Promoting decent work is not only an ethical and sustainability imperative, but also a smart business strategy. Increasingly, evidence shows that the performance of banks’ clients is closely linked to the quality and stability of the client’s workforce. Supporting decent work therefore strengthens both financial performance and societal resilience for their clients, while helping banks themselves to mitigate compliance and reputational risks. It also lies at the heart of a just transition to sustainable societies, serving as a cornerstone for both environmental and social progress. 

To advance this agenda, UNEP FI has worked with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and 17 signatories of the UN Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) to develop a guidance helping banks integrate decent work considerations into their financial activities. 

Under the PRB framework, decent work and economic growth are essential for building healthy and inclusive economies. The guidance is structured around the four pillars of decent work — employment, rights at work, social protection, and social dialogue — and follows the UN Principles for Responsible Banking Journey, helping banks address decent work through three key areas: 

• Strategy: Integrating decent work into banks’ core strategy by aligning with SDG 8 and ILO standards, linking labour rights to human rights due diligence, and promoting fair and inclusive employment. It also includes examples of targets.
• Action: Developing detailed plans to implement the decent work strategy through policies, processes and culture, portfolio decisions, client engagement, stakeholder engagement and partnerships.
• Assessment: Monitoring progress and ensuring that interventions generate real-world positive impacts for workers through continuous evaluation and transparency.

The guidance also provides practical tools developed by UNEP FI to help banks turn commitment into action. It includes a set of indicators to measure progress on decent work, a client engagement questionnaire, examples of targets to support implementation, as well as case studies from PRB signatories and expert organizations.