The MISSION Group plc – Modern Slavery Statement 2023
Introduction
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 (“the Act”) requires organisations to publish a slavery and human trafficking statement on an annual basis where they have a turnover of over £36 million, carry on business in the UK and are supplying goods or services.
This statement is in respect of the financial year ended 31 December 2023 and describes our commitment and steps taken to identify, prevent and mitigate modern slavery in our business and supply chains. The statement applies to both The MISSION Group plc and its relevant subsidiaries to which the Act applies.
Organisational Structure and Supply Chains
The MISSION Group plc is a group of digital marketing and communications Agencies, employing over 1,100 people across 25 offices in the UK, Europe, Asia and the USA.
Given the nature of our business, in which the main asset is the intellectual property generated by our own staff, we do not have an extensive supplier network. Our supply chains consist largely of software and hardware providers, printers, professional services, media suppliers, insurance and benefit providers, office facilities and maintenance service providers, recruitment agencies and other marketing service providers.
In 2023 approximately 87% of the Group’s revenue originated in the UK, with the USA accounting for a further 9%. Asia and the rest of Europe account for the remaining 4%.
Policies on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking and Training of Staff
We support the aims of the Act and will never knowingly deal with any organisation which is connected to slavery or human trafficking. Our policies and procedures have been updated to specifically reference modern slavery and human trafficking and reflect our commitment to implementing and enforcing systems of controls that prevent instances of modern slavery or human trafficking happening anywhere either within our organisation or in our supply chains. For example, our Recruitment Policy and Managers Guidance references adherence to the Modern Slavery Act, and our Whistle Blowing Policy references criminal activity and ethical practice, under which modern slavery would fall. Senior leadership was involved in this policy development and sign off.
In particular, our policies and procedures seek to:
- Educate staff and help them identify risk factors to which they should be alert, including appropriate preventative or corrective action they should take
- Encourage reporting of actual or suspected instances of modern slavery or human trafficking, especially with regards to engaging suppliers
- Engage in recruitment and employment practices which cannot constitute exploitation
- Identify and minimise risks of modern slavery in our supply chain
- Comply with Modern Slavery Legislation
Due Diligence Processes and Risk Assessment
In order to fulfil our obligations under the Act:
- We have assessed, and will continue to assess on a regular basis, our various lines of business, geographical areas of operation and supply chains in an effort to identify any areas of high risk
- We request information regarding third party suppliers’ working practices and require any relevant key suppliers to confirm that they are aware of, and comply with, their obligations under the Act
- We communicate to potential key suppliers that we have a zero tolerance policy with regards to slavery
Through the abovementioned processes, we aim to identify and investigate any slavery risks and eradicate such risks.
Given the nature of the services we provide, our high standard of employment practices, and the fact that almost all of our business activities and suppliers are based in either the UK or USA, we consider that we are at low risk of exposure to slavery and human trafficking. We are not aware of any areas of our operations and supply chains likely to lead to a breach of the Act. If any areas or suppliers with higher risk are identified, we will mitigate the risk by performing a more detailed review of the potential risk, including:
- Gathering further information on the risk identified
- Examining contractual terms
- Assessing what steps have been taken vetting the supplier, for example whether a site visit to the supplier’s premises has been undertaken or is necessary
Measuring Effectiveness
The Group has now agreed and set two Key Performance Indicators as follows:
- Number of instances of actual or suspected slavery or human trafficking identified: During the year we have not become aware of any instance of actual or suspected slavery or human trafficking affecting our business.
- Number of complaints made through our grievance mechanism and their resolution: During the year no complaints were made through the grievance mechanism.
We will periodically review the effectiveness of the steps we are taking.
This statement was approved by the Board of The MISSION Group plc and signed on its behalf by:
David Morgan
Chair
24 April 2024
