Homeworkers Policy February 2024

Barbour acknowledges that homeworking is a necessary option for specific workers whose circumstances compromise their ability to integrate with a manufacturing employer’s workforce and would otherwise not gain access to essential wages. All Business Partners are required to uphold local employment laws, and assure fair, safe and dignified working conditions for all workers, including workers employed within their own homes, meeting the Barbour Supply Chain Code of Conduct.

Homeworkers are a vulnerable group of workers and their rights and conditions are to be equally upheld. Barbour does not prohibit homeworkers from the Supply Chain. Our commitments to Transparency require all manufacturing partners to openly state the locations of manufacture of all goods and permit periodical asessments of homeworking conditions.

1. Transparency

All manufacturing units are required to declare how many homeworkers they employ:

1. In the SEDEX Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)

2. To auditors when scheduling the social audit, to allow for sufficient audit time to include homeworkers assessment with the assignment of extra days, suggested as:

i. 0.5 auditor day extra for 1-2 homeworkers assessment

ii. 1 auditor day extra for up to 5 homeworkers assessment

iii. An additional auditor day for every 5 homeworkers assessment

iv. To 100% homeworkers assessment for the initial audit

v. Specific homeworkers audit if more than 10% employers work from home

3. Providing the map of homeworkers throughout the Tiers, when requested, with an employee list (names, verified age, address, social insurance number, contact number, working patterns).

4. To Barbour and other clients at onboarding stage, and at any requested time.

Working conditions are to be communicated to:

1. Assure employer commitments via written/communicated contract with specified pay timelines.

2. Local labour department/authorities to help register homeworkers for relevant welfare schemes and social insurances and to establish an external grievance channel.

3. Homeworkers via an employers training of workplace rights, including how to access employer tools and how to negotiate reasonable targets and record piecework tracking and working hours correctly, together with advice for safety protections for safeguarding others within the home from any homework activities’ potential impacts undertaken at the declared home site.

4. Family members and the surrounding community via easy-read leaflets, highlighting that homeworkers cannot subcontract to family members, including children and others (as a gangmaster), as a means of completing production targets.

5. Brand protection – all branded goods parts and commercial design information is to be assured confidentiality and factory management shall not grant homeworking activity to workers/locations that may place brand protections at risk.

6. Raw materials bundles management - raw materials in and bundles out are to be accounted for and no branded parts or information are to remain in the home or to be placed in the hands of others. Means of transportation of parts and raw materials are to be arranged by the employer with assurances of brand protections.

7. Equipment used in the homeworking or offsite setting are to be employer-paid or provided, or promptly reimbursed at the next pay period if agreed upon - and adequate to the task.