About Hippo and our supply chain

Hippo is a digital services consultancy operating in the UK. All our staff are based in the UK, are over 18 and comply with the real living wage. We do not employ or utilise an overseas workforce.

Due to the nature of our business, we assess ourselves to have a low risk of modern slavery in our business and supply chain. Our supply chain is fairly limited where we procure goods and services from a restricted range of predominantly UK suppliers. This includes procuring the following; consultancy services from carefully chosen recruiters, consultants and other business partners; IT equipment and related services (including global IT platform providers); advice from our professional service advisers; and goods and services in the course of our day to day operations (for example cleaning services for our offices).

Hippo’s processes, policies and due diligence

Hippo has processes in place to help guard against modern slavery and human trafficking in our business and supply chain. These include the following:

  • Ensuring that all new services contracts are signed by a board-level executive
  • Operating a preferred supplier list (PSL) for recruitment activities so that consultant hiring is undertaken via internally approved agencies
  • We take a risk based approach to modern slavery and human trafficking due diligence and as such perform additional due diligence on suppliers in the supply chain where modern slavery may be more prevalent
  •  All employees have a line manager and support networks to encourage trust and open communication
  • Our People Operations department ensures that all employees and contractors have a right to work in the UK and all employees are required to familiarise themselves with Hippo policies including ‘Our commitment to the principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015
  • Depending on role and potential exposure to modern slavery, employees are required to complete an online training course on “Modern Slavery” every 12 months
  • Not entering into business with any organisation, in the UK or abroad, which knowingly supports or is found to be involved in slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour.

 

Hippo also has policies within our organisation that bear direct relevance to combating modern slavery and human trafficking. Hippo is committed to creating and ensuring a non-discriminatory and respectful working environment for our staff. We want all of our staff to feel confident that they can expose wrongdoing either in the business or with a client, partner or supplier without any risk to themselves and we have a whistleblowing policy to allow people to do that.

Embedding the principles

Hippo will continue to embed the principles on combating anti-slavery and human trafficking through:

• Continuing to take action to embed a zero tolerance policy towards modern slavery and human trafficking

• Continuing to ensure all employees are aware of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and informing them of the appropriate action to take if they suspect a case of slavery or human trafficking

• Ensuring that consideration of the modern slavery risks and prevention are included in our internal processes when engaging new suppliers

• Ensuring that staff involved in buying or procurement and the recruitment and deployment of workers are fully briefed on modern slavery and ethical employment practices and receive relevant training and

• Performing appropriate due diligence on our supply chain including for example assessing them against the real living wage.

This statement has been approved by Hippo’s board of directors and is signed by Adam Lewis, CEO on 28th June 2024.

This statement is reviewed on an annual basis following financial year end (March).

Our current Modern Slavery Act Statement