Corporate Responsibility

Human Rights Impact Assessment at T-Systems Brazil

Brasilia

In 2017 Deutsche Telekom carried out a human rights impact assessment at its T-Systems Brazil subsidiary. One of the core elements of our assessment was engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders and rightsholders. 

Background

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights expect businesses to put in place ongoing and systematic policies and processes to proactively identify, prevent, mitigate and address adverse human rights impacts with which they may be involved directly or through their business relationships. Deutsche Telekom fully endorses the UNGPs and has integrated respecting human rights into its fundamental policies: especially the Guiding Principles and our Code of Human Rights & Social Principles. In addition, Deutsche Telekom also seeks to monitor and ensure these policies are implemented in practice across the breadth and depth of its operations and supply chain. One way in which it achieves this is through deep-dive human rights impact assessments at specific business units, identified through risk-based analysis. In 2017 we visited our subsidiary in Brazil to carry out one such assessment.

Methodology

The assessment was divided into four phases:

  • Phase 1 — Set-up and preparation
  • Phase 2 — Assessing human rights impacts
  • Phase 3 — Analysis and follow-up
  • Phase 4 — Collaboratively implementing mitigation and management measures

Focus Areas

The main human rights impacts, risks and opportunities relevant for the ICT sector, for Brazil and TS Brazil specifically, considered and identified in the assessment were: 

  • Working conditions of employees including working hours, use of overtime, provision of contracts
  • Health and safety such as the presence and implementation of robust health and safety standards and management systems and employee safety while travelling to and from work
  • Discrimination and abuse/harassment such as equitable hiring, equal pay for equal work, the integration of minority groups into the work force, provision of flexible working conditions, opportunities for people with disabilities
  • The presence and implementation of robust systems for identifying and managing risks in relation to bribery, corruption and ethical practice including adequate training programs
  • Privacy, for example measures taken to protect both employee and customer data from hacks, viruses and/or illegal requests for information; provision of adequate training on how data is protected and used; the integration of privacy considerations into product and service design
  • Working conditions in the supply chain such as access to grievance mechanisms, working hours, remuneration and health and safety. Supply chains assessed included those for goods such as cabling and electronic equipment as well as for services such as cleaning, catering, security and facilities.
  • Environmental impacts in both the supply chain and own operations including those associated with the extraction and processing of raw materials for use in electronics goods, the disposal of electronic waste and the use of diesel back-up generators

Results and Next Steps

The assessment showed overall positive results with many strong systems and processes already in place, a dedicated and conscientious management team and a largely satisfied workforce. We agreed on an action plan to take forward the opportunities for improvement identified. We work together on implementing the final recommendations which focus especially around improving communication and training on specific processes, closer monitoring of environmental impacts within TS Brazil’s operations and deeper collaboration with DT corporate on supply chain monitoring. In addition, Telekom is reviewing lessons learned from the process to design future human rights impact assessments at the company.
 

Human rights affects each and every human being!

Human rights 

We are clearly committed to respecting human rights in accordance with international reference instruments and laws such as the LkSG. 

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