ISO 26000 provides guidance on how businesses and organizations can operate in a socially responsible way. This means acting in an ethical and transparent way that contributes to the health and welfare of society. Business and organizations do not operate in a vacuum. It isn’t uncommon nowadays to see media coverage on a company or employee related misconduct case. The impacts of these stories tend to damage company reputation and ultimately reduce shareholder value with the possibility of criminal or civil actions.
ISO 26000 helps define the conduct, the relationship of a firm, its employees to the society and environment in which they operate and is a critical factor in their ability to continue to operate effectively. It is also increasingly being used as a measure of their overall performance.
ISO 26000:2010 provides guidance rather than requirements, so it cannot be certified to unlike some other well-known ISO standards. Instead, it helps clarify what social responsibility is, helps businesses and organizations translate principles into effective actions and shares best practices relating to social responsibility on a global scale. It is aimed at all types of organizations regardless of their activity, size or location.
The standard was launched following five years of negotiations between many different stakeholders across the world. Representatives from government, NGOs, industry, consumer groups and labour organizations from around the world were involved in its development, which means it represents an international consensus.
ISO 26000 Services
RMG has assisted some of our major clients in implementing this program across Canada and the United States. We provide the following services within this area:
- Consulting
- Training
- Support services for implementing ISO 26000
- Document(s) and internal training to support the implementation of ISO 26000:
- Communication Protocol – Describes appropriate wordings organizations can use to communicate about their use of ISO 26000
- ISO 26000 basic training materials in the form of policy development, enforcement and auditing tools and training protocol guidance.
****For those firms that link ISO 26000 with the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises and the UN Agenda 2030 (Sustainable Development Goals) we can also provide assistance in combining both programs.