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Overview/introduction
Chairman's messageFor Rio Tinto, The way we work, the Group's statement of business practice, lies at the heart of its implementation of corporate social responsibility.
It is the result of many months of wide internal consultation and discussion and represents shared values from around the Group. It captures policies and best practices against which Rio Tinto measures and reports its performance. The document is our golden rule for regulating corporate conduct.
The document was published initially in January 1998, and revised in the light of experience in 2002, following further Group wide review and consultation, and after external benchmarking of policies against the best practice of other organisations.
The document commits the Group to transparency consistent with normal commercial confidentiality, corporate accountability, and the application of appropriate standards and internal controls. It is available in 18 languages.
The way we work has been distributed to each of Rio Tinto's operations and has a central role for managers world wide. It sets the basis for how Group companies' employees work and also provides guidance for joint venture partners and others. Every employee is responsible for implementing the policies in the document.
To give direction to employees and managers on the practical application of business principles in The way we work, each business has developed a code of conduct. Rio Tinto has also produced safety and occupational health standards, and is currently finalising environmental standards. A guidance document on applying the human rights policy has been published and a business integrity guidance addressing bribery, corruption and political involvement was issued in 2003. This covers questions relating to compliance and implementation; gifts and entertainment; the use of agents and intermediaries; and "facilitation" payments.
In late 2003 a compliance guidance was also issued. It provides a framework to enable each Group business to implement and maintain a best practice compliance programme which should identify and manage risks associated with the non-compliance with laws, regulations, codes, standards and Rio Tinto policies.
Read our policies set out in The way we work