Modern Slavery Act

We are committed to ensuring that there is no slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory human labor, or any other form of exploitation as contemplated by the Modern Slavery Act.

Statement – June 2023

This statement is made on behalf of Mind Tools Ltd in relation to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA), and was formally approved by Mindtools’ Management Body on 31 July 2023.

This statement demonstrates that Mindtools meets the minimum legal requirements of the Modern Slavery Act. We are committed to further developing our policies in this area to ensure we follow best practice. We have set up a working party to implement this over the next six to twelve months. The steps we will take include establishing KPIs, extending our employee training programs on this topic and reporting on our supply chain risk assessment processes.

About Mind Tools Ltd.

Mind Tools Ltd delivers accessible, on-demand performance tools, resources, guided learning paths and coaching focused on leadership, management and personal effectiveness. These empower people to perform in today’s progressive workplaces. Our purpose is to help people build happy and successful careers and contribute positively to the success of their organizations. Empowering people to thrive at work has been our passion for 25 years.

Commitment

We are committed to ensuring that there is no slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory human labor, abuse of power over vulnerable individuals, human trafficking or any other form of exploitation as contemplated by the MSA in any part of our business or in our supply chain.

We welcome the transparency encouraged by the MSA and this statement sets out for the public, our clients, suppliers and employees, the steps we are taking in this regard.

Our policies

At Mindtools we strive for transparent business operations and performance. We adhere to a high set of ethics and values that guide our governance procedures and daily management decisions. To have long term valuable impact on the social context of all its stakeholders, Mindtools recognizes that it must be a profitable business operating above and beyond existing ethical and legal standards.

As an organization, Mindtools is committed to expanding its operations globally and in a sustainable manner for the benefit of its customers, its employees, and the wider communities and environments on which it impacts. The business takes a pro-active approach to its corporate responsibility, which is deeply rooted in its corporate strategy and business decisions. For example, at the point of recruitment, appropriate checks in accordance with the relevant laws are carried out on prospective employees and our People & Culture team works closely with the relevant teams in the local territories to make sure that pay and conditions are appropriately managed.

In accordance with our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships, we intend to implement effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place in our supply chains. This will involve ensuring the effective communication and reinforcement of our relevant policies, which give a clear view of the values and the principles that underpin all of our work and that we expect all persons involved in our business and supply chain to adhere to. These policies comprise our Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy (applicable and available to all our agents, consultants, contractors, employees, and temporary workers) and our Supplier Code of Conduct (applicable and available to all our suppliers).

Supplier due diligence

Mind Tools Ltd engages with external suppliers for a variety of different business purposes. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all of our business relationships and expect all our suppliers to have a willingness to share our values. Suppliers have the primary responsibility for ensuring that they meet the requirements set out in Mindtools’ Supplier Code of Conduct which details that no slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory human labor, abuse of power over vulnerable individuals, human trafficking or any other form of exploitation is permitted in any part of our business or in our supply chain. Mindtools may ask to perform background checks on any supplier’s personnel to validate that this requirement is adhered to.

Mind Tools Ltd procures goods and services from suppliers across the world. The scope of our supply chain includes the following activities:

From time to time, Mindtools works with recruitment and placement agencies. In this case, agencies must comply with Mindtools’ Supplier Agreement and Supplier Code of Conduct in line with any external supplier engagement.

We select our suppliers with care and undertake checks and due diligence in connection with modern slavery on existing and prospective suppliers on a risk-assessed basis.

As part of our recent efforts to reduce the risk of modern slavery in our supply chains, our procurement process now includes a set of additional checkpoints, from initial sourcing, through to contract approval. These checks include ensuring suppliers have appropriate policies in place, their compliance with applicable laws and whether they adopt certain best practice recommendations.

In respect of existing suppliers, the outcome of this due diligence allows us to take appropriate steps to manage any risk of modern slavery including reconsidering the continued relationship of those suppliers. In respect of prospective suppliers, the outcome of this due diligence informs our decision to include them in our supply chain and if so, whether appropriate contractual protections are to be included in our agreements with those suppliers to manage any perceived risk of modern slavery.

Mindtools follows a thorough pre-employment screening process which applies to all employees whom we recruit. This process includes a check of each individual’s proof of identity, address, and right to work in the UK reviewed against the national police database, to confirm if the document presented is a known stolen or fraudulently obtained document.

Tracy Balachandran

Director of Finance