Modern Slavery Policy Statement
This statement is made pursuant to Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and sets out the steps that Realm Communications has taken and is continuing to take to ensure that modern slavery or human trafficking is not taking place within our business or supply chain.
Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labour. The Partners and directors of Realm have a zero tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity and transparency in all business dealings and to putting effective systems and controls in place to safeguard against any form of modern slavery taking place within the business or our supply chain.
Our business
We are architectural visualisation and branding consultants working predominantly within the UK marketplace and with an annual turnover of less than £1.5m.
Our high risk areas
Our work is very niche due to its highly technical nature and our business is staffed by specialist trained staff as a result. We have very few suppliers to our business and they are also highly skilled specialists whom we have worked with for many years. We also have very low levels of staff turnover. We do not envisage this situation changing and so, consequently, we are a very low risk business within the context of this issue.
Our policies
We operate a number of internal policies to ensure that we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner. These include:
1. Anti-slavery policy. This policy sets out the organisation’s stance on modern slavery and explains how employees can identify any instances of this and where they can go for help.
2. Recruitment policy. We operate a robust recruitment policy, including conducting eligibility to work in the UK checks for all employees to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals being forced to work against their will.
3. Whistleblowing policy. We operate a whistleblowing policy so that all employees know that they can raise concerns about how colleagues are being treated, or practices within our business or supply chain, without fear of reprisals.
4. Code of business conduct. This code explains the manner in which we behave as an organisation and how we expect our employees and suppliers to act.
Our suppliers
Realm operates a supplier policy and maintains a very small preferred supplier list. These suppliers have worked with us over many years and are skilled specialists in their own field. We conduct due diligence on all suppliers before allowing them to become a preferred supplier. This due diligence includes an online search to ensure that particular organisation has never been convicted of offenses relating to modern slavery and on site audits which include a review of working conditions. Our anti-slavery policy forms part of our contract with all suppliers and they are required to confirm that no part of their business operations contradicts this policy.
In addition to the above, as part of our contract with suppliers, we require that they confirm to us that:
1. They have taken steps to eradicate modern slavery within their business
2. They hold their own suppliers to account over modern slavery
3. They pay their employees at least the national minimum wage / national living wage (as appropriate)
4. We may terminate the contract at any time should any instances of modern slavery come to light]
Training
We regularly conduct training for our staff so that they understand the signs of modern slavery and what to do if they suspect that it is taking place within our supply chain.
Our performance indicators
We will know the effectiveness of the steps that we are taking to ensure that slavery and/or human trafficking is not taking place within our business or supply chain due to:
·No reports are received from employees, the public, or law enforcement agencies to indicate that modern slavery practices have been identified.
·Ongoing monitoring of our long standing suppliers and working relationships with key personnel with whom we have worked with for many years
·Ongoing due diligence and adherence to best practice.
Contact Information
If you believe that the Company has not adhered to this Statement, please contact the Managing Director at martin@wearerealm.co.uk
Realm Communications 2015 (Updated 2019)