Code of Conduct

 

At IPPEX Global, we pride ourselves on being a reputable and honest business and are committed to upholding high ethical and professional standards in everything we do, consistent with our Values and Employee Code of Conduct. In turn, we recognise the important relationship between both IPPEX Global’s clients and our suppliers in achieving high performance across our business.

We view our partners as an extension of our own teams, and so the work you do and the manner in which you conduct your business practices will naturally reflect upon us and hopefully us on you. Thus, it is important to that our partners also identify and are committed to meeting our standards, as we believe they form the cornerstone of good business practice. They reflect aspects of business conduct and reflect how we would expect to treat partners and in turn be treated ourselves. Our partner Code of Conduct covers clients, third parties, consultants and contractors engaged to provide goods and services to or on behalf of IPPEX Global and is a statement of our basic requirements rather than a maximum standard.

We therefore ask our partners to adhere to our Supplier Code of Conduct and to promote our standards within the supply chain. We expect our suppliers to have processes in place to support meeting these standards and shall be able to provide supporting evidence if requested. IPPEX Global will seek appropriate assurance from suppliers that they comply with the Supplier Code of Conduct through our procurement tendering process and through periodic review of compliance. The scope of review would be dependent on the nature and delivery of the service and may range from self-assessment through to independent audit.

Anti-bribery and corruption

IPPEX Global operates a zero-tolerance policy to bribery and corruption and endorses the work of bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in shaping policies aimed at combatting corruption and bribery and fostering prosperity, equality, opportunity and well-being for all.

Under no circumstances do we offer or accept bribes or improper inducements, including facilitation payments, to secure business or to gain any advantage for either the Company or for any individual. We therefore expect our suppliers to conduct business in an ethical and responsible manner, and in accordance with anti-bribery and corruption legislation in that they will not engage in, consent to or connive in any activity, practice or conduct which would constitute an offence under such legislation (including the UK Bribery Act 8 April 2010).

We require suppliers to have in place adequate procedures to prevent any person associated with it committing an offence under such legislation, including any inducements or reward to a person for the improper performance of that person’s position, or participation in any form of corrupt practice.

Gifts and hospitality

IPPEX Global recognises that maintaining high quality professional relationships with suppliers is essential to the success of our business. We acknowledge that suppliers may sometimes offer business courtesies’ such as reasonable entertainment and modest gifts to build goodwill, but without due care and consideration, these can be counterproductive by creating improper or an impression of creating improper influence upon our objectivity in decision making.

Suppliers must not offer gifts, hospitality or entertainment with the intention or where it could be concluded that there may be an intention to improperly influence IPPEX Global employee’s judgement or decision making in respect of its engagement with the supplier.

Conflict of Interest

Conflicts of interest must be avoided – they can be damaging to our business and reputation, work against the principles of ethical and fair treatment, and can contravene the law.

Suppliers must voluntarily declare any engagement between its personnel and IPPEX Global staff that creates or may appear to create a conflict of interest that could affect an IPPEX Global employee’s judgement and conflict with IPPEX Global’s interests. This shall include circumstances such as where a supplier’s employee has a family or personal relationship with an IPPEX Global employee that may represent a perceived conflict of interest.

Workplace and employee safety

Suppliers must adhere to all the relevant health and safety legislation and standards in all countries of operation and in consideration of the services being provided. They shall actively ensure that they operate a safe working environment for all employees, visitors and other persons affected by their activities, and that suitable and sufficient health and safety policies and procedures are in place and communicated to staff as required.

Appropriate training on health and safety matters must be provided to supplier employees, including relevant refresher training as required. Suppliers, including any sub-contracted suppliers, must adhere to relevant IPPEX Global health and safety regulations when engaged in activities at any of our locations. Suppliers must have a process in place to allow employees to report any health and safety issues without fear of intimidation as well as a process to track and manage such reports.

Diversity and equality

We promote a diverse, inclusive and equal workplace both internally and externally. Every employee is expected to treat everyone with whom we have contact with dignity, courtesy and respect. At IPPEX Global we believe staff employed by our suppliers, whether permanent or temporary, should have the same basic rights to be treated with respect and dignity at work as our own employees. There should be no discrimination based on race, colour, ethnic or national origins, marital status, family circumstances, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, political or religious belief, union membership or political affiliation.

Workplace environment

Every IPPEX Global employee has the right to a working environment free from harassment and intimidation. We recognise that being a global firm means operating in many countries with differing laws. We are sensitive to these and to cultural and social differences. However, our principles are universal and are reflected in the laws of every country in which we operate. We have a zero-tolerance approach to harassment and intimidation.

