Communication on Progress

2016 Communication on Progress

Participant
Published
  • 14-Dec-2016
Time period
  • April 2015  –  March 2016
Files
Links
Format
  • Part of a sustainability or corporate (social) responsibility report
Differentiation Level
  • This COP qualifies for the Global Compact Advanced level
Self-assessment
  • Includes a CEO statement of continued support for the UN Global Compact and its ten principles
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Human Rights
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Labour
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Environment
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Anti-Corruption
  • Includes a measurement of outcomes
  • Meets all criteria for the GC Advanced level
Verification
and Transparency
  • How is the accuracy and completeness of information in your COP assessed by a credible third-party?

  • Information is reviewed by multiple stakeholders (e.g., representatives of groups prioritized in stakeholder analysis)

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    For more information, please refer to the section on how we engage our stakeholders on page 7 of Symantec's 2016 Corporate Responsibility Report: https://www.symantec.com/about/corporate-responsibility/corporate-responsibility-report

  • The COP describes any action(s) that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to have the credibility of the information in its COP externally assessed, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Information is reviewed by a panel of peers (e.g., members of the same industry, competitors, benchmarked leaders, others organized via Global Compact Local Network)

  • Information is assured by independent assurors (e.g., accounting or consulting firm) using their own proprietary methodology

  • Information is assured by independent assurors (e.g., accounting or consulting firm) against recognized assurance standard (e.g., ISAE3000, AA1000AS, other national or industry-specific standard)

 
  • The COP incorporates the following high standards of transparency and disclosure:

  • Is 'in accordance - core' with GRI Standards

  • Applies the GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines or the GRI Standards

  • Is 'in accordance - comprehensive' with GRI Standards

  • Applies elements of the International Integrated Reporting Framework

  • Provides information on the company’s profile and context of operation

Strategy, Governance
and Engagement
  • Criterion 1: The COP describes mainstreaming into corporate functions and business units

  • Place responsibility for execution of sustainability strategy in relevant corporate functions (procurement, government affairs, human resources, legal, etc) ensuring that no function is conflicting with company sustainability commitments and objectives

  • Assign responsibility for corporate sustainability implementation to an individual or group within each business unit and subsidiary

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Align strategies, goals and incentive structures of all business units and subsidiaries with corporate sustainability strategy

  • Design corporate sustainability strategy to leverage synergies between and among issue areas and to deal adequately with trade-offs

  • Ensure that different corporate functions coordinate closely to maximize performance and avoid unintended negative impacts

  • Other established or emerging best practices

  • Criterion 2: The COP describes value chain implementation

  • Analyze each segment of the value chain carefully, both upstream and downstream, when mapping risks, opportunities and impacts

  • Communicate policies and expectations to suppliers and other relevant business partners

  • Implement monitoring and assurance mechanisms (e.g. audits/screenings) for compliance within the company’s sphere of influence

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    Please refer to Symantec's Value Chain Map on page 13 of our 2014 Corporate Responsibility Report: http://www.symantec.com/ content/en/us/about/media/pdfs/b-2014_corporate_responsibility_report.en-us.pdf.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Undertake awareness-raising, training and other types of capacity building with suppliers and other business partners

Human Rights
  • Criterion 4: The COP describes effective management systems to integrate the human rights principles

  • Process to ensure that internationally recognized human rights are respected

  • On-going due diligence process that includes an assessment of actual and potential human rights impacts (BRE 2 + BRE 3 + ARE 2 + ARE 3)

  • Internal awareness-raising and training on human rights for management and employees

  • Allocation of responsibilities and accountability for addressing human rights impacts

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    At Symantec, we continue to train our employees in areas including our Code of Conduct, Human Rights Policy, and Conflict Minerals Policy. And, we continue our ongoing work to determine from where minerals used originate.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Operational-level grievance mechanisms for those potentially impacted by the company’s activities (BRE 4 + ARE 4)

  • Internal decision-making, budget and oversight for effective responses to human rights impacts

  • Processes to provide for or cooperate in the remediation of adverse human rights impacts that the company has caused or contributed to (BRE 3+ BRE 4 + ARE3 + ARE 4)

  • Process and programs in place to support human rights through: core business; strategic philanthropic/social investment; public policy engagement/advocacy; partnerships and/or other forms of collective action (BRE 6 + ARE 6)

  • Criterion 5: The COP describes effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms of human rights integration

  • System to monitor the effectiveness of human rights policies and implementation with quantitative and qualitative metrics, including in the supply chain (BRE3 + ARE3)

