Organizations
today are responsible for the impact of their decisions and activities on
society and the environment. In addition, legislation in many countries enables
access to detailed information about the activities of some organizations,
which means they are subject to increased scrutiny by a wide variety of groups
and individuals. In consequence, organizations around the world, and their
stakeholders, are becoming increasingly aware of the need for and benefits of
socially responsible behaviour. For a business to be respected it has to
respect the environment and respect human rights. Every organization needs to
instigate actions aimed at making the world a better place both currently and
for generations to come. Businesses that neglect to incorporate socially responsible
behaviour into their strategies, systems and practices are likely to lose out
to competitors as customers, staff, stakeholders, investors, business partners,
governments and communities increasingly decide not to support companies that
care little for the planet and the well-being of the people in it. The new ISO
26000 Standard, published in November 2010, provides guidance on the underlying
principles of social responsibility, the core subjects and issues pertaining to
social responsibility and on ways to integrate socially responsible behaviour
into existing organizational strategies, systems, practices and processes*. By
looking at an organisation’s behaviour, the Standard evaluates to what extent
it transparently and ethically:
• Contributes to sustainable development,
including the health and welfare of society;
•
Takes into account the needs and expectations of stakeholders;
• Is compliant with applicable laws and
consistent with international norms; and
•
Integrates and implements these behaviours throughout the organisation.
The ISO 26000 Standard comprehensively covers the full range of current social responsibility issues. It starts by asking questions and challenging an organisation in terms of the underlying principles of social responsibility – accountability, transparency, ethical behaviour, respect for stakeholder interests, respect for the rule of law and international norms of behaviour, and respect for human rights. It then looks at whether the organisation truly understands social responsibility and the impacts its activities have on its sphere of influence. This phase also includes guidance on identifying and engaging with stakeholders. Organisations have many stakeholders who are affected by their activities and decisions and they must ensure that they have methods in place to identify these stakeholders, recognise the issues of concern to their stakeholders and prioritise the actions that will be taken as a result. This may include an evaluation of their sphere of influence as an organisation so that they can target their resources most effectively.
User questions & answers