Apudos Ltd Anti-Slavery & Human Trafficking Statement
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our anti-slavery and human trafficking statement. We are fundamentally opposed to the abuse of human rights and will not tolerate or condone this within any part of our business or supply chain. We have a zero tolerance to slavery and human trafficking, and we expect those in our supply chain to comply with our values. As a company that has people and service at the heart of its business model, the preservation of human rights is key to how we do business.
Introduction
Apudos Ltd is one of the leading parcel management software providers for residential accommodation in the UK.
The business works in conjunction with some of the UK’s leading real estate and Property & Asset Management companies, providing a full end to end solution to parcel management which includes, recorded deliveries, secure pick up, recipient notifications, delivery dashboard and analytics reporting.
Policies and Contractual Controls
The company has a confidential process in support where members of staff can raise concerns over any wrongdoing which extends to human rights violations and modern slavery. Reports are treated in confidence and are always fully investigated at executive level.
The company continues to operate the following policies. These policies describe the company’s approach to the identification of modern slavery risks and steps to be taken to prevent slavery and human trafficking in its operations:
- Whistleblowing policy: The organisation encourages all its staff, customers and other business partners to report any concerns related to the direct activities or the supply chains of the company. This includes any circumstances that may give rise to an enhanced risk of slavery or human trafficking. The company’s whistleblowing procedure is designed to make it easy for staff to make disclosures, without fear of retaliation.
- Supplier code of conduct: The company is committed to ensuring that its suppliers adhere to the highest standards of ethics. Suppliers should, if deemed necessary, be able to demonstrate that they provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and act ethically and within the law in their use of labour.
Training
All members of staff are aware of the importance of mitigating any incidences of modern slavery and human trafficking within the organisation and its supply chain. The Company Directors are responsible for compliance within their respective functions. Apudos are also in the process of adopting an online e-learning module regarding Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking for its staff. This training is expected to be delivered in 2021 and will create an awareness and understanding of the topic as well as informing staff about what they should do if they ever became aware of a victim of Modern Slavery.
Assessment of Risk in the Supply Chain
Our Procurement has identified the following categories of supplier where we believe there is a greater risk of modern slavery. These types of business tend to pay lower wages and rely on labour from outside the country to undertake their business.
- Cleaning
- Security
- Sub-contractors for construction activities
- Grounds Maintenance services
- Overseas companies supplying outsourced business processing services
Steps the Company has taken to prevent Modern Slavery in our supply chain
The company has reviewed its supplier onboarding procedures and included questions about Modern Slavery as part of the suite of checks undertaken for new suppliers. Our terms of trading include clauses concerning supplier conduct in this area and all new major contracts include clauses around the prevention of modern slavery. During the next 12 months the company will continue to focus its attention on its historic supplier base and will conduct spot checks on suppliers in those category areas considered to be greater risk.
Last Updated: January 2021