Embed in management systems

1. Embedded commitment: The company has a policy commitment to ongoing stakeholder engagement, and embeds it in its governance, culture, and management strategy.​

Create a Tailored Engagement Plan​

2. Inclusiveness: The company listens to a full range of rights-holders across the value chain and has a process to identify legitimate representatives.
​
3. A Focus on Those Most at Risk​:  The company prioritizes engaging with the rightsholders who are most likely to be harmed by its operations​, and therefore where early engagement is critical.​​

Conduct appropriate  activities

​​4. Informed Participation: The company establishes ongoing, two-way communication with affected rights holders that provides affected stakeholders with relevant critical information well in advance of key decision points.

5. Trust and Accountability: The company establishes procedures, tailored to the context, to build rights holder trust and accountability for its actions.​

Ensure follow through

6. Stakeholder-informed Action Plan: The company analyzes information obtained through affected stakeholder engagement and collaborates with rights holders to formulate an action plan.

7. Monitoring, Transparency, and Continuous Improvement​: The company establishes and maintains a transparent and stakeholder-informed monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system.​

effectiveness criterion 6

our approach

financial materiality

Stakeholder Engagement Main Page > Four Pillars > ​Effectiveness Criterion 5

5. Trust and Accountability

The company establishes a grievance mechanism and other procedures, tailored to the context, to build rights holder trust and accountability for its actions. 

what this means

questions for portfolio companies

What to look for

Issue & SEctor considerations

for workers

High risk situations

Considerations for investment in digital technology: 
The rapid product and service cycles in technology can result in significant societal impact with each change.[1] Companies must engage stakeholders at key points, such as during product design, changes to existing technologies, market entry decisions, and policy development, ensuring that these engagements address issues like data privacy, censorship, and biased AI.[2] Anticipating high-risk moments—such as elections, where governments may restrict access to ICTs or target digital activists—is critical, requiring proactive engagement strategies and frontline employee involvement beyond corporate headquarters.[3]

[1] Dunstan Allison-Hope and Faris Natour, “Legitimate and Meaningful: Stakeholder Engagement in Human Rights Due Diligence | Reports | Sustainable Business Network and Consultancy | BSR” (BSR, September 2014), 23, https://www.bsr.org/en/reports/engaging-with-rights-holders
[2] “Investor Actions on Digital Rights and AI Accountability | Investor Alliance for Human Rights,” Investor Alliance for Human Rights, accessed May 25, 2025, https://investorsforhumanrights.org/investor-actions-ict-engagement.
​[3] Dunstan Allison-Hope and Faris Natour, “Legitimate and Meaningful: Stakeholder Engagement in Human Rights Due Diligence | Reports | Sustainable Business Network and Consultancy | BSR” (BSR, September 2014), 25-26, https://www.bsr.org/en/reports/engaging-with-rights-holders.