Tackling Modern Slavery

For many the summer is a time to relax, but the combination of sunny and wet weather has seen our grounds maintenance division continue to grow and thrive. Despite that, the longer days give us time to reflect on the changes we’ve made at Ground Control and the impact that they have had. As a member of our Modern Slavery Working Group, I have been reflecting on the positive changes we have made so far.

The Modern Slavery Working Group at Ground Control is a proactive collection of individuals across our business who have been working on an improved Modern Slavery Strategy that aligns with our expanding business and changing world.

The catalyst for improvements in this area of our business is our way to continue to show our commitment to our people and to ensure our processes, audits and policies stay effective as our business grows.

A huge positive outcome from this Group has been digitising our training and ensuring that this is not just completed, but is also understood by our team. Importantly, this training includes a clear and comprehensive whistleblowing policy. This creates a powerful combination of a workforce that understand modern slavery, know how to recognise it and are empowered to report on it, and I am proud to have this in place at Ground Control.

One of our aims was also to make an impact by solidifying our stance on the Real Living Wage, with all employees and field team partners. The intention is that this will impact operatives and team members on the ground, which is especially pertinent as we have seen a dramatic increase in the cost of living since late 2021 in the UK.

As our Modern Slavery Working Group continually assess and reviews key policies for our employees and supply chain, I am looking towards our partners and clients to help us in sharing best practice. There is much to be gained from working with each other, and our recent partnership with the anti-slavery charity Unseen has shown us new ways to improve.

For partners, suppliers, and clients in the space, we’re working towards an industry-leading approach to tackle modern slavery, and we want everyone to be a part of it, enabling our business and your business to be a force for good.

Want to learn more, click here to read our Modern Slavery Statement and Modern Slavery Policy so that you too can take the next step in helping us to eradicate modern slavery in the UK.