Strengthening the Organization

Our Values, People, and Places

We strive to become a more sustainable and responsible workplace by upholding and practicing our core values, safeguarding staff health and well-being, reducing our environmental footprint, and finding more efficient ways to work. Our Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Index and Sustainability Review present further details on the sustainability considerations of our operations and corporate practices; these can be accessed online through the Annual Report website.

Our Values

The World Bank Group’s core values are impact, integrity, respect, teamwork, and innovation. They embody what is most important to us as an institution and guide how we work with each other, our clients, and our partners. These are complemented by a Code of Ethics, which articulates what our core values mean in practice and focuses on behaviors, rather than compliance. In fiscal 2022, we strengthened the code’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, including race and racial discrimination. We also published a guide to help managers model the code’s principles, along with learning guides for staff on building an inclusive, values-based workplace; these focused on disability, LGBT+, and mental health and well-being. The Staff Rules continue to define the regulations and policies that guard against and prohibit misconduct. We build understanding of ethical and compliance issues in the workplace through a mandatory e-learning for staff on our core values and Code of Ethics, and we facilitate in-person offerings on how to create a respectful workplace, supervisors’ and managers’ responsibilities, and bystander interventions. We also conduct outreach via staff town halls, a learning series on ethics in the workplace, and internal communications.

Our People

We remain committed to attracting, developing, and growing our staff talent, and to being the best place to work in development. At the end of fiscal 2022, the Bank had 12,778 full-time staff, 46 percent of whom were based outside our headquarters in Washington. During the fiscal year, 915 new staff joined the institution; we worked to ensure effective and seamless onboarding although the vast majority of new hires joined remotely.

Despite a significant uptick in fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) in client countries, the Bank remains committed to expanding our global footprint and moving resources closer to where they are most needed, especially in IDA countries and FCV settings. Events during the year required us to temporarily suspend operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and other locations. By the end of fiscal 2022, 1,140 staff were located in countries affected by FCV, up from 1,043 in the previous year. We also took steps to protect sensitive data and secure information in locations where staff needed to be evacuated, including in Kabul and Kyiv.

Evaluating compensation and benefits. As part of an overall review of the Bank’s compensation methodology, a study completed in fiscal 2022 found that we are facing more challenges in attracting and retaining talent and maintaining an overall competitive position in the global market. We are working to address these challenges to strengthen our employment value proposition and support to staff. This year we also conducted a review of our disability programs, and we are developing a set of recommendations.

Promoting staff diversity, equity, and inclusion. In fiscal 2022, the Bank Group earned the second level of Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) certification, EDGE Move. EDGE is the leading global standard for gender equality in the workplace. Certification requires rigorous external assessment of five key areas: equal pay for equivalent work, recruitment and promotion, leadership development training and mentoring, flexible working arrangements, and company culture. The certification was for headquarters and all office locations worldwide for the Bank, IFC, and MIGA.

Addressing racism and racial discrimination. In June 2020, following the killing of George Floyd, President Malpass established the Anti-Racism Task Force with a mandate to deliver recommendations to senior management to help tackle racism and racial discrimination at the Bank Group. In its first phase, the Task Force brought together more than 50 staff members from across the organization to contribute ideas on ensuring racial equity at the institutional level and fostering a discrimination-free workplace. Senior management endorsed the resulting recommendations for implementation, with progress tracked through an interactive dashboard available to all staff. In fiscal 2022, several Task Force recommendations were completed. This includes the establishment of a new Race Equity Office, building on earlier appointments at the IFC and World Bank, as well as the creation of the Bank Group’s first Anti-Racism Charter, which articulates our unequivocal stance against racism and racial discrimination.

The Task Force also began its second phase—focusing on how we deliver our work—by looking at race in Bank and IFC operations, in procurement, and in our communities, as well as evaluating global mobility of our staff and inequities in our contract architecture. As in the first phase, the Task Force will develop recommendations in these areas, based on input from staff-led working groups, and submit them to senior management for consideration. A new Implementation and Monitoring Unit will coordinate and track implementation of all Task Force recommendations. Working closely with relevant units, it will report regularly on progress to senior management and staff.

