Modern Slavery - Statement

Modern Slavery Act 2015
Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement

Introduction

As a labour provider, we are on the front line of combatting modern slavery. The Best Connection is committed to doing everything within its power to stop slavery and human trafficking in our business and in our supply chains.

The Best Connection has always striven to operate with the highest standards of ethics and responsibility and our approach to stopping modern slavery reflects that.

We are proud of the steps that we have taken to combat slavery and human trafficking, which are set out in more detail below.

Company Structure

The Best Connection is a labour provider operating predominantly in the industrial and driving sectors, through our network of local branches. We are part of the SWS Group, and our ultimate parent company is Strategic Workforce Solutions Group Limited. We have over 800 employees and up to 20,000 temporary staff operating in the UK.

Slavery and Human Trafficking in our Business

In tackling slavery and human trafficking in our business we seek to follow these steps:

1.    Identifying areas of risk within our business and supply chain
2.    Taking steps to mitigate those risks
3.    Monitoring the ongoing effectiveness of our risk prevention
4.    Protecting and encouraging whistle-blowers

Slavery and Human trafficking in our Temporary Workforce

As a provider of labour, it is vital that we take steps to ensure that all temporary staff are protected from slavery and human trafficking. Whilst we recognise that no business is immune to the risks of modern slavery, we believe that having a robust series of processes is crucial to minimising the risk to our temporary staff. Our commitment to tackling slavery and human trafficking runs through all of our business, but the following are the key processes we have implemented to detect and prevent modern slavery within our workforce.

Recruitment of Temporary Workers

•    All applicants who register for work with The Best Connection must do so in person
•    All applicants are interviewed face to face and any documentation is completed in sight of our trained staff
•    All Application Forms include questions and information relating to modern slavery
•    Our staff are trained in spotting signs of modern slavery and in providing a safe environment for temporary staff to come forward with their concerns
•    All workers are provided with a handout containing contact information for confidential support and resources about slavery and human trafficking

Payment of Temporary Workers

•    Payslips are always made available to the individual online
•    Temporary workers are paid by BACS into their own bank account or that of their partner, or in rare circumstances, by personal cheque

Shared Bank Accounts

Our Head Office based Compliance Team interrogates our temporary worker database in order to identify any temporary workers who share the same bank account or address with other temporary workers on our payroll. Each case is individually investigated by our local branch personnel who will question the temporary workers in order to establish the reasons behind the shared bank accounts or addresses.

Supplier Compliance with our Values

We have zero tolerance to slavery and human trafficking within our supply chain. To ensure that all of our clients and contractors comply with our values we insist that our contracts incorporate a requirement to prevent and stop modern slavery.

We recognise that it is our clients who are best placed to spot the signs of modern slavery on a day to day basis and so we provide our clients with materials to assist them in spotting modern slavery.

We also have a dedicated compliance team, which relies upon the support of the following staff and departments: Legal, Audit & Compliance, Procurement, Sales and Training.

Training

We believe that training is a fundamental tool in the fight against modern slavery. To ensure that all of our staff are aware of the risks involved, we deliver specific training to help our staff spot signs of modern slavery and provide a safe environment for temporary staff to come forward with their concerns.

Tackling Modern Slavery Champions

The Best Connection have Champions who represent different areas of the business and act as a point of support and contact for branches regarding any queries or concerns. Champions receive full training and are responsible for completing monthly investigations, identifying and mitigating risks, supporting the business in ensuring up to date information is communicated, raising awareness, and dealing with suspicions.

This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement.

Andrew Sweeney


Chief Executive
The Best Connection Group Limited
26th February 2024