Human Rights and Governance
The Board is committed to maintaining the highest standards of Corporate Governance.
Introduction
We conduct our business activities honestly and with integrity. For more information on the Group Corporate Governance Framework see page 56 of our annual Report.
More information:
- Annual Report 2022 (PDF)
Human Rights
97% of the Group’s employees are based within the major advanced economies of the UK, USA, France, Germany and Japan, which have strong legislation governing human rights. The Group complies fully with applicable legislation in these areas, and the other countries in which it operates, to ensure the rights of every person (whether employees, suppliers, clients or stakeholders) are respected.
We have in place employment policies and practices which support and promote diversity and equal opportunities to make sure all employees are treated with dignity and respect, and all staff are provided with a safe, secure and healthy environment in which to work, regardless of where in the world they are located.
Whistleblowing
We have a whistleblowing policy which encourages open and honest communication where incidents of non-compliance are seen in our business. Whistleblowing issues are reported directly to management, and any significant issues, should they arise, are reported to the Audit Committee and the Board. In each instance, cases are investigated in detail and appropriate action taken.
Freedom of Association
G&H respects our employees’ right to choose to join or not join a trade union, or to have recognized employee representation in accordance with local law. We believe in the rights of workers to associate freely and bargain collectively and are committed to fostering open and inclusive workplaces that are based on recognized workplace human rights and our belief that every employee’s actions contributes to Group success.
Modern Slavery
We make sure modern slavery in all its forms (including human trafficking, forced labour and child labour), is not taking place anywhere in our Group businesses or in any of our supply chains. The Group has published a Company-wide Modern Slavery Policy and a statement on the steps taken to prevent slavery.
We review the policy, risk assessments and actions arising on an annual basis. The Group is also continuing to strengthen its supplier quality engineering resources which will enable more field-based audits which will include “on the ground” audit of suppliers’ procedures in this matter.
More information:
Trade Compliance
The Company has geographically positioned resource and processes, along with audit protocols in place to ensure we comply with the ever changing import and export legislations placed upon the business.
Compliance with Regulations and Standards
We do not tolerate practices which contravene international standards. Regulatory demands upon us vary around the world; however, we have established a core compliance team to ensure the Group fully adheres to legislative and regulatory requirements whilst adapting to local needs. We support this with online training tools through which we make sure our employees know what is expected of them.
It is G&H policy to comply fully with all applicable UK, US and other countries’ laws and regulations controlling the export (and related import) of military and commercial items, services and technology. This policy specifically encompasses compliance with the government agencies and departments tasked with overseeing and regulating exports (and related imports) of items subject to export control laws.
More information:
Anti-Corruption and Bribery Policy (PDF)
Supplier code of conduct (PDF)