Promoting staff health and safety. The Bank Group promotes and protects the health and safety of staff by focusing on personal health and wellness, occupational health and safety, and mental health and well-being. Throughout the pandemic, we have provided services—including ongoing guidance, protective protocols, and personal protective equipment—to staff to mitigate their risk of infection and to facilitate access to care for those who became ill. We also partnered with the UN system to provide vaccines to staff and dependents globally, including in locations where access was restricted, as well as medical evacuations for the critically ill and other services to augment local health care. These efforts have helped staff remain at their duty stations and continue delivering on our mandate. We also established new regional support hubs for health services in Chennai, India, and Sofia, Bulgaria. Also in fiscal 2022, we launched our first-ever strategy on mental health and well-being, based on the findings and recommendations of the Bank Group’s Mental Health Task Force. It aims to promote a culture of overall health and well-being, mitigate work-related and other risk factors, and provide better support for staff and families who face mental health challenges. We also addressed the needs and concerns of staff as many transitioned back to the office.

Supporting staff as they return to the office

In fiscal 2022, the Bank Group continued to support our staff amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with an ongoing focus on personal health and safety, work-life balance, and mental health. After two years of home-based work, staff began returning to the office at headquarters and several country offices during fiscal 2022. To support their safe return, we implemented a tiered approach to reopening each office, based on local health indicators and trends, as well as safety precautions at our facilities. We are piloting a new hybrid work model to allow staff the flexibility to balance both at-home and in-office work, informed by our new telecommuting and remote work policies.

To support staff through this transition, we have:

• Continually engaged staff through live online conversations, including leadership town halls and staff briefings on health and safety information and human resources topics.
• Maintained internal websites with guidance on the pandemic, vaccines, and physical and mental health; provided ongoing support for staff and consultants on general medical and safety issues.
• Enhanced information technology services to support staff during the transition, including a new authentication initiative to improve cybersecurity, online resources on hybrid work, and in-office accessories to support working in a hybrid setting, including headsets, docking stations, and webcams.          
• Introduced a policy on alternative work locations.

Supporting continuous learning and developing skills for career growth and mobility. With the Bank Group’s Open Learning Campus (OLC), staff at headquarters and in country offices can flexibly access a broad range of learning programs, including self-paced e-courses and micro- and facilitated learning, as well as on-the-job learning. Since 2020, we have adjusted our operational, technical, and leadership curricula for staff to provide virtual and blended learning programs. The OLC delivered nearly 4,000 virtual learning programs for staff in fiscal 2022 to meet demand from staff and managers worldwide, with high overall quality ratings. It also offered several learning weeks, larger virtual events on topics such as FCV, environment, and infrastructure to support staff’s technical knowledge.

Facilitating a safe place for staff to address concerns and conflicts. Through our Internal Justice Services (IJS), staff have confidential channels to seek guidance on workplace issues and to resolve conflicts. These services include Ombuds Services, the Respectful Workplace Advisors Program, Mediation Services, Peer Review Services, Performance Management Review, and the Race Equity Office. In fiscal 2022, about 810 staff turned to these services for help. IJS also delivered training and outreach to more than 8,900 staff.

The Bank Group’s Ethics and Business Conduct (EBC) Department is another trusted resource for staff seeking guidance on compliance and workplace issues and for preventing and addressing misconduct. In fiscal 2022, EBC reviewed 153 allegations of misconduct and delivered ethics training and outreach to more than 7,100 staff. Through its advisory services, EBC also responds to staff requests for ethics advice on potential conflicts of interest or other compliance issues, on average in less than eight working hours; in fiscal 2022, over 1,400 staff sought compliance-related advice from EBC. The department has focused its efforts on promoting transparency around the outcomes of its reviews of misconduct and conducts in-depth reviews of high-risk or recurring cases to help close gaps in controls. The department’s Anti-Harassment Coordinator addresses allegations of sexual and other forms of harassment. In fiscal 2022, the Anti-Harassment Coordinator received 187 cases; along with other institutional stakeholders, they also implemented supportive measures, such as post-resolution monitoring to ensure a safe working environment for survivors of sexual harassment.

Strengthening our workplace culture. The Bank Group’s ability to deliver on our mission depends on the strength and quality of our workplace culture. In November 2021, President Malpass created a Task Force to review workplace culture at the Bank Group and develop an initial set of recommendations by spring 2022. As part of this process, the Task Force established a working group to delve into specific issues, including leadership development, transparency and communication, disciplinary processes, performance and feedback, protective measures for victims, and culture and values. Moderated anonymous online discussions provided a channel for staff to candidly share suggestions and views. The Task Force also sought perspectives, ideas, and feedback from over 25 staff “affinity” groups that have direct experience supporting survivors of harassment, retaliation, or problems related to poor managerial accountability. Sustained engagements with staff-led groups shaped the initial set of recommendations to the President’s office on managerial accountability and retaliation.

