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SEAM

Activity TGa4.2

Objective

Transparent Communication

Concept TG

Concept

Transformational Governance

Activity Type

Impact

Rating System Application

B+I:D B+I:O O+M:D O+M:O

Promote social responsibility through a public-facing communication on the operating asset

Scope

The Owner shall develop and disseminate public-facing communications that emphasize social responsibility principles as outlined in ISO 26000. This communication shall transparently report the operating property's strategies, objectives, plans, and performance concerning social responsibility. Communications that do not align with ISO 26000's principles or fail to provide a comprehensive overview of the property's social responsibility endeavors are outside the scope of this activity.

Requirements 51

Act to Avoid Harm

  1. 01.

    A right to privacy, accuracy of sources, and respect for rights of others, including:

    1. a.

      Communication shall not disclose information that a reasonable person would deem highly offensive and invasive

    2. b.

      Communication shall assess for prevention of impacts on vulnerable groups related to content and visuals used in its communication

    3. c.

      Owner shall obtain written consent before including information about persons or groups in communication

    4. d.

      Communication shall include a land acknowledgment

    5. e.

      Communication shall obtain informed consent of the owners and provide recognition to the creators before using musical or artistic material in communication (if applicable)

Benefit Impacted Parties

  1. 02.

    Communication(s) shall align to the six relevant core subjects of social responsibility from ISO 26000:2010 (out of seven) as listed below:

    1. a.

      Organizational governance

    2. b.

      Human rights

    3. c.

      Labor practices

    4. d.

      Fair operating practices

    5. e.

      Consumer issues (can be building occupants, visitors, or customers)

    6. f.

      Community involvement and development

Contribute to Solutions

  1. 03.

    Communication shall include contact information for a Project representative to support impacted party dialogue.

Indicators

The performance indicator is the percentage of social responsibility topics in public-facing communication. The context indicator is the total number of people reached by the communication (measured by the number of likes, comments, shares, clicks, brand/project mentions, profile visits, unique visits, and active followers).

To calculate the performance indicator:

P = (SR / N) × 100

P =
percentage of addressed social responsibility topics
SR =
total number of social responsibility topics that were addressed
N =
total number of relevant social responsibility topics (6)

Scoring

Outcome threshold

All communication shall comply with all Act to avoid harm requirements and meet all characteristics of 'responsible communication' as described in Guidelines below.

Requirement #1 must be met to be eligible for points

Points assignment

Points Percentage of Social Responsibility Topics Addressed
1 point 50% percentage of social responsibility topics addressed
2 points 67% percentage of social responsibility topics addressed
3 points 83% percentage of social responsibility topics addressed
4 points 100% percentage of social responsibility topics addressed

Additional points assignment

These points are only assigned if all points in the Points assignment section are earned

Points Additional Requirement(s) Satisfied
+1 point Requirement #3 satisfied

Documentation

  1. 01.

    List of financial, human, and material resources utilized for this activity.

  2. 02.

    Publication record of where and when the communication was published. This could include a link to the webpage where it is posted, a screenshot of the webpage, or a copy of the publication notice.

  3. 03.

    Copies of the communication in all the languages in which it was published. This would provide evidence that the communication was made accessible to impacted parties in their native languages.

  4. 04.

    Communication records (if applicable) with impacted parties about the publication of the communication. This could include emails, meeting minutes, or other forms of communication that show impacted parties were informed about the publication of the communication.

Guidance

Responsible communication characteristics

According to ISO 26000:2010, Guidance on social responsibility, information relating to social responsibility should be52:

  • Complete – address all significant activities and impacts related to social responsibility
  • Understandable – consider the cultural, social, educational, and economic background of those receiving the communication. Both the language used and how the material is presented, including how it is organized, should be accessible for the impacted parties intended to receive the information
  • Responsive – be responsive to impacted party interests
  • Accurate – be factually correct and should provide sufficient detail to be useful and appropriate for its purpose
  • Balanced – be balanced and fair and should not omit relevant negative information concerning the organization's impacts
  • Timely – out-of-date information can be misleading; identification of the period of time covered allows impacted parties to compare the performance of the organization with its earlier performance and other organizations
  • Accessible – be available to the impacted parties concerned

Referenced Source

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

SEAM Standard v1.1

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