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    Symantec works with the EICC, conducts supplier audits, and continues its ongoing work to determine from where minerals originate. We are also dedicated to the UNGC and Women's Empowerment Principles.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Monitoring draws from internal and external feedback, including affected stakeholders

  • Leadership review of monitoring and improvement results

  • Process to deal with incidents the company has caused or contributed to for internal and external stakeholders (BRE 4 + ARE 4)

  • Grievance mechanisms that are legitimate, accessible, predictable, equitable, transparent, rights-compatible, a source of continuous learning, and based on engagement and dialogue (BRE4 + ARE4)

  • Outcomes of integration of the human rights principles

  • Criterion 3: The COP describes robust commitments, strategies or policies in the area of human rights

  • Commitment to comply with all applicable laws and respect internationally recognized human rights, wherever the company operates (e.g., the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Guiding Principles on Human Rights) (BRE1 + ARE1)

  • Integrated or stand-alone statement of policy expressing commitment to respect and support human rights approved at the most senior level of the company (BRE 1 + BRE5 + ARE 1 + ARE 5)

  • Statement of policy stipulating human rights expectations of personnel, business partners and other parties directly linked to operations, products or services (BRE 1)

  • Statement of policy publicly available and communicated internally and externally to all personnel, business partners and other relevant parties (BRE 1 + BRE 5 + ARE 1 + ARE 5)

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    Please refer to Symantec's Human Rights Policy, Conflict Minerals Policy, Global Supplier Code of Conduct and our EICC-aligned agreements.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

Labour
  • Criterion 8: The COP describes effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms of labour principles integration

  • System to track and measure performance based on standardized performance metrics

  • Audits or other steps to monitor and improve the working conditions of companies in the supply chain, in line with principles of international labour standards

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    Internally, we track diversity & inclusion metrics, strategies, and activities. To support professional development and value for our employees, we have an Employee Value Proposition and Leadership Success Profile.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Dialogues with the representative organization of workers to regularly review progress made and jointly identify priorities for the future

  • Process to positively engage with the suppliers to address the challenges (i.e., partnership approach instead of corrective approach) through schemes to improve workplace practices

  • Outcomes of integration of the Labour principles

  • Criterion 6: The COP describes robust commitments, strategies or policies in the area of labour

  • Reference to principles of relevant international labour standards (ILO Conventions) and other normative international instruments in company policies

  • Reflection on the relevance of the labour principles for the company

  • Written company policy to obey national labour law, respect principles of relevant international labour standards in worldwide company operations and engage in dialogue with representative organization of the workers (international, sectoral, national).

  • Specific commitments and Human Resources policies, in line with national development priorities or decent work priorities in the country of operation

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    At Symantec, we are working to address the imbalances in education and the opportunities for women and underserved communities through our programs in Diversity & Inclusion, STEM education, WEP, and our strategic philanthropic programs.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Inclusion of reference to the principles contained in the relevant international labour standards in contracts with suppliers and other relevant business partners

  • Structural engagement with a global union, possibly via a Global Framework Agreement

  • Participation and leadership by employers’ organizations (international and national) to jointly address challenges related to labour standards in the countries of operation, possibly in a tripartite approach (business – trade union – government).

  • Criterion 7: The COP describes effective management systems to integrate the labour principles

  • Allocation of responsibilities and accountability within the organization

  • Internal awareness-raising and training on the labour principles for management and employees

  • Active engagement with suppliers to address labour-related challenges

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    Our Corporate Risk function reports to the Office of Ethics & Compliance. We expect all third-party channel partners to act in accordance with Symantec's Global Supplier Code of Conduct.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Risk and impact assessments in the area of labour

  • Dialogue mechanism with trade unions to regularly discuss and review company progress in addressing labour standards

  • Grievance mechanisms, communication channels and other procedures (e.g., whistleblower mechanisms) available for workers to report concerns, make suggestions or seek advice, designed and operated in line with the representative organization of workers

Environment
  • Criterion 11: The COP describes effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for environmental stewardship

  • Audits or other steps to monitor and improve the environmental performance of companies in the supply chain

  • Outcomes of integration of the environmental principles

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    We include environmental criteria in our supplier audits and our EnergyStar product certification program.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • System to track and measure performance based on standardized performance metrics

  • Leadership review of monitoring and improvement results

  • Process to deal with incidents

  • Criterion 10: The COP describes effective management systems to integrate the environmental principles

  • Environmental risk and impact assessments

  • Internal awareness-raising and training on environmental stewardship for management and employees

  • Grievance mechanisms, communication channels and other procedures (e.g. whistleblower mechanisms) for reporting concerns or seeking advice regarding environmental impacts