Harassment is unwanted conduct which is reasonably considered to have the purpose or effect of violating the recipient’s dignity and/or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the recipient

We expect our suppliers to treat their employees with integrity and respect, fostering a culture and workplace that does not tolerate harassment, including physical, psychological, verbal or sexual harassment, threats of harassment, or retaliation for reporting harassment. This shall include instituting policies and procedures aimed at protecting employees from any form of harassment.

Human rights

Suppliers must have in place policies and processes recognising, respecting and protecting the human rights of their employees, supply chain, stakeholders and communities within which they operate. We’re committed to preventing acts of modern slavery and human trafficking from occurring within our business and our supply chain, and where applicable expect suppliers to comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. IPPEX Global’s Modern Slavery Policy Statement is a fundamental component of our employment contracts and partner agreements.

We expect the people employed by our suppliers, whether permanent or temporary, to have the same basic right to be treated with respect and dignity at work as our own employees.

Child labour must not be used and the policies and procedures relating to the employment of children should conform to the relevant International Labour Organisation standards. We believe employment should be chosen; there must be no forced, bonded or involuntary labour. Supplier employees must not be required to lodge monies or identity papers in order to work and must be free to leave employment after giving reasonable notice.

Further, supplier employees must have access to relevant training and personal development and be freely allowed to associate with others, form and join (or refrain from joining) organisations of their choice and bargain collectively without interference. Wherever possible work performed should be on the basis of a recognised employment agreement as defined by national law and practice. Suppliers must follow all applicable laws and regulations with respect to working hours and days of rest. Overtime must be voluntary and paid. Suppliers should also ensure that all employees receive at least the legally mandated minimum wage and benefits for the country in which they are employed.

Environmental

We believe that developing a sustainable business is not only the best way to help look after our environment, but also contributes to delivering a successful and ethical company. We expect our suppliers to operate in a sustainable and socially responsible manner and support our commitment in reducing our impact on the environment. This should be under an appropriate Corporate Social Responsibility policy and in accordance with applicable local and national laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment.

We seek continuous improvement in the reduction of our adverse impact on the environment and expect our suppliers
to support efficiency programmes and opportunities to help meet this aim. This includes the reduction in consumption of non-renewable energy forms and the encouragement of recycling where possible. Suppliers must be willing to reasonably co-operate with IPPEX Global in the drafting, preparation, commissioning and operation of sustainable processes. They must be willing to provide reasonable data concerning the environmental impact of the provision of their goods and services to IPPEX Global so that IPPEX Global can use such data as it deems appropriate.

Financial Integrity

We expect our suppliers and their staff to act with integrity and honesty. In doing so, we expect our suppliers and their staff to not seek to gain advantage by acting in a fraudulent manner, whether that be by deceiving someone or acting dishonestly. This shall include, but not limited to money laundering, misreporting of time, expenses or third-party supplier costs, tax evasion or misappropriation of property.

We will not facilitate or be complicit in money laundering or terrorist financing activities and shall enforce policies and training to prevent such activities from taking place and to enable the reporting of suspicious money laundering or terrorist financing activities to the relevant authorities. Through a program of continual improvement we shall evaluate and periodically review the risks that prospective and existing business relationships present in terms of money laundering or terrorist financing offences.

Confidential Information

Information is one of our most valuable assets that we depend on in order to function effectively and we should protect it. Information could be in many forms from email, databases and voicemail, as well as paper-based communication, photos and videos.

As a supplier to IPPEX Global, you may obtain confidential information from your interactions with our employees, systems or other suppliers to the company. We expect our suppliers to handle, keep, transmit and process confidential information safely and securely and only for the purposes permitted under its contract with IPPEX Global. Suppliers must not disclose IPPEX Global information to third parties unless permitted under its contract with IPPEX Global. Please also refer to the IPPEX Global ISO27001:2013 Information Security policy for further detail on how we expect our suppliers to store, handle and process our data.

Data protection and information security

As part of the services you provide to us, you may be required to process the personal data of IPPEX Global clients, candidates and employees. Where this is the case, we expect that you will respect individuals’ rights to privacy and process personally identifiable information (PII)  in compliance with all applicable data protection and information security laws, and in accordance with accepted industry standards and our instructions. All of our suppliers are required to:

• treat personal data as strictly confidential
• not use it for any purposes other than to provide services to us
• implement and maintain appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect personal data against loss, unauthorised access, destruction, use, modification and disclosure.

For further information on how we expect our suppliers to process and secure personal data, please refer to our data protection policy and information security policy