ISO
26000: Guidance on social responsibility urges that, at appropriate intervals,
users should report on their performance on social responsibility to the
stakeholders affected. The standard suggests that the report should include:
·
Information
about objectives and performance on the core subjects and relevant issues of
social responsibility
·
How
and when stakeholders have been involved in the reporting
·
A
fair and complete picture of performance, including achievements and
shortfalls, and the way in which shortfalls will be addressed
ISO
26000 suggests that the credibility of reports would be enhanced by addressing
conformance to the reporting guidelines of an external organization.
·
The
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a non-governmental organization (NGO)
founded to develop and manage a sustainability reporting framework, has
published a guidance document called GRI G4. The document provides assistance
to organizations who wish to use GRI guidelines as the reporting framework for
their implementations of ISO 26000.
·
Another
NGO, CSRWire, offers CSR & Sustainability Reports, a collection of current
and past corporate sustainability, social responsibility, and environmental
reports, as well the press releases that accompanied the reports.
Social
responsibility is a broad subject and not one than can be overlooked by any
organisation that wishes to have a successful future. It is centred on taking
ownership of the impact that an organisation’s decisions and activities have on
the society and environment in which it operates. Increasing An Organisation’s
Focus On Social Responsibility: As organisations realise that if they neglect
to ensure that they are acting in a socially responsible manner they will lose
out to competitors, more and more are looking for ways to better understand the
breadth of responsibilities they need to consider. It is a complex subject that
applies to all organisations. Irrespective of their size, line of business or
service they need to ensure social obligations are met. This is where the ISO
26000 Guidance on Social Responsibility Standard comes in. It has been created
to guide all types of organisations through the full range of issues and
actions that need to be taken. By guiding organisations through a myriad of
approaches to social and environmental issues it promotes sustainable
development on a global scale. It is not designed to be a third party
assessment and certification Standard, but instead provides a guidance
framework that can be used in conjunction with certified Standards. These could
be other international ISO Standards or national level assessments. Organizations
around the world, and their stakeholders, are becoming increasingly aware of
the need for and benefits of socially responsible behaviour. The objective of
social responsibility is to contribute to sustainable development. An
organization’s performance in relation to the society in which it operates and
to its impact on the environment has become a critical part of measuring its
overall performance and its ability to continue operating effectively. This is,
in part, a reflection of the growing recognition of the need to ensure healthy
ecosystems, social equity and good organizational governance. In the long run,
all organizations’ activities depend on the health of the world’s ecosystems.
Organizations are subject to greater scrutiny by their various stakeholders.
User questions & answers