KR HR & TRAINING NEWS ARTICLES

Human Trafficking Awareness Day is a crucial time to highlight the ongoing fight against human trafficking and modern slavery. This issue affects countless lives here in the UK.

Employers have a role in combating this issue and must prevent illegal working in the UK by carrying out right to work check on people before employing them to make sure they are allowed to work. 

Ensuring thorough right to work checks is not just a legal obligation but a moral one.  Why Right to Work Checks Matter:

• Prevent Exploitation: Verifying the right to work helps protect individuals from being exploited through forced labour.
• Legal Compliance: It ensures your business complies with UK laws, avoiding hefty fines and legal repercussions.
• Ethical Responsibility: Upholding ethical standards strengthens your company’s reputation and creates a safe place to work.

The modern slavery act of 2015 which includes human trafficking, requires all large businesses with a turnover of £36million or more to produce a modern slavery report annually.  If your business doesn’t have this kind of turnover, it is still a good idea to have a modern slavery statement in place. Any business with a supply chain or contracted employees should be concerned about modern slavery and human trafficking. 

How can I develop a policy for my business?

The most effective way to create an anti-slavery policy is to run a risk assessment for your business and supply chains and develop a zero-tolerance approach to human trafficking.

Having a clear trafficking policy sets the standard for everyone in the company and clearly signals the seriousness of tackling the issues.

The Gov.Uk website also has some helpful free resources to help businesses identify victims of modern slavery and explains how to report slavery and human trafficking.

There is also a confidential modern slavery helpline where you can raise a concern in confidence – 08000 121 700.

Let’s stand together against human trafficking. Conduct right to work checks diligently and, if appropriate to the size of your business, ensure your policy is in place.   

If you need assistance in conducting right to work checks or drafting a policy, then do get in touch.