As one of the world’s largest international recruitment companies, Vedior plays an influential role in the development of flexible working arrangements. We believe the development of such flexibility is healthy for general economic growth as well as society in that it enables people to better balance their work/life priorities and experience a greater variety of work. Vedior believes in the value of a diverse workforce for its own staff as well as for the personnel it supplies to clients. Temporary staffing can play a particular role in assisting more disadvantaged sections of society gain access to the workplace as well as in allowing school and college leavers to get a first foot on the career ladder. The Group does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, disability, religion, sexuality or union membership. Vedior encourages its operating companies to participate in relevant national and trade associations and to promote the benefits of temporary recruitment, encourage good practice and the adoption of socially responsible policies. Participation in these associations also provides a useful channel to communicate and negotiate with other social partners. A number of Vedior’s senior managerial staff contribute directly to the development of national associations by taking active voluntary positions within these organisations. Vedior is one of six corporate members of CIETT, the International Confederation of Temporary Work Businesses and supports its code of practice and objectives. All operating companies within the Group are encouraged to adopt socially responsible business policies and practices that equally balance the interests of investors, customers, employees, suppliers, business partners and local communities. Vedior expects its operating companies to abide by its Corporate Social Responsibility Statement and Code of Conduct (both of which are available to download from www.vedior.com) which, among other things, describe the Group’s environmental, equal opportunities, ethical and social policies. The Code of Conduct is designed to assist in recognising and understanding the conduct of Vedior and its operations in complying with the laws, regulations and ethical standards that govern the recruitment industry. Vedior’s operations are subject to extensive regulation in their various markets and we expect every member of the Group to comply with all laws and regulations applicable to our business. As well as having responsibility for ensuring the Code of Conduct is understood and observed by all employees, management is expected to promote constructively the spirit and the letter of the Code through personal example, giving clear guidance and advice where appropriate. In accordance with the decentralised management structure of the Group, the principles established in the Corporate Social Responsibility Statement are minimum standards which are further enhanced and refined at operating company level in order to ensure the policies are directly pertinent within local jurisdictions and also to reflect the priorities and interests of local management teams. We believe Vedior’s decentralised structure enables it to best respect local customs and conform to all appropriate legislation. The Corporate Social Responsibility Statement encourages all members of staff to be good corporate citizens and to strive to become economic, intellectual and social assets to their local communities. Most charitable sponsorship and other social initiatives are conducted at the operating company level. Given the nature of our business, Vedior’s charitable contributions are primarily focused on employment issues but also include other worthwhile causes such as health matters and a number of local sports sponsorships. Vedior has a Health and Safety Policy Statement with which all operating companies are expected to comply and regards the promotion of health and safety as a mutual objective for management and employees at all levels. Vedior’s policy is to do all that is reasonable to prevent personal injury and damage to property and to protect employees and non employees (including temporary workers) from foreseeable work hazards, in so far as they come into contact with Vedior’s operations and property. Deaths and injuries are expected to be reported to the appropriate board of directors and all operating companies have a board member that is responsible for health and safety matters. Health & Safety legislation pertaining to the placement of temporary workers varies by country.
As well as taking into account local statutory requirements, operating company managers have particular responsibility to maintain a constant and continuing interest in health and safety matters applicable to their companies’ activities. As such, they are expected to ensure that adequate measures are taken, including by clients, to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of our temporary workers. Vedior is a member of the Corporate Responsibility Exchange which provides an efficient mechanism for communicating with investors, and other interested parties, how individual companies deal with corporate social responsibility issues. The information provided within the Exchange is transparent and formatted in order to relate to all the major global ratings systems and most influential CSR codes. |