Apple Responds and Investigates

CRN | iPod nano, Apple Computer | Apple Looks Into iPod “Sweat Shop” Charges

Apple is “looking into” charges of awful working conditions in China. The full text of Sunday's newspaper article that broke the story is now online.

From Apple's Supplier Code of Conduct:

• Suppliers may not threaten workers with or subject them to harsh or inhumane treatment, including sexual harassment, sexual abuse, corporal punishment, mental coercion, physical coercion, or verbal abuse.
• Except in emergency or unusual situations, a work week should be restricted to 60 hours,
  including overtime, and workers should be allowed at least one day off per seven-day week.
• Suppliers must identify, evaluate, and control worker exposure to physically demanding tasks,including manual material handling, heavy lifting, prolonged standing, and highly repetitive or forceful assembly tasks.

Some of these items are allegedly in violation, according to the article — forcing employees to stand and then punishing them by forcing them to stand still, working 15 hours a day x 6 days per week, forcing employees to do push ups as punishment, not allowing them to have contact with outsiders, other forms of abuse.

Why is it, whether it's Nike or Kathy Lee Gifford, that policies were in place and companies turned a blind eye? See no evil? It's clear that companies not only have to publish nice sounding policies, but they should also publish regular audit reports. They need to be unscheduled audits to make sure problems aren't just hidden before the auditors arrive (this is true even with your company lean “5S audits” — they should be unscheduled surprise audits).

Let's hope Apple does the right thing. Doing the morally right thing usually goes beyond just “following the law.” I'm sure the factories in China follow the law. But Apple is in a position to demand that they do much better than what's required.

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Mark Graban

Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker who has worked in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. He is author of the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, as well as The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. His most recent book is the anthology Practicing Lean that benefits the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation, where Mark is a board member. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus. His latest book has been released as an "in-progress" book, titled Measures of Success.