserting they should have a process to ensure workers do not pay recruitment fees and have a record of all workers working at their site. While the company encourages suppliers to pay workers a living wage as well as provide maternity leave and support for childcare, it does not require them to do so.

No information was found to suggest that M&S covers any additional costs surrounding the maternal, mental or sexual and reproductive health needs specific to its women employees.

Beyond providing access to drinking water and personal protective equipment, there were no details on whether the company requires its suppliers to consider the specific health, safety and hygiene needs of their women workers, for example by providing adequately lit factory facilities and toilets separated by gender. Neither was there information to suggest the company monitors the gender breakdown of workers’ injuries, fatalities, turnover or absenteeism rates.

However, M&S has made a public commitment to improve on-site health facilities and address workers’ health rights. To this end, the company developed the HealthWorks programme with Project Hope and the Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia to tackle anaemia among women workers through improved nutrition, training sessions and counselling. It has also participated in the Health Access and Linkage Opportunities for Workers partnership with GSK and CARE International to provide women workers in Bangladesh with sexual and reproductive services. Furthermore, M&S requires its suppliers to provide workers with access to medical assistance and facilities, though no details were found regarding whether this includes an on-site clinic with credentialed health providers.

In the workplace, M&S seeks to prevent violence and harassment through its zero-tolerance bullying and harassment policy. However, no details were found regarding violence and harassment training or the company’s effective remedy for violence and harassment grievances in the workplace, such as not requiring private arbitration or silencing agreements.

In the supply chain, M&S requires its suppliers to have a policy in place that prohibits all forms of abuse and harassment, including sexual harassment. The company supports its suppliers in preventing violence and harassment in the supply chain, for instance by participating in the HERproject, run by BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), which specifically addresses sexual harassment. It has also enabled workers in India to take part in the Gender Equality Programme with the British High Commission to help tackle gender discrimination and sexual harassment.

No publicly available information was found regarding how M&S addresses non-discriminatory practices in marketing and advertising, for example by committing to avoid harmful gender stereotypes or ensuring gender-responsive communications and engagement with its customers to support gender equality and women’s empowerment.

M&S drives support for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the communities where it operates through a number of initiatives. For instance, in partnership with Geosansar, a social enterprise in India that specialises in training for financial inclusion, it is building awareness and understanding of bank accounts and savings benefits for unbanked women. The company is also participating in BSR’s HERfinance Digital Wages programme to digitise wage payments for low-income workers in Bangladesh, Egypt and Cambodia.

M&S has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic through the Neighbourly Community Fund, which fundraises for individuals and communities in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It has also made donations to the National Emergencies Trust, helping more than 1,000 charities support the most vulnerable people across the United Kingdom, as well as seeking donations for NHS Charities Together.