Two months after BlackRock Chairman and CEO Laurence D. Fink sent a letters to CEOs telling them that in addition to making profits, they also need to contribute to society if they want to survive, the world's largest money manager followed up with some of the topics the firm is covering in engagement sessions with companies.
The topics, posted on BlackRock's website, focus on board and management's efforts involving human capital management, which BlackRock had previously identified as one of its engagement priorities for 2018.
Some of the issues that BlackRock is likely to discuss with the corporate boards, the firm said, include board and workforce diversity; board oversight of corporate culture; tying human capital management performance to executive compensation; and oversight of policies designed to protect employees such as related to whistleblowing, codes of conduct and equal opportunity employment policies.
Issues the firm is likely to discuss with management teams include promotion rates and compensation gaps across employee demographics; oversight of supply chain matters; and policies to engage employees, such as wellness programs, training and development programs, and stock participation programs.
The full list of discussion topics is posted on BlackRock's website.