Fair Labor Association (FLA) Workplace Code of Conduct
The Fair Labor Association (FLA) Workplace Code of Conduct is a voluntary multi-industry workplace standards code adopted by FLA member companies (apparel + footwear + agriculture + electronics + university licensee sector) and applied across their global supplier networks. The Code was first adopted in 1998 + revised periodically; the current version (post-2017 + ongoing review) consists of 10 principles that operationalise the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work + the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights + the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The 10 principles are: (1) Employment Relationship; (2) Nondiscrimination; (3) Harassment or Abuse; (4) Forced Labor; (5) Child Labor; (6) Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining; (7) Health, Safety, and Environment; (8) Hours of Work; (9) Compensation; (10) (varying topical principle covering subcontracting / supply chain responsibility + worker grievance + remediation). The 10 principles are operationalised through 100+ COMPLIANCE BENCHMARKS - specific operational practices that FLA-accredited monitoring + audit programmes assess. FLA-accredited companies submit to periodic Independent External Monitoring (IEM) + Sustainable Compliance Initiative (SCI) audits + remediation oversight + external reporting via the FLA Public Reports system + the FLA Tracking Chart. The FLA Workplace Code is the principal multi-stakeholder voluntary labor-standards code in the apparel + footwear + agriculture sectors alongside the SAC Higg + Better Cotton Initiative + Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) + Social Accountability International SA8000 + amfori BSCI. Substantive content lives in the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct + the FLA Compliance Benchmarks (FLA-member-gated full text but publicly summarised on fairlabor.org).
Framework summaries on this platform are AI-assisted interpretations for educational and compliance planning purposes. They do not reproduce or replace the official standards. Refer to the authoritative source for the definitive text. Framework names and trademarks belong to their respective organisations.
Framework Domains (7)
FLA: Employment Relationship, Nondiscrimination and Harassment / Abuse
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| FLA-Principle.1 | Employment Relationship (FLA Workplace Code Principle 1) |
| FLA-Principle.2 | Nondiscrimination (FLA Workplace Code Principle 2) |
| FLA-Principle.3 | Harassment or Abuse (FLA Workplace Code Principle 3) |
FLA: Forced Labor, Child Labor and Modern Slavery
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| FLA-Principle.4 | Forced Labor (FLA Workplace Code Principle 4) |
| FLA-Principle.5 | Child Labor (FLA Workplace Code Principle 5) |
FLA: Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| FLA-Principle.6 | Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining (FLA Workplace Code Principle 6) |
FLA: Health, Safety and Environment (HSE)
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| FLA-Principle.7 | Health, Safety, and Environment (FLA Workplace Code Principle 7) |
FLA: Hours of Work and Compensation
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| FLA-Principle.8 | Hours of Work (FLA Workplace Code Principle 8) |
| FLA-Principle.9 | Compensation (FLA Workplace Code Principle 9) - Fair Compensation Pathway |
FLA: Monitoring, Accreditation, Remediation and Independent External Monitoring
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| FLA-Accreditation | FLA Accreditation, Independent External Monitoring and Sustainable Compliance Initiative |
| FLA-Status | FLA Workplace Code of Conduct - corpus status |
FLA: Subcontracting, Supply Chain Responsibility and Worker Grievance
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| FLA-Grievance | Worker Grievance, Remediation and Worker Voice (FLA Cross-Cutting) |
| FLA-Principle.10 | Subcontracting, Homeworking and Supply Chain Responsibility (FLA Workplace Code Principle 10) |
Maps to 2 other frameworks
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Fair Labor Association (FLA) Workplace Code of Conduct?
Fair Labor Association (FLA) Workplace Code of Conduct is a compliance framework from International (FLA) with 7 domains and 13 controls. The Fair Labor Association (FLA) Workplace Code of Conduct is a voluntary multi-industry workplace standards code adopted by FLA member companies (apparel + footwear + agriculture + electronics + university licensee sector) and applied across their global supplier networks. The Code was first adopted in 1998 + revised periodically; the current version (post-2017 + ongoing review) consists of 10 principles that operationalise the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work + the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights + the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The 10 principles are: (1) Employment Relationship; (2) Nondiscrimination; (3) Harassment or Abuse; (4) Forced Labor; (5) Child Labor; (6) Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining; (7) Health, Safety, and Environment; (8) Hours of Work; (9) Compensation; (10) (varying topical principle covering subcontracting / supply chain responsibility + worker grievance + remediation). The 10 principles are operationalised through 100+ COMPLIANCE BENCHMARKS - specific operational practices that FLA-accredited monitoring + audit programmes assess. FLA-accredited companies submit to periodic Independent External Monitoring (IEM) + Sustainable Compliance Initiative (SCI) audits + remediation oversight + external reporting via the FLA Public Reports system + the FLA Tracking Chart. The FLA Workplace Code is the principal multi-stakeholder voluntary labor-standards code in the apparel + footwear + agriculture sectors alongside the SAC Higg + Better Cotton Initiative + Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) + Social Accountability International SA8000 + amfori BSCI. Substantive content lives in the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct + the FLA Compliance Benchmarks (FLA-member-gated full text but publicly summarised on fairlabor.org). It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
How many controls does Fair Labor Association (FLA) Workplace Code of Conduct have?
Fair Labor Association (FLA) Workplace Code of Conduct has 13 controls organised across 7 domains. The largest domains are FLA: Employment Relationship, Nondiscrimination and Harassment / Abuse (3 controls), FLA: Forced Labor, Child Labor and Modern Slavery (2 controls), FLA: Hours of Work and Compensation (2 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.
What frameworks does Fair Labor Association (FLA) Workplace Code of Conduct map to?
Fair Labor Association (FLA) Workplace Code of Conduct maps to 2 other compliance frameworks. The top mapping partners are OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct (2023 Update) (85% coverage), ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (Core Conventions) (31% coverage). Use our comparison tool to explore control-level mappings between frameworks.
How do I get started with Fair Labor Association (FLA) Workplace Code of Conduct compliance?
Start your Fair Labor Association (FLA) Workplace Code of Conduct compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about Fair Labor Association (FLA) Workplace Code of Conduct requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 13 controls and track your progress.
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