EFC’S relaunched ‘Compliance +’ enables companies to project as exemplary businesses
The branded audit certification of the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) ‘Compliance +’ which was initially launched in 2014 was recently relaunched, giving this audit tool more muscle.
This patented certification was developed with technical assistance from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and is supported by the International Organisation of Employers (IOE).
The certification, as the EFC’S Director General Kanishka Weerasinghe notes, is a reflection of the EFC’S commitment to encourage its member companies to champion voluntary standards pertaining to labour, occupational safety and health and other environment related matters.
“The EFC with its 90 years of history is proud to be associated with a membership of employers who are not only compliant of local labour laws but also of international tools. Compliance + is one of the most recent innovative branded certifications of ours which has been commended by the ILO as a model to be followed when it was first presented to the Employers Group of the ILO at the International Labour Conference in 2015.”
The Compliance brand, as the EFC’S chief further remarks, is a product that would enable employers and enterprises to place themselves as ‘exemplary businesses’ that surpass mandatory standards and excel in the areas of equal opportunities for employment, employer-employee relations, work arrangement practices and environment. The certification is open to both EFC’S member companies as well as non-members.
The certification which goes beyond the legal framework and recognises a healthy employer-employee relationship is also means of championing industrial peace says EFC Assistant Director General Chameel Perera.
“The brand which is based on the cornerstones of ‘recognition’, ‘credibility’ and ‘corporate image’ of an enterprise is an internationally valid tool for all business sectors which compete in the international market.”
The audit for the certification process will be conducted by an independent and internationally acclaimed firm whose audit teams will facilitate the exercise. The certified employers will be entitled for the Compliance + certification valid for a period of two years. During this valid period, the certified employers are entitled to use the brand name Compliance + in the company letterheads, email signatures, visiting cards and more. The certified companies will also be provided with a flag with the brand name and stickers indicating the certified period.
As the Assistant DG of the EFC further notes, in keeping with the EFC’S partnership with ‘Great Place to Work’, arrangements have been made for employers who are ‘Great Place to Work-certified to receive due weight-age when being assessed for the certification.