Case study: How Transcom combats corruption
With local specialists around the world, Transcom provides outsourced customer care, sales, technical support, and collections services to companies within among others the telecom, financial services, cable, government & healthcare, consumer goods, retail/e-tail, logistics, and media sectors. Proactively and consistently combatting corruption in all its forms, is essential to Transcom.
This case study is based on the 2018 Sustainability Report by Transcom published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate what CSR/ ESG/ sustainability reporting done responsibly means. Essentially, it means: a) identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment, economy and society, and b) measuring, managing and changing.
Abstract
Transcom implements zero tolerance to fraud and other unethical behaviour Tweet This!, that is solidified within the organisation with the help of rigorous steering and policy documents. In order to combat corruption Transcom took action to:
- provide training and address risks
- implement a whistleblower policy
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Transcom has identified;
- How Transcom proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by Transcom to combat corruption
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In its 2018 Sustainability Report Transcom identified a range of material issues, such as customer data protection and security, community engagement, equal opportunity and diversity among employees, non-discriminatory and ethical conduct towards end-customers. Among these, combatting corruption stands out as a key material issue for Transcom.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups Transcom engages with:
| Stakeholder Group |
| Employees |
| Owners |
| Investors |
| ESG analysts |
| Equity analysts |
| Clients |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
To identify and prioritise material topics Transcom carried out stakeholder dialogues through surveys, where stakeholder groups were asked to prioritise sustainability aspects.
What actions were taken by Transcom to combat corruption?
In its 2018 Sustainability Report Transcom reports that it took the following actions for combatting corruption:
- Providing training and addressing risks
- Transcom’s zero tolerance approach to fraud and other unethical behaviour is solidified with the help of rigorous steering and policy documents, which include Transcom’s Supplier Code of Business Conduct and Code of Business Conduct for employees. The Codes of Business Conduct are based on 13 principles covering human rights, labour rights, environmental protection and anti-corruption practices that are essential in Transcom’s daily operations. A mandatory part of the Code of Business Conduct training is the training of all new employees in anti-corruption and, after completion, all employees must provide a signed confirmation of their understanding of the Code of Business Conduct. Additionally, as Transcom is a global company exposed to country-specific risks, it makes sure, in its global operations, that all risks of corruption are addressed in each country through the countries’ risk register, in the scope of Transcom’s internal audits and in strategic risk assessments for business developments. Thus, to reduce the likelihood of corruption, Transcom lets its internal audit department carry out risk assessments of all its operations, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.
- Implementing a whistleblower policy
- Transcom has a whistleblower policy in place to make sure that employees, agency workers, contractors, and home agents feel safe when reporting corruption and malpractices. Employees can file complaints via email, mail, or fill out a form via Transcom’s The system allows for anonymous reporting and all complaints and malpractices are put through a confidential assessment process, where they are investigated in detail. The length and scope of the investigation depend on the subject matter of the concern and, if appropriate, the investigation will be escalated to the Chairman of Transcom’s Board of the Audit Committee, an independent auditor, the police or other law enforcement authority. If the concern is of urgent matter, action is taken before the investigation is conducted. The employee who reported the concern will, unless circumstances do not permit it, be notified what action Transcom decided upon, and must treat any such information with the strictest confidence. Transcom is happy that in 2018, its review, escalation process and whistleblower system all jointly showed no indications of any cases of corruption.
Which GRI Standards and corresponding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been addressed?
The GRI Standards addressed in this case are:
1) Disclosure 205-1 Operations assessed for risks related to corruption
2) Disclosure 205-3 Confirmed incidents of corruption and actions taken
Disclosure 205-1 Operations assessed for risks related to corruption corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
- Business theme: Anti-corruption
Disclosure 205-3 Confirmed incidents of corruption and actions taken corresponds to:
- Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
- Business theme: Anti-corruption
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References:
1) This case study is based on published information by Transcom, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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