Stakeholder dialogue on communication about social responsibility

76 © ISO 2007 - all rights reserved  The cultural, social, educational, economic and political background of the target audience as well as 3151 their values, views and concerns; 3152  The expected level of participation by the target audience in the communication, that is, whether they 3153 will provide feedback, help decide solutions or convey the information to others; 3154  Ease of access to the information by the target audience; and 3155  Type and level of assurance to which the information may be subject. 3156 There are many communication tools and techniques to deliver the message directly through print and 3157 electronic media, for example reports, newsletters, magazines, posters, advertising, podcasts, blogs and 3158 websites. It is also possible to communicate through the media, for example using interviews, editorials and 3159 articles. 3160 3161 Box 24 Suggestions for minimizing communication costs 3162 Here are some suggestions to minimize the costs associated with communication that may be of particular 3163 use for small and medium-sized organizations: 3164  Incorporate information into existing communication channels, for example an internal newsletter, 3165 quarterly external mailing, or available electronic means; 3166  Set priorities for the information content and eliminate or postpone communication on lower priority 3167 items; 3168  The content is the most important aspect of communication, and costs related to making the 3169 presentation fancy can be kept to a minimum; 3170  Choose an appropriate frequency of reporting, for example issue reports every two years rather 3171 than annually but provide more frequent updates on specific initiatives on the Internet; 3172  Use a voluntary advisory group or other volunteers to conduct external assurance of an 3173 organization’s report, limit assurance activities to the most important data, andor invite existing 3174 auditors to undertake report assurance while they are already in the organization on other matters; 3175  Use performance and other data that has been reviewed and is readily available for example, 3176 environmental andor health and safety reports, diversity information reported to the government, 3177 charitable donations in the tax report, energy consumption [and associated greenhouse gas 3178 emissions] data from energy and fuel bills, water consumption from water bills and key priorities 3179 from an organization’s strategic plan; 3180  Use external guidance on communication about social responsibility specifically designed for 3181 SMOs; 3182  Narrow the geographical distribution of the information and expand it over time; and 3183  Use employees to plan for and prepare the communication or seek the help of an outside 3184 communication professional who is willing to provide social responsibility communication services 3185 for free. Contact a professional communication association to help. 3186

7.6.4 Stakeholder dialogue on communication about social responsibility

3187 An organization should seek dialogue with its stakeholders to: 3188  Assess the adequacy and effectiveness of the content, media, frequency and scope of communication 3189 so that it can be improved as needed; 3190 © ISO 2007 - all rights reserved 77  Set priorities for the content of future communication; 3191  Secure external assurance of reported information from stakeholders, if this approach to assurance is 3192 used; and 3193  Identify best practices. 3194 See Clause 7.3. 3195

7.7 Evaluating activities and practices of social responsibility

3196

7.7.1 Key considerations

3197 The effectiveness and credibility of an organization’s activities and practices can be enhanced by regular 3198 evaluation and review. The focus should be on reviewing performance for improvement. Regular monitoring 3199 of activities and measurements of performance is of little value to an organization if the results are kept 3200 confidential or internal. Evaluation without communication internally and externally of the results will not 3201 provide organizational learning, drive performance improvement or enhance the dissemination of 3202 experiences and competencies. 3203 Disclosing evaluation results will also be a learning process for stakeholders and is likely to strengthen trust 3204 between an organization and its stakeholders. Trust, in turn, enhances credibility. Engaging stakeholders in 3205 evaluation and review is an ongoing process with dialogue and feedback that adds to an organization’s 3206 awareness of its risks and opportunities. Stakeholder feedback is valuable for a review of an organization’s 3207 mission, vision, policies and code of conduct, as well as for a review of its overall objectives and specific 3208 targets for social responsibility. 3209

7.7.2 Monitoring 3210

At regular intervals, an organization should review its performance on social responsibility in broader terms 3211 as well as monitor progress on specific actions. An organization should communicate this information by 3212 appropriate means to its significant stakeholders and society at large see Clause 7.6. An organization 3213 should verify that the information to be disclosed to others is accurate, complete and reliable. Records 3214 should be identifiable and traceable. 3215 In gathering information and data, an organization may face some challenges, such as costs, availability, 3216 reliability and accuracy. An organization should evaluate the costs and efforts compared to the benefits of 3217 gathering specific data. 3218 Monitoring performance should include activities related to social responsibility that are objectively 3219 verifiable. Some objective measures may be difficult to obtain, for example the absence of bribery. Often 3220 local processes of stakeholder review, for example, legal compliance audits by NGOs or local authorities, 3221 can be used as a starting point for setting up more comprehensive review activities. 3222 The monitoring process should include performance against an organization’s commitments to social 3223 responsibility and generally accepted indicators of social responsibility for the type and nature of the 3224 organization, as well as issues of social responsibility that have proved controversial for the organization or 3225 its stakeholders. 3226 An organization may choose to involve stakeholders in the review of its performance of social responsibility 3227 at appropriate intervals for example, by using stakeholder forums and social auditing. To enhance 3228 assurance, external and independent auditors andor stakeholders may also be used to verify the 3229 completeness and accuracy of the collected data. In the management review process see Clause 7.6.3, 3230 stakeholders will be much more likely to engage with an organization constructively if they trust the data 3231 presented. 3232 An organization should gather information and keep records of its activities and performance on social 3233 responsibility for use in a management review of its performance on social responsibility. The information 3234