Social Baseline Dashboard

The Social Baseline dashboard shows social and labor risk flags from Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (FSLM) assessments that facilities share with you.

What is a flag? A flag marks an issue found in a facility's FSLM assessment. Each question whose answer shows a problem with a social or labor practice counts as one flag. Every flag has a risk level: Zero Tolerance, High Risk, or Medium Risk. Some flags are also tagged Legal Compliance when the question relates to a legal requirement. See the Social Risk Category Definitions section of this article.

Social Baseline KPI Cards

The Social Baseline dashboard has 17 key performance indicator (KPI) cards. Every KPI counts flags from FSLM assessments, so the unit is always flags.

If you want a KPI that is not on the dashboard, contact Worldly Support at support.worldly.io. See the Social Baseline KPI Definitions section of this article.

Social Baseline Hotspots

Hotspots show where flags are concentrated. The dashboard has four charts and 16 tables. The charts are Risk-Level Distribution, Flags by Country, Flags by Tags, and Flags by Cadences. Each table lists facilities with flags in one FSLM section, split into Legal Compliance flags and Zero Tolerance flags. See the Social Baseline Hotspot Definitions and Social Baseline Table Definitions sections of this article for what each chart and table shows.

Social Baseline Initiatives

Social Baseline initiatives work differently from the environmental dashboards. Each initiative card shows the percentage of facilities in your view that have flags for issues in one area, so a lower percentage is better. Social initiatives have no L0 to L3 levels.

Green means 0% to 30% of facilities are flagged. Red means 70% to 100% are flagged. Each percentage is based on all facilities in your current view. Each card links to capacity-building guidance from Cascale, aligned with Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP), Better Work Zero Tolerance, and International Labour Organization (ILO) standards.

The dashboard has 54 initiative cards in eight categories:

• Prevalence (7): Health and Safety, Recruitment and Hiring, Termination, Wages and Benefits, Worker Involvement, Worker Treatment, Working Hours. These show the share of facilities flagged anywhere in each FSLM section.
• Health and Safety (20): Building Safety, Canteens, Chemicals and Hazardous Substances, Children and Childcare, Dormitories, Electrical Safety, Emergency Preparedness, Facilities, First Aid and Medical, Flammable and Combustible Materials, General Work Environment, Health and Safety Committee, Health and Safety Compliance, Health and Safety Policy / Plan, Health and Safety Worker Engagement, Materials Handling and Storage, Qualified Health and Safety Staff, Risk Assessment, Safety Warnings, Worker Protection
• Recruitment and Hiring (6): Child Labor, Discrimination - Recruiting and Hiring, Employment Practices - Recruiting and Hiring, Forced Labor - Recruitment and Hiring, Homeworkers, Recruitment Practices
• Termination (4): Discrimination - Termination, Employment Practices - Termination, Forced Labor - Termination, Termination
• Wages and Benefits (4): Base Wages and Payment Practices, Bonuses and Variable Pay, Employment Practices - Wages and Benefits, Leave, Benefits, and Social Insurance
• Worker Involvement (3): Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining, Grievance Systems, Workplace Cooperation
• Worker Treatment (7): Discipline, Discrimination - Worker Treatment, Employment Practices - Worker Treatment, Forced Labor - Worker Treatment, Harassment and Abuse, Sexual Harassment, Worker Treatment
• Working Hours (3): Forced Labor - Working Hours, Overtime, Working Hours

Social Risk Category Definitions

The social risk KPIs use data points from the FSLM. The data points are grouped into categories aligned with FSLM methodology. See Cascale Scoring Methodology, Higg Index Communications Guidelines, and the Higg FSLM CAF v1.7 webinar for more information.

For the full list of SLCP data points that populate each category, see the Data Dictionary.

Zero Tolerance

Zero Tolerance violations represent the most severe infractions, where any instance of non-compliance leads to serious human rights violations or imminent threats to worker health and safety. The Better Work Zero Tolerance Protocol and ILO Core Conventions classify these violations as critical, and they need immediate intervention.

Examples:

• Minimum working age not respected
• Forced overtime reported
• Emergency drills not conducted

Use: Escalate facilities with these flags for immediate remediation.

