Policies

Modern Slavery Statement

In accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA) Tibard  is fully committed to preventing acts of modern slavery and human trafficking from occurring, whether in our business or our supply chains, and we require the same standards from our suppliers.

‘Modern slavery’ is defined by the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (“the Act”) as a term encapsulating the offences of slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking. It is used with this definition throughout the statement, which supports compliance with section 54 of the relevant Act.

The Organisation & Our Employees

Tibard are a privately owned business, that provide workwear and uniforms to organisations, this can include chef jackets, high visibility vests, and non-slip footwear. Tibard was first established in 1979 and our focus has been on understanding precisely what our customer needs from their clothing, and then exceeding their expectations. We employ around 80 employees and are based in the North West of England.

We are confident that as an organisation we are low risk when it comes to slavery or human trafficking in our own operation. Our reasons for this are that the majority of our employees are permanent long term employees, located at only one site, and we have policies and procedures in place to monitor and address any concerns. We rarely engage agency staff, however, when we do we use a reputable local staff recruitment firm.

Our Processes

Tibard’s recruitment and onboarding processes are continually reviewed, and we ensure that all employees’ status to live and work in the UK are checked prior to them commencing employment, as well as ensuring that our workforce are paid and receive at least the national living wage for all work provided to us.

Further, Tibard enlist the support of specialist legal advisors to ensure that we comply with all legislation relating to the initial and ongoing employment of our employees.

As part of the organisation’s induction process and throughout employees’ employment with us, we train all employees to treat others with respect and courtesy as well as ensuring they adhere to all relevant laws, regulations and standards. This is an ongoing due diligence process.

We focus on continually raising awareness to our management team to be alert to modern slavery but also upskill them to address concerns raised by their team or any suppliers.

Our Policies

We allow all individuals who work or provide services to us, the right to freely choose employment and the right to associate freely with other individuals.

Employees are free to choose whether to join a trade union or not and as a result of our training, we offer an environment which is free from harassment and unlawful discrimination. We ensure our working practices are in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and all employment legislation. We do not engage in forced or involuntary labour and have a zero-tolerance approach to the same, meaning we do not tolerate any of our suppliers engaging in such conduct.

Our employment policies on Equal Opportunities, Dignity at Work, Grievance, Whistleblowing and Anti-Bribery and Corruption, support our endeavours to encourage a positive working environment free from harassment and unlawful discrimination.

Suppliers

We have a zero-tolerance approach to any forms of modern slavery or human rights breaches in our business or our supply chain, however we do understand that like all clothing retailers,  there may be a chance that we could be at risk of slavery and human trafficking within our supply chain.

We establish a relationship of trust and integrity with all of our suppliers, which is built upon mutually beneficial factors. All of our suppliers must have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery.

Any instances of non-compliance with the MSA, or allegations of potential modern slavery in either Tibard, or in relation to any supplier would be thoroughly investigated and dealt with appropriately on a case-by-case basis. Any allegations of non-compliance would always be reported to Tibard’s Board of Directors.

We intend to continue working further with our supply chain to highlight any areas of risk and to reinforce policies and procedures within the business.

We shall also hold annual review meetings with the suppliers to ensure they are still adhering to MSA 2015.