Just 2.0 to 3.0 Program Updates

The evolution of the Just program is driven by shifts in the global landscape, an enhanced comprehension of social justice issues, insights from technical advisors, and experiences of participating organizations. Since the launch of Just 2.0, the ILFI team has identified challenge areas and gaps based on both new research and user experience feedback from Just organizations. Just 3.0 is a full program version update, which reflects our learning and progress around "what good looks like" based on our current understanding of justice and equity in organizational contexts.

Just 3.0 encompasses six Categories and 21 Indicators. While the Categories and Indicators have similarities to its predecessor, Just 2.0, the programs themselves are distinct. As a result, the application processes for each, as well as the criteria for review, are tailored to the specific requirements of the respective programs.

This is a high-level overview of the updates you can anticipate from Just 2.0 to Just 3.0. Please bear in mind that the modifications detailed in this document pertain to the Indicator as a whole and may not be applicable across all levels. For comprehensive metrics, requirements, and clarifications, we encourage you to review our Just 3.0 Program Manual.

Categories

Our primary updates to our categories involve enhancing their conciseness, and removing the equity category as we believe equity is inherent in each category and indicator.

Just 2.0 Categories	Just 3.0 Categories
Diversity + Inclusion	Diversity
Equity	Inclusion
Employee Health	Compensation
Employee Benefits	Health
Stewardship	Benefits
Purchasing + Supply Chain	Stewardship

Indicators

The following Just 3.0 Indicators are the same as they were in Just 2.0:

Just 2.0	Just 3.0	Change	Rationale
Living Wage	Living Wage	No change	The external frameworks integrated into this indicator are regularly fine-tuned to account for fluctuations in the cost of living. Due to this, we determined that our metric guidance could remain consistent.
Family/Medical Leave	Family + Medical Leave	No change	Performance-wise, this indicator already presents a considerable challenge for organizations, prompting them to enhance their family/medical leave benefits.

The following Indicators are similar with some updated names and metrics:

Just 2.0	Just 3.0	Change	Rationale
Ethnic Diversity	Racial + Ethnic Diversity	Advocacy requirement Alternative path added	Indicator name was updated to recognize the distinction between race and ethnicity. All of our Diversity Indicators now include an advocacy requirement and pathway. We recognize that in some sectors within the building industry, diversity at all levels of the workforce is an area for significant growth and improvement. As a means to promote an investment in systemic change, Just 3.0 asks organizations to take action toward removing existing barriers and creating opportunities for underrepresented and underestimated groups through advocacy efforts and action.
Gender Diversity	Gender Diversity	Updated metric percentages Alternative path added	Percentages were updated slightly to match the approach of our other Indicators. All of our Diversity Indicators now include an advocacy requirement and pathway. We recognize that in some sectors within the building industry, diversity at all levels of the workforce is an area for significant growth and improvement. As a means to promote an investment in systemic change, Just 3.0 asks organizations to take action toward removing existing barriers and creating opportunities for underrepresented and underestimated groups through advocacy efforts and action.
Employee Engagement	Engagement	Manager engagement requirements Retention data Additional survey questions Alternative path added Career pathways and promotion policies	We recognize that there are multiple factors that go into employee engagement, and felt it was best to expand this Indicator beyond the survey results to include some of these factors.
Pay Scale Equity	Pay Scale Equity	Updated pay ratios	Original ratios were high and not representative of “what good looks like” in our industry now.
Gender Pay Equity	Gender Pay Equity	Updated pay variance percentages	Percentages were updated to more accurately represent “what good looks like” when it comes to pay variance between individuals of different identities within the same pay class.
Well-Being	Well-Being	Paid vacation and sick time Paid bereavement leave Survey questions Alternative path added	We recognize that there are many factors that go into employee well-being and felt it was best to expand this Indicator to include some of these factors.
Employee Health Care	Health Care	Coverage for employees' spouses, domestic partners, and dependents Alternative path added	To encourage advancement in industry standards towards “what good looks like,” we have expanded metric requirements for a Level 4 performance to include coverage for employees' spouses, domestic partners, and dependents.
Retirement Provision	Retirement	Access to financial advising/education services Alternative pathway for Certified Employee 100% Owned businesses removed Alternative pathway for Employee stock/share ownership (ESOP) added	ESOP represents a well-established retirement plan entailing guaranteed retirement benefits. However, it's important to note that not all 100% Employee Owned businesses offer such assured benefits.
Training + Education	Professional Development	Benefit usage tracking Mentorship program	Name was updated to expand scope of professional development past training and education. Additional components were included to create a more robust Indicator that enhances the employee experience.
Community Volunteering	Volunteering	Tracking total volunteer hours used across all employees	Tracking the overall volunteer hours used by employees helps organizations understand whether additional efforts to educate and encourage employees to use their volunteer hours are needed or if there are other barriers that could be mitigated.
Charitable Giving	Charitable Giving	Increased donation percentages Organization invites employees to participate in the process of selecting where to direct charitable gifts Alternative pathways updated	Upon reviewing our data, we found that numerous organizations were meeting the metrics for the highest performance levels in this indicator. Therefore, we made slight percentage increases to further drive our industry towards having more impact. Employee input on how charitable gifts are directed (e.g., through an employer match) helps to increase participation and overall employee engagement.

