What is Modern Slavery?

Modern slavery is an international crime, affecting an estimated 29.8 million slaves around the world.  It is a growing global issue that transcends age, gender and ethnicities.  It includes victims who have been brought from overseas and vulnerable people in the UK, who are forced to illegally work against their will across many different sectors such as agriculture, hospitality, construction, retail and manufacturing.

Our policy

The firm is working towards establishing a zero-tolerance position on violations of anti-human trafficking and anti-modern slavery laws.  If we find breaches of these laws within our supply chain, we will look to support companies in their efforts to comply with the legislation.  We will also actively consider how we support or conduct business with organisations involved in slavery, human trafficking, forced or child labour.

Our CLEARR values: Collaboration, Leadership, Excellence, Agility, Respect, and Responsibility underpin our culture and how we do business. They are embedded throughout our business and set the parameters for how we expect people to behave with their colleagues, clients and the world at large.  We seek to treat everyone fairly and consistently, creating a workplace and business environment that is open, transparent and trusted. Our policies and procedures relating to the Modern Slavery Act are in line with our culture and values.

Our procedures

We have a number of procedures in place that contribute to ensuring modern slavery does not occur in our business or supply chains.

Employment:

• Robust recruitment processes in line with UK employment laws, including: 'right to work' document checks; contracts of employment and checks to ensure everyone employed is 16 and above.  

• Market-related pay and reward, which is reviewed annually and linked to professional services firms' benchmarks.

• An enhanced benefits package, providing additional health and welfare options to support our people's (and their families) lifestyle choices.

Transparency in our Recruitments

We recognise our firm is exposed to greater risk when dealing with its suppliers, particularly those who have operations/suppliers in other territories.  The following measures to review and manage this risk are in place:

• a commitment to collaborate closely with suppliers to help them understand and work towards their own obligations under the Modern Slavery Act.
• a Responsible Purchasing Policy, which reflects our commitment to and focus on suppliers' ethical supply chain(s).
• a Supplier Code of Conduct, which is used for all new major suppliers of goods or in re-tendering, clearly stating the firm's intention to step away (without penalty) if any occurrences of modern slavery are discovered.

Both the Responsible Purchasing Policy and Supplier Code of Conduct will be reviewed annually, and updated as and when deemed appropriate by the Ethics Team, to ensure they are continually developed and remain fit for purpose.