Human Rights Management

Human Rights Management


 

Fairness, respect, and inclusion are fundamental elements in fostering a healthy and safe workplace. Acter strictly prohibits all forms of discrimination or exclusion based on gender, race, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, job position, nationality, or age. Any form of sexual harassment, violence, threats, or intimidation is strictly forbidden and not tolerated under any circumstances.

Acter aligns with international human rights standards and has established the Acter Human Rights Policy based on the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Ruggie Framework. This policy serves as a core operational guideline for the company and is applicable not only to Acter Headquarters but also to its subsidiaries, suppliers, clients, and all business partners. The policy ensures that all operational activities comply with local laws and adhere to international human rights principles.

To strengthen the implementation of the Human Rights Policy, Acter actively promotes awareness and education among employees through online training programs. In the event of any human rights violations, employees may report incidents anonymously via the designated feedback mailbox (acter885@acter.com.tw). A dedicated unit is responsible for managing and responding to such reports, ensuring that the grievance mechanism is transparent, impartial, and accountable.

Four-Stage Human Rights Management Mechanism
Risk assessment

- Define human rights issues

  • - Alerts for high-risk issues
Prevention

- Employment policy
- Human rights policy
- Sexual harassment policy
- Occupational safety and health policy

Mitigation

- Education and training
- Communication and advocacy
- System management

Supervision

- Complaint channels
- Audit system



 

Risk Assessment

 

To foster a work environment characterized by diversity, equity, inclusiveness, and a sense of belonging, Acter conducts an annual human rights risk assessment to rigorously evaluate potential risks from all perspectives. Our dedicated units adhere strictly to relevant guidelines, standards, and operational procedures to fulfill our commitments and responsibilities towards human rights. Based on the assessment findings, we establish corresponding management and improvement measures to ensure our policies and practices do not infringe upon labor rights of our employees. Concerning our suppliers and partners, we utilize public information and self-assessment forms to assess their adherence to sustainable development and human rights standards, thereby avoiding engagement with high-risk entities. By conscientiously implementing human rights policies, Acter strives to contribute to international human rights efforts.
 

Human Rights Risk Issues Mitigation Measures Makeup Measures Goals
Diverse employment and non-discrimination
  • - Prohibit discrimination through human rights policy, code of conduct, and employment management rules.
  • - Encourage diverse employment in all units.
- Increase the employment of indigenous and disabled people
- During the employment process, it is prohibited to ask for personal data that are not related to the work, and any discriminatory consideration shall be excluded.
- Equal work opportunities
- Eliminate discrimination
Prohibition of child and forced labor
- Verify new employees’ age documents.
- Respect employees’ work attendance status
- Employees shall provide the original copy of personal ID on the duty report date for on-site verification.
- Prohibit employing child labor.
- Prohibit forced labor.
Working hours, equal pay for equal work
- Manage overtime working hours,Regularly review employees' compensation, ensuring it is not below the local minimum salary.
- Approve employees' compensation based on their job duties, not on their gender, age, or race discriminatively.
- Monitor and control overtime working hours and the number of work days using the attendance system alerts.
- Cultivate employees' diverse capabilities and establish an effective internal human resource management mechanism to balance working hours and prevent overtime work.
- Reasonable working hours for employees' physical and mental well-being
- Provide fair and competitive compensation
Freedom of association
- Protect employees' statutory rights to establish, participate, or refuse to join associations and collective agreements.
- The labor representatives of the labor-management conference are directly elected by all employees to strengthen the "collective bargaining" mechanism.
- Create an environment of mutual respect, freedom of expression, and communication.
Occupational health and safety
- Implement preventive plans and monitoring for unlawful infringements in the workplace.
- Assess risks in the workplace, formulate protective measures, and provide education and training programs.
- Provide employees with mental and physical health counseling services.
- Offer accessible complaint channels, establish complaint advocacy procedures, and conduct investigations on filed complaints.
- Provide a healthy and safe workplace.
Prevention and treatment of sexual harassment and unlawful infringement in the workplace
- Specify “Sexual Harassment Prevention Act” and set a compliant hotline, allowing applicants to file a complaint in writing or orally.
- Hold education and training programs related to unlawful infringement in the workplace and sexual harassment.
- The Sexual Harassment Complaint Handling Committee initiates the investigation process based on confidentiality and non-disclosure principles, with a gender balance of 50%. The investigation results will be presented within 2 months. If the complaint is substantiated, it will be submitted to the Chairman for appropriate disciplinary actions.
- Create a secure and friendly workplace.
 

