CHRB B.2.5.S2 Communicating on human rights impacts
Does the company describe any challenge(s) to effective communication it has identified and how it is working to address them?
About the data
This metric is from the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB), part of the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), which has been assessing the human rights disclosures of some of the largest global companies since 2017. By ranking these companies on their policies, processes and practices, as well as how they respond to serious allegations, the CHRB aims to create a race to the top through which companies strive to fulfil their responsibility to respect the human rights of the individuals and communities that they impact.
Communicating
What do the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights expect?
Companies need to be prepared to communicate externally in order to account for how they address their impacts, particularly when concerns are raised by, or on behalf of, affected stakeholders. Companies that may have severe human rights impacts should report formally on how they address them.
Why is this Important?
It is by knowing and showing that they respect human rights in practice that companies build trust in their performance, demonstrate their reliability as partners, and gain a sustainable ‘social license to operate’. More widely, it is part of being accountable for how they do business, not least to those who may be impacted. Increasingly, shareholders, governments, potential business relationships, stock exchanges and civil society stakeholders also expect companies to provide information on their human rights performance.
Communicating
What do the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights expect?
Companies need to be prepared to communicate externally in order to account for how they address their impacts, particularly when concerns are raised by, or on behalf of, affected stakeholders. Companies that may have severe human rights impacts should report formally on how they address them.
Why is this Important?
It is by knowing and showing that they respect human rights in practice that companies build trust in their performance, demonstrate their reliability as partners, and gain a sustainable ‘social license to operate’. More widely, it is part of being accountable for how they do business, not least to those who may be impacted. Increasingly, shareholders, governments, potential business relationships, stock exchanges and civil society stakeholders also expect companies to provide information on their human rights performance.
Methodology
The benchmark uses publicly available information from the company’s website(s), its formal financial and non-financial reporting or other public documents, plus statements such as those related to its policy commitments. These could be codes of conduct, policies, values, guidelines, FAQs and other related documents. The CHRB also considers reports, such as annual, corporate social responsibility and sustainability reports, or human rights reports if these are available, or other reports written for other purposes if these contain information applicable to the CHRB indicators. Full methodology for each sector can be found here.
Scoring:
Most CHRB indicators operate using 'OR' and 'AND' rules. Where two or more requirements are separated by 'AND', companies being benchmarked are required to complete both or all of the options listed in order to obtain a full point but they can score half points if they meet at least one of the requirements. Where two or more requirements are separated by 'OR', companies being benchmarked are required to complete one of the options listed.
Scoring:
Most CHRB indicators operate using 'OR' and 'AND' rules. Where two or more requirements are separated by 'AND', companies being benchmarked are required to complete both or all of the options listed in order to obtain a full point but they can score half points if they meet at least one of the requirements. Where two or more requirements are separated by 'OR', companies being benchmarked are required to complete one of the options listed.
Topics
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Research Policy
Designer Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report