Community engagement and grievance management

Objectives

ExxonMobil works collaboratively and transparently with local communities to promote positive, long-term relationships.

Management and application

We consult with local groups and individuals regularly and we seek to have our stakeholders effectively represented as community concerns are discussed and decisions are made. Our engagement process is tailored to local communities to help provide effective, accessible and culturally appropriate channels for exchanging information and proactively identifying issues or concerns. Examples of activities in our engagement process include open houses, community gatherings and individual meetings.

By integrating the results of these discussions into our decisions, we can help avoid or reduce potential impacts on communities, enhance benefits, support effective investments, avoid delays and resolve issues at the local level.

Our ongoing community engagement includes a grievance management process that provides a diverse set of platforms for individuals or communities to raise concerns. They include direct, in-person and electronic engagement and the use of third-party proxies such as civil society organizations and nongovernmental associations. We dedicate personnel to map, track, analyze, respond to and resolve community grievances in a timely manner in a way that seeks to support confidentiality and non-retaliation.

Our grievance management practices are guided by the World Bank International Finance Corporation and Ipieca, the global oil and gas association whose goal it is to advance environmental and social performance across the energy transition.

For more information on how our processes and practices for stakeholder engagement and grievance management support our integrated approach to human rights due diligence, see the section on Human Rights.