Respecting human rights

Respecting human rights is important to the well-being of our communities and our workforce – and it’s simply the right thing to do.

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Our core values — integrity, care, courage, excellence, and resilience — guide every aspect of our operations.

These values are reflected in our comprehensive approach to human rights, which is integrated into our policies, practices, and expectations. See our Statement on Human Rights.

Our commitment to respect human rights is a cornerstone of how we work to Protect Tomorrow. Today.

Our approach

We are unwavering in our commitment to respecting human rights, guided by the goals of universally recognized human rights principles, as a core principle in our operations:

  • We strive to have a positive influence on our workforce and in the communities where we operate.
  • We do not use forced or compulsory labor in our operations, and we forbid the use of child labor in our workforce.
  • We condemn human rights violations in any form, and we actively express these views in our engagements with governments and other stakeholders.

Embedding human rights into our policies

Our Standards of Business Conduct include our “foundation policies.” These define the ethical behavior we expect from our directors, officers, and employees. Our Board of Directors adopts and oversees the administration of these policies, which aim to uphold the values of human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption. Our wholly or majority-owned subsidiaries generally adopt policies similar to our foundation policies.

These policies include:

  • Ethics: Compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations.
  • Health: Identifying, evaluating, and managing health risks related to our operations.
  • Complaint procedures and open-door communication: Encouraging employees to ask questions, voice concerns, and make suggestions.
  • Environment: Conducting business in a way that balances environmental and economic needs.
  • Safety: Ensuring the safety of employees, contractors, customers, and the public.
  • Equal Employment Opportunity: Providing equal employment opportunities in line with applicable laws and regulations.

We incorporate key aspects of the 2011 U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights “Protect, Respect and Remedy” framework and the U.N Global Compact into our policies. Our efforts reflect the spirit and intent of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Our Standards of Business Conduct also support the International Labour Organization’s 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (ILO Declaration). The policies, procedures, and practices we implement consider applicable laws and local customs to support the objectives of the ILO Declaration. These include:

  • Freedom of association and effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining.
  • Elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor.
  • Effective abolition of child labor.
  • Elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
  • Safe and healthy working environments.

When applicable, our practices are guided by the:

Our Statement on Labor and the Workplace emphasizes our commitment to positive, productive, and supportive work environments.

Our Statement on Security and Human Rights commits us to protecting the security of personnel, facilities, and operations while respecting human rights. This framework guides our interactions with government-assigned and private security providers. It also offers guidance for documenting and reporting alleged human rights abuses.

Our Supplier, Vendor, and Contractor Expectations call on the companies we work with to:

  • Operate consistent with the ILO Declaration.
  • Respect human rights consistent with U.N. Guiding Principles.
  • Adhere to stringent compliance, anti-corruption, conflict of interest, and safety guidelines.

Integrating human rights into our practices

Our due diligence practices help identify and assess potential human rights impacts, and other socioeconomic risks and opportunities, early on in our activities. We aim to avoid or reduce risks with thorough planning, effective mitigation, monitoring, and other measures. For example, as part of our Environmental, Socioeconomic, and Health Impact Assessment and Management process, we conduct initial country assessments that identify qualitative human rights risks. We also use a human rights risk screening tool to analyze risks at country, project, and operations levels, incorporating elements of global human rights principles.

Our approach to socioeconomic management supports our assessment and management of human rights aspects in our communities. It is guided by our Environmental Aspects Guide, which considers environmental, social, and economic factors, as well our Environment Policy and Operations Integrity Management System (OIMS).

We provide access to remedy through transparent, accessible, and culturally appropriate channels for individuals or communities to raise concerns, consistent with international standards. We make these available through our community and operations-level grievance-management processes, as well as our complaint procedures and open-door communication for employees. As part of these processes, we seek to support confidentiality and non-retaliation. More information on our grievance-management process can be found here.

By monitoring feedback and emerging trends, and using grievance mechanisms at our sites, we improve our management plans and update our training programs with new insights.

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Communities and people

We strive to amplify the positive impact of our business on local communities while diligently managing environmental, socioeconomic, and health risks.

