stc

The company accommodates the needs of people with disabilities and reports the number of people with disabilities it employs.

No evidence was found of the company having leading practices in this area.

Stc demonstrates high-level accountability for cybersecurity and commits to creating a safer internet environment for children.

Stc promotes open and sustainable innovation through several initiatives. It supports researchers by sharing data from its operations publicly via one platform. Further, through the ImpactU programme, Stc supports social start-ups in the Middle East.

Stc can strengthen its support for providing universal and affordable access to digital technologies through a dedicated programme that goes beyond its initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic. It can also demonstrate how it promotes digital inclusivity of women and girls. Additionally, Stc could disclose how it distributes the economic value it generates among its stakeholders, as well as provide information on its employment in its countries of operation.

Besides offering affordable data packages for students during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is limited evidence of Stc’s efforts in supporting digital skills development and school connectivity. The company has an opportunity to demonstrate support for digital skills development through dedicated programmes.

Although Stc demonstrates high-level accountability for cybersecurity, the company could provide further evidence of how it manages cybersecurity in practice. It can explain how it responds to information security incidents, publish a copy of its information security management certificate and report data breaches. The company could also disclose the government requests it receives for personal information.

Stc has an opportunity to expand its support for open and sustainable innovation by participating in projects advancing open standards, committing to reduce its environmental footprint and supporting start-ups founded by people from underrepresented groups. The company can further report how many of its women employees work in tech roles, and how it applies ethical considerations in its research and development (R&D) activities.

Stc discloses in a policy statement that it respects human rights, but the policy statement is not available in the public domain. There is also no publicly available evidence of the company committing to respect the ILO fundamental labour rights. Nor does the company disclose a process to identify, assess and mitigate the salient human rights risks associated with its own operations and with its business relationships.

Stc publicly commits to respecting worker health and safety and places the same requirements on its business relationships. The company does not disclose a policy commitment stating that it does not require workers to work more than the regular and overtime hours. It also does not explicitly state that it requires its business relationships to make this commitment. Furthermore, Stc does not disclose a commitment to paying its workers a living wage. The company publicly commits to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment and has time-bound targets on the subject. In relation to workforce diversity, the company provides a breakdown of employees in different employee categories by gender. However, it does not disclose employee breakdowns against any other indicators of diversity.

Stc has a policy prohibiting bribery and corruption, and it includes anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in its business relationship contracts. The company does not disclose any relevant information in relation to tax, such as a global tax strategy or its income tax payments in individual tax jurisdictions. Further, Stc does not disclose its approach to lobbying and political engagement. Specifically, the company has no public statement indicating that it does not make political contributions, and it does not disclose its lobbying expenditures.