 

Prevention Policy and Mitigation Measures

 

Acter upholds employees’ freedom of expression and the right to voice opinions, and is committed to fostering a fair, inclusive, and respectful workplace environment, free from discrimination and improper treatment. In response to identified human rights risks, Acter has established clear policies and standard operating procedures to ensure comprehensive protection of employee rights. Additionally, Acter leverages its internal E-Learning platform to implement training programs aimed at reinforcing human rights awareness and standards, ensuring that employees fully understand their rights and the company’s human rights policies. In 2024, a total of 241 hours of human rights-related training were conducted, with a participation rate of 90%.

Furthermore, to safeguard labor rights during major operational or business changes (such as new project initiation or project closure), Acter adheres to the “Five Transfer Principles,” the Labor Standards Act, and the Act for Worker Protection of Mass Redundancy. The company also ensures a sufficient handover and adaptation period, enabling employees to receive the necessary support for a smooth transition into new roles or environments.

To collaborate with our customers and business partners in jointly promoting labor-management communication and friendly human rights management, we focus on three management directions: "education and training programs", "advocacy and communication", and "system management". Through these approaches, we continuously reduce human rights impacts while expanding our influence. Details are explained as follows:

Measures to Mitigate Human Rights Shocks Education and training programs Advocacy and communication System management
Employees
- Compulsory course on human rights issues for new employees.
- Conduct annual unlawful infringement training.
- Hold annual health lecture.
  • - Advocacy on maintaining reasonable working hours culture.
  • - Provide multiple communication channels.
  • - Regular advocacy on personal information privacy.
  • - Annual health facilitation activity.
  • - Annual stakeholder concerns survey
- Leave and Attendance Management System.
- Reasonable working hours culture management system.
- Audits and evaluations.
Customers/ Partners
- Human rights issue communication mechanism.
- Annual audit training mechanism.
- Advocacy at Supplier Meeting and through education and training activities
- Establish Code of Conduct for Supplie
- Sign Letter of Commitment for Sustainability
- Commitment to Integrity and Honesty
- Customer satisfaction survey
- Annual stakeholder concerns survey
- Risk self-assessment
- Supplier sustainability risk assessment

Supervision Mechanism

 

To establish an honest and transparent corporate culture and facilitate effective management, Acter has established clear reporting and complaint channels to uphold the code of ethics and business integrity principles set forth by the Company. In order to accurately address employee needs, Acter’s employees can submit their opinions to designated complaint units, and an investigation team will promptly initiate an inquiry. If the reported incident is verified to be true, the Company will apply internal penalties accordingly. Through these diverse two-way communication channels, Acter ensures its ability to listen to the voices of our employees.The implementation of employee complaint channels in 2024 is as follows :

Communication Channels Frequency Conducts Implementation status of 2024
Notification by e-mail Irregularly Upon receipt of the message, the most senior supervisor of the HR unit will timely respond and handle the complaints one-by-one. Zero complaint.
Internal corporate platform Irregularly Upon receipt of the message, the most senior supervisor of the HR unit will timely respond and handle the complaints one-by-one. Zero complaint.
      Employees’ opinions mailbox Irregularly Upon receipt of the message, the most senior supervisor of the HR unit will immediately handle the complaint. Zero complaint.
Employees’ seminar Quarterly The seminar enables Acter to share our business performance with the employees and exchange opinions bi-directionally, helping to reach a consensus between our employees and supervisors. Held 4 supervisors' meetings and 1 plenary consensus meeting, with a 100% participation rate.
Employees commitment/ satisfaction survey Quarterly With respect to items with which our employees are not satisfied and their opinions, the Company will carry out an internal review and draw up improvement measures accordingly. Employee commitment/ satisfaction level reached 87.88 out of 100.
Labor-management meeting Quarterly Conduct bi-directional communication regarding employees’ health, environmental safety, and benefits, and send the meeting minutes to all employees for their information. Held 4 labor-management meetings, with the percentage of labor and management representatives being 50% each.