FAQs on Workers

How does B Lab determine different worker types?

Full Time Workers: Work all 12 months of the year, 37.5 hrs a week (or equivalent FT in your country.

Part Time Workers: Work all 12 month of the year, less than 37.5 hrs a week.

Temporary Workers: Do NOT work all 12 months of the year. Can be full- or part- time.

Independent Contractors: B Lab counts independent contractors who work for the company for 20+ hours for 6+ months as ‘workers’. So, they are eligible for inclusion in your total worker count. So, make sure that the number of independent contractor types doesn't make the difference between being on two different worker tracks within the BIA, e.g 10- 49 or 50-249. B Lab includes these people because of the quantum of influence and impact the business has on the whole working life of that contractor. It ensures that applying companies are encouraged not to create a big gap between how they might treat formal employees vs contracted workers who are working enough to be a de facto employee.

Worker-Owners / Founders: If the company consists only of founders/partners then the company should be on the "0 worker track". So there needs to be an additional employee equivalent to 1 Full Time Equivalent to move to the "1-9 worker track". B Lab considers an owner to be anyone owning more than 5% of the company.

Subcontractors: This is any outsourced staffing services where a third party organisation is providing staff instead of your own employees. For example, you may have an agreement with a security firm to provide on site personnel, an agency that provides receptionists, or outsourced payroll provision. Subcontractor organisations are suppliers; the staff they provide are not considered as workers. But they would be relevant to any questions relevant to subcontracted staff.

Executives: Anyone who holds the position of a ‘Director / Head of’, Vice President or C-Suite level position. This does create some challenges for organisations that are highly decentralised and/or self-managed and therefore executive positions are more opaque. But most companies (even with such a set up) will have a core collection of individuals who hold senior leadership responsibility.

How is the Living Wage determined?

The Living Wage is set by The Living Wage Foundation. Wages should be compared to their most recent rates as geographically applicable. Beware that in the UK there is more than one Living Wage figure: one for London and one for elsewhere.

The Living Wage in the UK is calculated for a family. So, this gains easy points within the BIA as it applies to both the Living Wage and the Living Wage for a Family question.

Can you include bank holidays etc in paid days holiday?

Yes, you can include Bank Holidays and Sick Leave allowance alongside holiday allowance.

What do you do with employees in multiple locations?

Answers should reflect the practices that apply to 80% of workers (or facilities); anything applying to less should not be reflected.