Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement - June 30, 2022
This statement is made by Frontier Software plc (registered number 02512827) pursuant to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and covers the company and all members of the Frontier Software group of companies. It constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ended 30 June 2022 and sets out the steps taken that aim to ensure that slavery and human trafficking did not take place in our business and supply chain.
Purpose
Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labour. Frontier Software has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all business relationships, which includes implementing policies and procedures to ensure that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking taking place within the business or our supply chain.
Supply Chains
During this year we:
- reviewed our anti-slavery and human trafficking policy, which reflects our commitment to:
- implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls designed to ensure modern slavery does not occur in our business and supply chains
- being transparent in doing so through our disclosure obligations under the Act.
- made available training to our staff on modern slavery risks;
- enabled our policy to become embedded and understood throughout our organisation through internal and external communication;
- could subject any employee that breaches our policy to disciplinary action, which could result in dismissal for misconduct or gross misconduct;
- could terminate our relationship with other individuals and organisations working on our behalf if they breach our policy. Factors guiding the appropriate action to be taken in a given situation will depend on our control or influence over the entity concerned, the severity of the abuse, the safest outcome for the potential victims and whether terminating the relationship with the entity itself would have adverse human rights consequences; and
- encouraged staff, our suppliers and business partners and anyone else to whom our policy applies to report any concerns about modern slavery related to its businesses and direct supply chains in accordance with our code and our whistleblowing policy. Our whistleblowing policy is designed to make the reporting process as simple as possible.
Further Steps
Going forward, Frontier Software is committed to continuously strengthening our due diligence processes in relation to our supply chain to identify where modern slavery and human trafficking risks may exist in our business and supply chains, and to continuously improve and develop our policies, procedures and processes to address those risks.
We continue to inform our staff about these issues and raise their awareness of how to recognise and respond to indicators of human rights abuses.
Approval For Statement
This statement was approved by the Board of Directors on 30 June 2022.
Diversity Statement
Frontier Software embraces our diversity and fosters inclusion. We recognise and value the mix of talent, identity, ethnicity, ability and age that informs our daily activities, discussions, processes and outcomes. Together, we are better.
Statement on stakeholder relationships made under Section 172(1) of the Companies Act
Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 (“the Act”) requires the directors to promote the success of a company for the benefit of its stakeholders. As a limited company whose shares are held privately, the directors consider the key stakeholders of the Group to be its shareholders, employees and customers and the wider community that the Group serves.
The key strategic decisions for the board relate to expansion and growth and both short and long term profitability. When these transactions, or any other material transaction or decision, are considered the board has regard to its wider obligations under s172 of the Act.
We continue to support our customers with the development of new software modules and payroll services and by extending our software and services to other countries.
Employees are regularly consulted through engagement surveys and meetings and their feedback is important to guiding future decisions regarding the Group.
During the year, with the impact of the COVID pandemic, the directors have been primarily focused on ensuring the safety and wellbeing of its staff, and supporting the needs of its customers to work remotely from their normal place of work.
This report was approved by the board on 17 March 2021 and signed on its behalf.
Mrs. J L Howard
Director
Environmental Policy
As a professional and environmentally conscious organisation, we recognise that our operations have an effect on the local, regional and global environment. Consequently, we are committed to continuous improvements in environmental performance and the prevention of pollution.
It is our policy to identify environmentally friendly initiatives that we can implement to minimise any adverse effect of our operations.
As a minimum we comply with all relevant environmental laws, regulations and codes of practice to:
- train employees in environmental issues and the environmental effects of their activities
- reduce pollution, emissions and waste
- protect and preserve natural habitats, flora and fauna
- encourage “green” initiatives.
We will continually monitor and improve our practices and take all practical steps to ensure that potential hazards and risks to the environment are identified, and that suitable measures are taken to minimise any negative impact on the environment.
Supporting Activities
The following are among the procedures we encourage employees to adopt:
- Don’t travel, particularly by air, where a telephone call or videoconference would achieve the same objective.
- Use public transport where possible.
- Recycle when we can – toner cartridges, waste paper (shredded to ensure confidentiality).
- Switch off unused equipment and lights when not needed.