High Risk

High Risk violations, while not as severe as Zero Tolerance, still constitute serious breaches of fundamental labor rights and workplace safety regulations. These violations fall under the ILO Core Labor Standards and require urgent corrective measures to prevent escalation.

Examples:

• No health checks for workers
• Recruitment process non-compliance
• Workplace accidents not investigated

Use: These flags show systemic risks that can become Zero Tolerance issues if facilities do not address them.

Medium Risk

Medium Risk violations do not pose an immediate danger, but still represent compliance gaps that should be addressed to maintain a safe and ethical workplace. While these infractions are less severe, they require attention to prevent deterioration into High Risk or Zero Tolerance issues.

Examples:

• Hazardous substances not inventoried
• Benefits not provided as required
• Grievance retaliation reported

Use: Use these flags to spot patterns of non-compliance early.

Legal Compliance

Questions are designated as Legal Compliance if they are related to legal requirements as stated in the Converged Assessment Framework (CAF) questions. A question can be tagged as both legal compliance and risk-rated as zero tolerance, medium risk, or high risk.

Examples:

• Worker age verification not conducted
• Missing fire detection systems
• Wages not paid according to law

Use: Use these flags to track regulatory exposure across facilities.

Health and Safety

The purpose of this section is to understand the facility's social and labor practices with respect to Health and Safety in the facility's operations. Facilities include those involved in production of goods, and also those involved in operations related to the product, such as distribution. The term "production" should not be seen as limiting to production of goods only, but rather general operations of the facility.

Overall International Labor Standard Compliance Guidance: Improvements in occupational safety and health enhance productivity by reducing the number of interruptions in the manufacturing process, by reducing absences, by decreasing the number of accidents, and by improving work efficiency. Safety is preventative. The cooperation of workers and employers is essential. While the government has obligations outlined in the ILO Conventions, Protocols, and Recommendations, employers and workers also have responsibilities and rights to ensure occupational safety and health.

Social and labor topics in this section:

• General Work Environment
• Building Safety
• Risk Assessment
• HS Policy
• HS Committee
• HS Worker Engagement
• Emergency Preparedness
• Flammable/Combustible Materials
• Chemicals/Hazardous Substances
• Worker Protection
• Materials Handling and Storage
• Electrical Safety
• First Aid/Medical
• Contractor Safety
• Dormitories
• Canteens
• Childcare
• Children
• Facilities
• Facility Comments

Examples:

• Safe drinking water not available
• Emergency exits inadequate

Use: Use this category to monitor worker safety at each facility.

Recruitment and Hiring

The purpose of the Recruitment and Hiring section is to understand the facility's social and labor practices in the initial stages of employment. The "recruitment" process is designed to select the most appropriate candidates for employment. The "hiring" process is how new workers are brought into the organization.

Social and labor topics in this section:

• Child Labor
• Apprenticeship / Trainee / Internship Programs
• Forced Labor
• Recruitment Practices
• Discrimination
• Employment Practices
• Homeworkers
• Facility Comments

Examples:

• Forced or underage labor reported
• Missing signed contracts

Use: This category shows risks when workers join a facility.

Termination

The purpose of the Termination section is to understand the facility's social and labor practices in the final stages of employment. Termination is the voluntary or involuntary ending of the employment relationship. Termination is typically voluntary in cases of resignation or retirement and involuntary in cases of dismissal or layoffs.

Social and labor topics in this section:

• Forced Labor
• Employment Practices
• Discrimination
• Facility Comments

Examples:

• Severance not paid
• Invalid termination reasons recorded

Use: Use this category to check that facilities follow fair exit practices.

Wages and Benefits

The purpose of this section is to understand the facility's social and labor practices with respect to Wages and Benefits. Wages and Benefits refer to the compensation a worker should receive as a result of their work in the facility. Wages refer specifically to the monetary (cash) wages received. And benefits cover any other form of compensation the worker receives other than monetary (cash) wages. Minimum wages may be set by law or regulation, by wage boards, councils, courts, or tribunals, or by collective agreement. Minimum wage rates may be different across groups of workers, sectors of economic activity, or by geographical location.