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    Symantec's Green Teams allow employees opportunities to implement operational changes to save energy and water and reduce waste. We also participate in CERES' multi-stakeholder initiative, "Connect the Drops" to reduce water use in California.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Assessments of lifecycle impact of products, ensuring environmentally sound management policies

  • Allocation of responsibilities and accountability within the organisation

  • Criterion 9: The COP describes robust commitments, strategies or policies in the area of environmental stewardship

  • Reflection on the relevance of environmental stewardship for the company

  • Written company policy on environmental stewardship

  • Specific commitments and goals for specified years

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    We are proud to have established a science-based GHG emissions reduction goal in FY16. Additionally, we have an Environmental Policy, we embed environmental expectations into our Global Supplier Code of Conduct.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Reference to relevant international conventions and other international instruments (e.g. Rio Declaration on Environment and Development)

  • Inclusion of minimum environmental standards in contracts with suppliers and other relevant business partners

Anti-Corruption
  • Criterion 13: The COP describes effective management systems to integrate the anti-corruption principle

  • Support by the organization’s leadership for anti-corruption (B4)

  • Carrying out risk assessment of potential areas of corruption (D3)

  • Human Resources procedures supporting the anti-corruption commitment or policy, including communication to and training for all employees (B5 + D8)

  • Actions taken to encourage business partners to implement anti-corruption commitments (D6)

  • Management responsibility and accountability for implementation of the anti-corruption commitment or policy (D7)

  • Communications (whistleblowing) channels and follow-up mechanisms for reporting concerns or seeking advice (D9)

  • Internal accounting and auditing procedures related to anticorruption (D10)

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    Our CRA conducts audits to monitor company policies and operations for corruption risk; audit findings are reported to the Office of Ethics & Compliance. Employees receive Code of Conduct training. All third-party channel partners are expect to comply.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Internal checks and balances to ensure consistency with the anti-corruption commitment (B6)

  • Criterion 14: The COP describes effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the integration of anti-corruption

  • Process to deal with incidents (D13)

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    All audit findings from the Corporate Risk Function are reported to the Office of Ethics & Compliance, which is responsible for remedial action.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Leadership review of monitoring and improvement results (D12)

  • Public legal cases regarding corruption (D14)

  • Use of independent external assurance of anti-corruption programmes (D15)

  • Outcomes of integration of the anti-corruption principle

  • Criterion 12: The COP describes robust commitments, strategies or policies in the area of anti-corruption

  • Publicly stated formal policy of zero-tolerance of corruption (D1)

  • Commitment to be in compliance with all relevant anti-corruption laws, including the implementation of procedures to know the law and monitor changes (B2)

  • Statement of support for international and regional legal frameworks, such as the UN Convention against Corruption (D2)

  • Policy on anti-corruption regarding business partners (D5)

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Detailed policies for high-risk areas of corruption (D4)

  • Other established or emerging best practices

UN Goals and Issues
  • Criterion 15: The COP describes core business contributions to UN goals and issues

  • Align core business strategy with one or more relevant UN goals/issues

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    We view our business mission of securing information as a human right.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Develop relevant products and services or design business models that contribute to UN goals/issues

  • Adopt and modify operating procedures to maximize contribution to UN goals/issues

  • Criterion 16: The COP describes strategic social investments and philanthropy

  • Pursue social investments and philanthropic contributions that tie in with the core competencies or operating context of the company as an integrated part of its sustainability strategy

  • Coordinate efforts with other organizations and initiatives to amplify—and not negate or unnecessarily duplicate—the efforts of other contributors

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    Our Symantec Cyber Career Connection (SC3) Initiative supports programs and investments in gender equality, and provides education and opportunities for underserved communities.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Take responsibility for the intentional and unintentional effects of funding and have due regard for local customs, traditions, religions, and priorities of pertinent individuals and groups

  • Criterion 18: The COP describes partnerships and collective action

  • Develop and implement partnership projects with public or private organizations (UN entities, government, NGOs, or other groups) on core business, social investments and/or advocacy

  • Join industry peers, UN entities and/or other stakeholders in initiatives contributing to solving common challenges and dilemmas at the global and/or local levels with an emphasis on initiatives extending the company’s positive impact on its value chain

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Other established or emerging best practices

  • Criterion 17: The COP describes advocacy and public policy engagement

  • Publicly advocate the importance of action in relation to one or more UN goals/issues

  • Commit company leaders to participate in key summits, conferences, and other important public policy interactions in relation to one or more UN goals/issues