The following Indicators have been replaced, with a shift in focus or intent:

Just 2.0	Just 3.0	Change	Rationale
Inclusion	Belonging	Inclusion protocols Anti-bias protocols Additional survey questions Employee resource groups and affinity groups Alternative path added	We shifted the focus to employee experience as the outcome. We recognize that there are many factors that affect an employee's sense of belonging and added metrics to help enhance the employee experience.
Freedom of Association	Workforce Empowerment	Updated language within the metrics to encompass forms of workforce empowerment beyond just unionization	The previous version of this Indicator was very union-centric, and we recognized that there are additional aspects of workforce empowerment.
Physical Health	Physical Health + Safety	Context-specific safety assessment Job-specific ergonomic assessment Providing ergonomically appropriate equipment Actions to enhance employee safety Opportunities for physical wellness Alternative paths added	Recognizing the diverse contexts within the industries we serve, we deemed it crucial to update the language of this Indicator. This update aims to better reflect the range of work settings and place a distinct emphasis on safety considerations.
Local Communities	Community Connections	Refined focus on facilitating restorative connections and empowering relationships between organizations and communities	We expanded this Indicator to hone the focus on meaningful engagement and community relationship building.
Equitable Purchasing	Procurement	Integrated aspects of the supply chain	While we opted to eliminate the stand-alone supply chain Indicator, we acknowledged the inherent overlap between procurement and supply chain processes and found it important to integrate into this Indicator.

The following Indicators are new:

Just 2.0	Just 3.0	Change	Rationale
N/A	Recruitment	Please review the Just 3.0 Program Manual for details	Effective recruitment stands as a pivotal catalyst for enhancing workplace diversity. This Indicator requires organizations to take a holistic approach to workforce diversity.
N/A	Racial + Ethnic Pay Equity	Please review the Just 3.0 Program Manual for details	In Just 2.0, only gender pay equity was addressed. However, we recognized the imperative of extending this focus to include racial and ethnic pay equity.
N/A	Accessibility	Please review the Just 3.0 Program Manual for details	We identified a gap in Just 2.0 regarding accessibility and felt that it was a key component of organizational equity and employee experience. The Accessibility Indicator is intended to promote work environments that accommodate people with a broad range of accessibility needs.

The following indicators have been removed:

Just 2.0	Just 3.0	Change	Rationale
Full-Time Employment	N/A	Removed from Just	Other Indicators are helping meet the original intent of this Indicator.
Animal Welfare	N/A	Removed from Just	We aimed to sharpen the program's focus on organizational equity and employee experience. We determined that this Indicator did not align with that objective.
Positive Products + Services	N/A	Removed from Just	This Indicator was too vague and difficult for organizations to track. Aspects of the intent for this Indicator are captured in Just 3.0 application disclosure questions.
Supply Chain	N/A	Removed from Just	This Indicator was too vague and difficult for organizations to track, and we often received the same documentation for this Indicator and equitable purchasing. We have decided to add some aspects of this Indicator to the new Procurement Indicator.

Other Program Changes:

Opt Out Option

Just 3.0 will no longer have the option to opt-out of an Indicator. While we strongly encourage organizations to aim for a baseline of Level 1 for all Indicators, if an organization is unable to develop and enact a policy to meet an Indicator's Level 1 requirement at the time of submission, the label will display the Indicator with blank boxes, indicating a Level 0 performance.

Commitment to Quality Written Policies

In an effort to promote quality written policies, Just policies must include the following basic elements:

Purpose statement;
Defined requirements or components;
Who is responsible for overseeing or administering the policy;
How often the policy will be evaluated for potential updates; and
How to initiate a concern or suggestion regarding the policy.

Note that there may be additional specific elements that need to be included for each Indicator. Where relevant, these requirements are included in the Indicator Clarifications. Just 3.0 policies may be part of the organization's employee handbook as long as all basic elements are included.

Employee Equal Opportunity (EEO) Statements

We recognize that past versions of Just have accepted EEO statements in place of policies for various indicators. Moving forward, in order to promote more comprehensive and tailored company policies, the Just team will no longer accept generic EEO statements as substitutes for an actual policy. However, if an organization has developed a robust EEO statement that fully aligns with the criteria for the intended indicator and incorporates the essential policy elements mentioned above, the Just team will be open to accepting it.

Just 3.0 Program Manual – One-Stop Shop

Previous iterations of the Just program have had a manual, a handbook, and an application toolkit. For Just 3.0, everything our Just organizations need for their application will be in our Just 3.0 Program Manual. If it is not directly written in there, it will be linked in the Manual.