Social and labor topics in this section:

• Wages and Benefits
• Facility Comments

Examples:

• Workers not paid minimum wage
• Sick leave not compensated

Use: This category shows wage theft and benefit risks.

Worker Involvement and Freedom of Association

The purpose of the Worker Involvement section is to understand how the facility involves workers in the improvement process within the facility.

From participation in Freedom of Association to Grievance systems, this section seeks to understand the facility's mechanisms in place to facilitate dialogue and action between management and workers.

Social and labor topics in this section:

• Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
• Worker Representatives
• Bipartite committee(s)
• Grievance Systems
• Worker Feedback
• Facility Comments

Examples:

• No trade union present
• Union intimidation reported

Use: Use this category to track how well facilities respect freedom of association rights.

Worker Treatment and Harassment

The purpose of the Worker Treatment section is to understand how the facility treats workers while they are in the facility. From freedom of movement to harassment, this section seeks to understand if workers are treated in a fair and responsible manner, in line with applicable legal standards.

Social and labor topics in this section:

• Forced Labor
• Harassment and Abuse
• Discrimination
• Discipline
• Facility Comments

Examples:

• Abuse cases reported
• Pregnancy testing required

Use: This category shows cultural and behavioral risks in how facilities treat workers.

Working Hours

The purpose of this section is to understand the facility's social and labor practices with respect to Working Hours. Working hours refers to hours worked in an activity during normal periods of work, plus overtime, time spent at the place of work, when the worker is at the disposal of the employer. Working Hours are a fundamental component to the employment process, and limitations (legal or otherwise) should be respected. For industrial enterprises, international standards limit regular (pre-overtime) working hours to 8 hours each day, 48 hours each week, subject to certain exceptions. They also say that workers must have at least one day off in seven.

Social and labor topics in this section:

• Working Hours
• Forced Labor
• Overtime
• Facility Comments

Examples:

• Weekly rest days not provided
• Forced overtime reported

Use: Use this category to monitor worker fatigue and compliance with legal working time.

Social Baseline KPI Definitions

The following KPIs provide aggregate views of facility risk exposure. Each KPI includes a definition, a tip for interpretation, and its calculation.

Total Number of Zero Tolerance Flags

Count of all question-level Zero Tolerance flags across facilities in the current filters and reporting year.

Tip: This KPI shows the total number of the most severe violations across your facilities. Use it to decide what to escalate and remediate first.

How it is calculated: The sum of all Zero Tolerance flags across facilities.

Total Number of High Risk Flags

Count of all question-level High Risk flags across facilities in the current filters and reporting year.

Tip: This KPI shows systemic risks that facilities can still fix. Use it to find facilities that need closer monitoring and corrective action.

How it is calculated: The sum of all High Risk flags across facilities.

Total Number of Medium Risk Flags

Count of all question-level Medium Risk flags across facilities in the current filters and reporting year.

Tip: This KPI shows less severe, recurring risks that can be early warning signs. Use it to spot patterns before they escalate.

How it is calculated: The sum of all Medium Risk flags across facilities.

Total Number of All Flags

Count of all question-level flags of any risk severity (Zero Tolerance, High, and Medium) across facilities in the current filters and reporting year.

Tip: This KPI shows all flagged risks across your facilities. Use it to compare years and for aggregate reporting.

How it is calculated: The sum of all risk flags (Zero Tolerance, High, and Medium) across facilities.

Average Number of Zero Tolerance Flags

Average number of Zero Tolerance flags per facility within the filtered set.

Tip: This KPI adjusts severe violations for the number of facilities. Use it to compare performance and find outliers.

How it is calculated: Total Zero Tolerance flags divided by the number of facilities.

Average Number of High Risk Flags

Average number of High Risk flags per facility within the filtered set.

Tip: Use this KPI to compare exposure to serious risks that are not Zero Tolerance across facilities.

How it is calculated: Total High Risk flags divided by the number of facilities.

Average Number of Medium Risk Flags

Average number of Medium Risk flags per facility within the filtered set.

Tip: Use this KPI to see lower-level, recurring issues across facilities.