Our approach to socioeconomic management is integral to our respect for human rights. Practices encompass key areas such as:

  • Community health, safety, and security.
  • Local economic development.
  • Land use.
  • Resettlement.
  • Livelihood restoration.
  • Cultural heritage.
  • Rights of Indigenous peoples.
Workforce

For our workforce, respect for human rights means focusing on safety, security, health, career development, and our procedures for complaints and open-door communication.

Suppliers

We use an integrated, risk-based due diligence approach, with a focus on workplace rights, to identify and manage potential human rights risks among our suppliers. Before awarding contracts, we use third-party data to screen suppliers for compliance in areas like sanctions, anti-corruption, and human trafficking.

Our due diligence process to identify forced labor risks focuses on three factors: the supplier, the commodity, and the location. If higher risks are identified, we further assess the supplier’s policies and risk management practices before proceeding.

Security

Since 2002, we have been a member of the Voluntary Principles Initiative (VPI), a multi-stakeholder effort supporting the implementation of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHR). In 2023, VPI began publishing on their website the yearly report we provide on our activities and processes in support of the principles.

Our security service contracts typically include provisions requiring appropriate training on aspects of international principles, local laws, and regulations:

  • ExxonMobil’s Statement of Principles on Security and Human Rights.
  • Local laws and regulations.
  • Provisions of the U.N. Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
  • International Labour Organization’s 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
  • U.N. Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials.
  • U.N. Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials.

Our standard contract provisions also require contractors to immediately remove personnel credibly accused of human rights abuses and to monitor, report, and investigate all such incidents.

We engage with host governments as needed to support security and respect for human rights in local operations. Where we are required to work with government security staff, we seek written agreements with the host nations that include expectations consistent with the goals of the VPSHR.

We help train security providers on the goals of the VPSHR and provide targeted training for ExxonMobil personnel globally. The training focuses on our expectations for host government security deployment, including identification of the risks of security-related human rights impacts in communities.

Data protection and privacy

We have comprehensive programs designed to protect the integrity and privacy of personal, corporate, and customer data.


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Workforce housing and accommodations

From the start of construction to the end of a project, we often provide temporary or long-term housing for our employees and contractors on-site.

We tailor our housing requirements to each project and location. We use frameworks like the International Finance Corporation standards or the ILO Maritime Labor Convention, 2006, for offshore camps, to guide our requirements.

Our worker housing and accommodations include:

  • Healthy and hygienic housing.
  • Nutritious, balanced meals that respect cultural preferences.
  • Means to register grievances without fear of reprisal.
  • Facilities and opportunities for exercise, recreation, relaxation, and worship.
  • Safe and comfortable living spaces without discrimination based on gender, race, origin, or other protected statuses

Additionally, we aim to foster an environment of understanding and tolerance among our workforce. This helps minimize cultural conflicts and reduces the risk of worker unrest or dissatisfaction.

Reinforcing human rights through training

We reinforce our commitment to respecting human rights through training. Our Standards of Business Conduct are integral to onboarding new employees and are reiterated annually. Our regular required business practices training covers essential topics like foundation policies, open-door communication, and procedures for raising concerns. Our wholly owned and majority-owned subsidiaries generally provide similar training.

Training is available to all employees globally to build an understanding of these topics and an awareness of human rights risks. Human rights is also included as a core element of our instructor-led socioeconomic management training. In addition, tailored human rights training is provided to employees in our procurement function.

Transparency and collaboration

We actively participate in international initiatives to share knowledge about human rights and communicate our performance.

This includes our work with Ipieca, the “global oil and gas association for advancing environmental and social performance.” In recent years, ExxonMobil helped develop new editions of the Human Rights Due Diligence Guide, the Labour Rights Risk Identification in the Supply Chain, the Supply Chain Library of Questions and Resources, and Online Labour Rights Training – all published by Ipieca.

Another example is our work with more than 70,000 security providers and government security forces since 2016 who have received training on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights we helped to develop and deliver.

Key examples of our disclosures and compliance with laws and regulations related to human rights include:

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