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    We engage with the US Network and are involved with the Women's Empowerment Principles, as well as Unconscious Bias presentations.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

Governance
  • Criterion 19: The COP describes CEO commitment and leadership

  • CEO publicly delivers explicit statements and demonstrates personal leadership on sustainability and commitment to the UN Global Compact

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • CEO leads executive management team in development of corporate sustainability strategy, defining goals and overseeing implementation

  • CEO promotes initiatives to enhance sustainability of the company’s sector and leads development of industry standards

  • Make sustainability criteria and UN Global Compact principles part of goals and incentive schemes for CEO and executive management team

  • Other established or emerging best practices

  • Criterion 21: The COP describes stakeholder engagement

  • Define sustainability strategies, goals and policies in consultation with key stakeholders

  • Establish channels to engage with employees and other stakeholders to hear their ideas and address their concerns

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    We gathered feedback from our FY15 CR Report, we engage in multi-stakeholder initiatives, we engage our suppliers about sustainability, and we promote the UNGC and Women's Economic Principles.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Publicly recognize responsibility for the company’s impacts on internal and external stakeholders

  • Consult stakeholders in dealing with implementation dilemmas and challenges and invite them to take active part in reviewing performance

  • Criterion 20: The COP describes Board adoption and oversight

  • Board of Directors (or equivalent) assumes responsibility and oversight for long-term corporate sustainability strategy and performance

  • Board establishes, where permissible, a committee or assigns an individual board member with responsibility for corporate sustainability.

  • Other established or emerging best practices

    Our VP of Corporate Responsibility is charged with embedding and integrating corporate responsibility into the company's strategy and operations. The business units are charged with overseeing adherence to our human rights & other sustainability policies.

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to fulfill this criterion, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • Board (or committee), where permissible, approves formal reporting on corporate sustainability (Communication on Progress)

Women's Empowerment
  • The COP describes policies and practices related to supporting women's empowerment and advancing gender equality in the community

  • Community initiatives specifically targeted at the empowerment of women and girls

  • Strategies to ensure that community investment projects and programmes (including economic, social and environmental) positively impact women and girls

  • Designing community stakeholder engagements that are free of gender discrimination/stereotyping and sensitive to gender issues

  • Gender impact assessments or consideration of gender-related impacts as part of its social and/or human rights impact assessments

  • Ensuring female beneficiaries of community programmes

  • Strategies to ensure that community investment projects and programmes (including economic, social and environmental) include the full participation of women and girls

  • No practice for this criterion has been reported

  • Other established or emerging best practices

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to address this area, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • The COP describes policies and practices related to supporting women's empowerment and advancing gender equality in the workplace

  • Achieving and maintaining gender equality in senior management and board positions

  • Achieving and maintaining gender equality in middle management positions

  • Support for pregnant women and those returning from maternity leave

  • Recruitment and retention, including training and development, of female employees

  • Creating and maintaining workplace awareness of gender equality and, inclusion and non-discrimination for all workers

  • Equal pay for work of equal value

  • Flexible work options

  • Access to child and dependent care

  • Gender-specific health and safety issues

  • Gender-based violence and harassment

  • Education and training opportunities for women workers

  • Mentoring and sponsorship opportunities for women workers

  • No practice for this criterion has been reported

  • Other established or emerging best practices

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to address this area, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • The COP contains or refers to sex-disaggregated data

  • Achieving and maintaining gender equality in senior management and board positions

  • Achieving and maintaining gender equality in middle management positions

  • Support for pregnant women and those returning from maternity leave

  • Recruitment and retention, including training and development, of female employees

  • Equal pay for work of equal value

  • Flexible work options

  • Access to child and dependent care

  • Gender-specific health and safety issues

  • Gender-based violence and harassment

  • Education and training opportunities for women workers

  • Creating and maintaining workplace awareness of gender equality and, inclusion and non-discrimination for all workers

  • Mentoring and sponsorship opportunities for women workers

  • No practice for this criterion has been reported

  • Other established or emerging best practices

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to address this area, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff

  • The COP describes policies and practices related to supporting women's empowerment and advancing gender equality in the marketplace

  • Supplier diversity programme

  • Composition of supplier base by sex

  • Support for women business owners and women entrepreneurs

  • Supplier monitoring and engagement on women's empowerment and gender equality including promotion of the Women's Empowerment Principles to suppliers

  • Gender-sensitive marketing

  • Gender-sensitive product and service development

  • No practice for this criterion has been reported

  • Other established or emerging best practices

  • Any relevant policies, procedures, and activities that the company plans to undertake by its next COP to address this area, including goals, timelines, metrics, and responsible staff