How it is calculated: Total Medium Risk flags divided by the number of facilities.

Average Number of All Flags

Average number of all risk flags (Zero Tolerance, High, and Medium) per facility within the filtered set.

Tip: Use this KPI to compare overall risk exposure across groups of facilities.

How it is calculated: Total risk flags divided by the number of facilities.

Total Number of Legal Flags

Count of all question-level flags tagged Legal Compliance across facilities in the current filters and reporting year.

Tip: This KPI measures exposure to regulatory non-compliance. A facility can have both legal and risk-rated flags.

How it is calculated: The sum of all Legal Compliance flags across facilities.

Average Number of Legal Flags

Average number of Legal Compliance flags per facility within the filtered set.

Tip: This KPI adjusts legal non-compliance for the number of facilities. Use it to compare facilities fairly.

How it is calculated: Total Legal Compliance flags divided by the number of facilities.

Average Number of Health & Safety Flags

Average number of Health & Safety flags per facility within the filtered set.

Tip: Use this KPI to track relative safety risk across facilities.

How it is calculated: Total Health & Safety flags divided by the number of facilities.

Average Number of Recruitment & Hiring Flags

Average number of Recruitment & Hiring flags per facility within the filtered set.

Tip: Use this KPI to see risk trends in hiring practices across facilities.

How it is calculated: Total Recruitment & Hiring flags divided by the number of facilities.

Average Number of Termination Flags

Average number of Termination-related flags per facility within the filtered set.

Tip: Use this KPI to see systemic risks in end-of-employment practices.

How it is calculated: Total Termination flags divided by the number of facilities.

Average Number of Wages & Benefits Flags

Average number of Wages & Benefits flags per facility within the filtered set.

Tip: Use this KPI to monitor systemic risks of wage theft or benefit non-compliance.

How it is calculated: Total Wages & Benefits flags divided by the number of facilities.

Average Number of Worker Involvement Flags

Average number of Worker Involvement and Freedom of Association (FOA) flags per facility within the filtered set.

Tip: Use this KPI to compare the risk of FOA violations across facilities.

How it is calculated: Total Worker Involvement and FOA flags divided by the number of facilities.

Average Number of Worker Treatment Flags

Average number of Worker Treatment / Harassment & Abuse flags per facility within the filtered set.

Tip: Use this KPI to see workplace culture risks across facilities.

How it is calculated: Total Worker Treatment flags divided by the number of facilities.

Average Number of Working Hours Flags

Average number of Working Hours flags per facility within the filtered set.

Tip: Use this KPI to compare overwork and excessive hours risks across facilities.

How it is calculated: Total Working Hours flags divided by the number of facilities.

Social Baseline Table Definitions

Facility Profile - Legal Compliance

Lists facilities with legal compliance–related facility profile red flags.

Tip: Use this table to find gaps in practices that may also violate legal requirements.

Source: Filtered from facility profile and legal compliance flags in FSLM data.

Facility Profile - Zero Tolerance

Lists facilities with facility profile Zero Tolerance flags.

Tip: Use this table to find facilities with severe risks in their practices.

Source: Filtered from facility profile Zero Tolerance flags in FSLM data.

Health & Safety - Legal Compliance

Lists facilities with legal compliance–related health & safety red flags.

Tip: Use this table to find gaps in workplace safety practices that may also violate legal requirements.

Source: Filtered from health & safety legal compliance flags in FSLM data.

Health & Safety - Zero Tolerance

Lists facilities with health & safety Zero Tolerance flags.

Tip: Use this table to find the most severe worker safety violations (such as blocked exits or missing emergency protocols).

Source: Filtered from health & safety Zero Tolerance flags in FSLM data.

Recruitment & Hiring - Legal Compliance

Lists facilities with recruitment & hiring–related legal compliance red flags.

Tip: Use this table to track exposure to hiring practice violations (such as contracts and age verification).

Source: Filtered from recruitment & hiring legal compliance flags in FSLM data.

Recruitment & Hiring - Zero Tolerance

Lists facilities with recruitment & hiring Zero Tolerance flags.

Tip: Use this table to find facilities with forced labor, underage hiring, or similar severe risks.

