47
for how they conduct their work, are trained, empowered and incentivized
to act in ways that support the commitment, and regard it as intrinsic to the
core values of the workplace. It is one continual process, generally driven
from the top of the company. “Integration”, as used in Guiding Principle 19,
is the micro process of taking the findings about a particular potential impact,
identifying who in the enterprise needs to be involved in addressing it and
securing effective action. It is repeated as each new impact is identified and
will often be driven from the department with responsibility for human rights.
If the embedding process has been successful, the potential for a successful
integration of findings and timely and sustainable responses to them is greater,
and human rights risks are reduced.
Q 44. What processes will be most appropriate for enabling
integration?
This will depend on the size of the enterprise and the regularity or
predictability of the human rights issues that arise, among other factors.
In a small enterprise where communication between personnel is relatively
easy and day-to-day interaction is frequent, integration may occur naturally.
In enterprises that lack such ease of interaction due to their size or the
dispersion of their staff, it will likely require a more systematized approach. A
systematized approach is also likely to be most effective if an enterprise faces
an ongoing high probability of a particular human rights impact. This may
involve structured collaboration across departments, clear internal reporting
requirements, regular interactions with external experts, collective action with
others in industry or Government or similar. By developing up front a shared
understanding of the key human rights risks identified and of how to prevent
or mitigate their materialization, the enterprise will be best positioned to
respond to specific cases as they arise.
Q 45. How does integration relate to business relationships?
If an enterprise’s own activities may contribute to a human rights impact,
integrating that finding across those departments that generate the activity is
essential to be able to address that risk. Equally, those individuals or departments
that determine the terms of the enterprise’s relationships with business partners,
suppliers and others are essential to the integration process. The provisions of
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents