Listening and Response Mechanism - ESG
Listening and Response Mechanism
What is it?
Listening and Response Mechanism is a global management model for interactions, composed by listening channels which can be used by any stakeholder to communicate with the company, and it requires a response or an action from the company.
Organization
Listening channels are the structures responsible for the interactions management process and that provide different means of contact (telephone, letter, email and others) for stakeholders to interact with the company.
Vale currently has the following listening channels with global coverage: Contact Us, Social Medias and Community Relations Personnel (RC) also having channels with local coverage in certain areas of operation, such as the Reparation Call Center and Hello Railway.
The relationship teams communicate directly with their stakeholders, providing greater promptness and efficiency in the potential conflict mitigation and resolution processes.
In addition, Vale has a whistleblower channel as part of its Ethics & Compliance Program. Anyone, inside or outside of Vale, who wants to report a case of suspicion or ethical misconduct, should use Vale’s Whistleblower Channel. The Channel guarantees all the conditions for a case report to be independently and fairly investigated. Under no circumstances will there be a breach of confidentiality, intimidation or retaliation towards whistleblowers. For more information regarding the Whistleblower Channel, access the Ethics & Compliance page.
Guiding Principles and Pact with Society
The Mechanism is guided by the following UN guiding principles on Business and Human Rights and the ICMM:
Listening and Response Mechanism is a global management model for interactions, composed by listening channels which can be used by any stakeholder to communicate with the company, and it requires a response or an action from the company.
Organization
Listening channels are the structures responsible for the interactions management process and that provide different means of contact (telephone, letter, email and others) for stakeholders to interact with the company.
Vale currently has the following listening channels with global coverage: Contact Us, Social Medias and Community Relations Personnel (RC) also having channels with local coverage in certain areas of operation, such as the Reparation Call Center and Hello Railway.
The relationship teams communicate directly with their stakeholders, providing greater promptness and efficiency in the potential conflict mitigation and resolution processes.
In addition, Vale has a whistleblower channel as part of its Ethics & Compliance Program. Anyone, inside or outside of Vale, who wants to report a case of suspicion or ethical misconduct, should use Vale’s Whistleblower Channel. The Channel guarantees all the conditions for a case report to be independently and fairly investigated. Under no circumstances will there be a breach of confidentiality, intimidation or retaliation towards whistleblowers. For more information regarding the Whistleblower Channel, access the Ethics & Compliance page.
Guiding Principles and Pact with Society
The Mechanism is guided by the following UN guiding principles on Business and Human Rights and the ICMM:
For the construction of a new pact with society, it is essential to consolidate dialogue strategies, reinforcing the importance of ensuring more effective listening channels.
Management Steps
Management Steps
Listening Channels and Whistleblower Channel
Note: Until 2022, the graph considered information from Social Media, however, from 2023, this data will not be accounted for in the reporting of interactions, considering that it is a communication channel and not a listening channel, according to the global management model of interactions (Listening and Response Mechanism).
RC Online
In 2020, RC Online was launched in Brazil, a system (desktop and mobile) that can be accessed by the community to register issues related to the relationship and interface between the Community and Vale.
In 2020, RC Online was launched in Brazil, a system (desktop and mobile) that can be accessed by the community to register issues related to the relationship and interface between the Community and Vale.
RC Online was an enhancement in the process of capturing community interactions, enabling greater efficiency in the listening process until the response of the interaction, with automatic directing to the Community Relations Analyst and avoiding the displacement of relationship professionals to the communities during the pandemic. It also strengthens the relationship between the Communities and Vale, through transparency with the interaction’s progress, sending notifications to the stakeholders and the possibility of monitoring their progress within the system. Its construction was based on human rights guidelines and it’s in compliance with the Brazilian General Law of Data Protection.
Community leaves message close to the railway for the community relationship analyst to contact them.
Community Relationship area archive, 2015
Community Relationship area archive, 2015
Indicators' Performance
Vale, recognizing the Community's perception of its operations’ impacts, adopted in its performance management model the reporting of social indicators related to grievances. Below are the graphs’ models and tools used by all management levels of the company to monitor grievances.
*Note: Data extracted on January 02nd, 2023
Heat Map - Management Tool for the Executive Board
Community Interactions Management - Satisfaction Survey
Results of the satisfaction survey with data from Community Relation Personnel channe
¹ % Satisfaction: The % of satisfaction considers the surveys with answers "Very satisfied" and "Satisfied"
² Eligible Interactions: Request, Complaint, Information / Doubt or Suggestion type
³ Scale: Very Dissatisfied: 0 a 2 | Dissatisfied: 3 a 5 | Satisfied: 6 a 8 | Very Satisfied: 9 e 10
4 Note: Initially in 2020, only data referring to the Community Relations Personnel channel pilot for the states of Espirito Santo and the Vitória-Minas Railroad were considered. In 2021, all states operating in Brazil were incorporated into Community Relations Personnel channel and data began to be collected via email and mobile text message, which impacted the number of respondents and the monthly percentages of satisfaction. We highlight that the satisfaction survey is voluntary. So, every month there may be a variation in the number of respondents and, consequently, in the satisfaction percentages.
² Eligible Interactions: Request, Complaint, Information / Doubt or Suggestion type
³ Scale: Very Dissatisfied: 0 a 2 | Dissatisfied: 3 a 5 | Satisfied: 6 a 8 | Very Satisfied: 9 e 10
4 Note: Initially in 2020, only data referring to the Community Relations Personnel channel pilot for the states of Espirito Santo and the Vitória-Minas Railroad were considered. In 2021, all states operating in Brazil were incorporated into Community Relations Personnel channel and data began to be collected via email and mobile text message, which impacted the number of respondents and the monthly percentages of satisfaction. We highlight that the satisfaction survey is voluntary. So, every month there may be a variation in the number of respondents and, consequently, in the satisfaction percentages.
Information updated on 03/01/2023
Policies and Procedures
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Code of Conduct
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Human Rights Policy
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Sustainability Policy
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Socioenvironmental Investments Policy