Source: Filtered from recruitment & hiring Zero Tolerance flags in FSLM data.

Termination - Legal Compliance

Lists facilities with termination-related legal compliance red flags.

Tip: Use this table to monitor facilities that may mishandle dismissals, severance, or end-of-employment obligations.

Source: Filtered from termination legal compliance flags in FSLM data.

Termination - Zero Tolerance

Lists facilities with termination Zero Tolerance flags.

Tip: Use this table to find the most severe risks in termination practices, such as discriminatory or retaliatory dismissals.

Source: Filtered from termination Zero Tolerance flags in FSLM data.

Wages & Benefits - Legal Compliance

Lists facilities with wages & benefits–related legal compliance red flags.

Tip: Use this table to find facilities that violate wage payment or benefit laws.

Source: Filtered from wages & benefits legal compliance flags in FSLM data.

Wages & Benefits - Zero Tolerance

Lists facilities with wages & benefits Zero Tolerance flags.

Tip: Use this table to find severe violations, such as systemic wage theft or failure to pay minimum wage.

Source: Filtered from wages & benefits Zero Tolerance flags in FSLM data.

Worker Involvement - Legal Compliance

Lists facilities with worker involvement and FOA–related legal compliance red flags.

Tip: Use this table to find facilities that do not comply with laws that protect freedom of association or collective bargaining.

Source: Filtered from worker involvement legal compliance flags in FSLM data.

Worker Involvement - Zero Tolerance

Lists facilities with worker involvement and FOA Zero Tolerance flags.

Tip: Use this table to find the most severe restrictions on union activity, such as intimidation or retaliation.

Source: Filtered from worker involvement Zero Tolerance flags in FSLM data.

Worker Treatment - Legal Compliance

Lists facilities with worker treatment–related legal compliance red flags.

Tip: Use this table to track facilities that do not comply with anti-harassment or worker protection laws.

Source: Filtered from worker treatment legal compliance flags in FSLM data.

Worker Treatment - Zero Tolerance

Lists facilities with worker treatment Zero Tolerance flags.

Tip: Use this table to find the most severe cases of abuse, harassment, or coercion in the workplace.

Source: Filtered from worker treatment Zero Tolerance flags in FSLM data.

Working Hours - Legal Compliance

Lists facilities with working hours–related legal compliance red flags.

Tip: Use this table to monitor facilities that violate maximum hours, overtime, or rest day laws.

Source: Filtered from working hours legal compliance flags in FSLM data.

Working Hours - Zero Tolerance

Lists facilities with Working Hours Zero Tolerance flags.

Tip: Use this table to find the most severe violations of working time standards, such as systemic forced overtime.

Source: Filtered from working hours Zero Tolerance flags in FSLM data.

Social Baseline Hotspot Definitions

Flags by Country

Average number of flags of any risk level per facility, grouped by country, with a line overlay showing the number of facilities in each country.

Tip: Use this chart to compare facility risk exposure across countries and find high-risk countries. The chart helps you prioritize regional engagement and remediation.

Source: Average number of flags per facility (Zero Tolerance, High Risk, and Medium Risk), grouped by country.

Flags by Tags

Average number of flags of any risk level per facility, grouped by Worldly tags on assessments, with a line overlay showing the number of facilities per tag.

Tip: Use this chart to analyze risk within your Worldly tags. The chart shows whether flagged risks are concentrated in particular groups of facilities.

Source: Average number of flags per facility, grouped by tag.

Flags by Cadences

Average number of flags of any risk level per facility, grouped by cadence, with a line overlay showing the number of facilities per cadence.

Tip: Use this chart to see whether risk exposure differs between cadences. The chart supports program planning and scaling decisions.

Source: Average number of flags per facility, grouped by cadence.

Risk-Level Distribution

Distribution of FSLM risk flags across facilities by severity (Zero Tolerance, High Risk, and Medium Risk), averaged per facility within the current filters and reporting year.

Tip: This chart shows the balance of risk severity across all your facilities. Use it to track overall program health and compare years.

Source: Average counts of Zero Tolerance, High, and Medium Risk flags per facility, from FSLM assessment data.