Representing staff voice. The Bank Group’s Staff Association represents the rights and interests of staff to senior management and the Board. It offers several services for members, including individual consultations for grievance-related matters, health insurance coverage for short-term temporaries and consultants at headquarters, and regular communications to ensure staff are informed and updated on matters that may affect them. In fiscal 2022, a new Staff Association Delegate Assembly took office and identified priorities and issues raised by staff, including the return to office at headquarters after two years of home-based work during the pandemic. The Staff Association facilitated several town halls and advocacy campaigns to support a transformational workplace, including proposed initiatives to harness new and inclusive technologies to better support staff well-being and promote accessibility. It also drew attention to the eroding compensation of Bank Group staff in light of a competitiveness study and supported the Task Force on Workplace Culture.

TABLE 16: WORLD BANK (IBRD/IDA) STAFF DATA, FISCAL 2020–22

Our Places

The Bank manages the environmental, social, and economic impacts of our internal business operations by striving for net positive impacts on the ecosystems, communities, and economies where we have offices.

Reducing emissions. The Bank measures, reduces, offsets, and reports on greenhouse gas emissions from our facilities, major meetings, and corporate air travel, all of which continue to be affected by the pandemic. At headquarters, non-critical staff returned to the office through a phased approach beginning in April 2022, with teams encouraged to implement a hybrid work model. The Bank conducted major events, including the Spring and Annual Meetings, in a virtual or hybrid format. In fiscal 2021, travel decreased by 98 percent from a fiscal 2019 baseline, resulting in an estimated 78 percent decrease in emissions from fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2021. We have evaluated lessons learned about alternatives to travel, such as remote missions and supervision as well as virtual conferences and professional development events, and staff are encouraged to travel greener and smarter whenever possible.

As part of our annual effort to offset carbon emissions not curtailed, the Bank retired carbon credits totaling 21,304 metric tons CO₂ equivalent, covering 100 percent of building-related carbon emissions and corporate air travel for fiscal 2021 (data lag by one fiscal year due to the timing of data collection). We also purchased 53,910 renewable energy credits (RECs) from ACT Commodities equivalent to 100 percent of our electricity use at headquarters, at a cost of $200,000. RECs represent the environmental impact of one megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable energy generation that is added to the electricity grid. Carbon offset projects are chosen based on rigorous Bank Group guidelines and are specific to IDA countries. This includes Tanzania, where we support reforestation of degraded grasslands.

Designing sustainable facilities. We continue to make progress toward our goal of reducing facilities-related emissions by 28 percent by 2026 from a 2016 baseline. However, it has been challenging to identify how much of this is due to efficiency efforts or lower office occupancy during the pandemic. We identified potential improvements as staff return to offices, including energy upgrades, new renewable energy projects, and water efficiency measures. A third of the facilities owned by the Bank worldwide meet a green-building certification standard, such as LEED. All new buildings are designed with a focus on sustainability, and we continually seek to improve the performance of existing buildings. Following an audit of the Bank’s main complex in Washington, we upgraded the water management cooling tower, which could save up to 1 million liters of water per year. We retrofitted lighting controls for our five headquarters buildings in Washington, allowing us to repair, replace, or upgrade over 1,500 sensors. We developed two pilots at headquarters to reimagine our office spaces as safe, modern, sustainable, and adaptable places that safeguard staff health and allow them to work comfortably. They make better use of our facilities’ footprint with a universal office design and collaborative spaces in anticipation of greater use of flexible working arrangements. They also feature better ergonomics and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems; more natural light; efficient fixtures; and environmentally sustainable materials.

Our Supply Chain

Ensuring a sustainable supply chain. In fiscal 2022, we continued to implement the Bank Group’s Sustainable Procurement Framework for greater social and environmental impact. We are making progress toward two key procurement goals: doubling corporate procurement spend from woman-owned businesses to 7 percent by 2023, which reached 5.2 percent in fiscal 2022; and reaching 8 percent of our U.S.-based procurement from minority-owned businesses by 2025, which stood at 4.7 percent in fiscal 2022. In recognition of our achievements, the Bank Group was awarded as a 2022 Platinum Top Global Champion for Supplier Diversity and Inclusion by WEConnect International, a global network that connects women-owned businesses to leading corporate buyers. To manage the greenhouse gas emissions from our supply chain, we began tracking emissions from our suppliers, with the aim of disclosing the results in the 2023 annual report.

TABLE 17: SELECTED WORLD BANK ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS, FISCAL 2019–21