Policies
Aspers Group has developed an employee wellbeing policy to manage its obligations to maintain the mental health and wellbeing of all staff. It covers Aspers commitment to employee health, the responsibilities of managers and others for maintaining psychological health, health promotion initiatives, communicating and training on health issues, the range of support available for the maintenance of mental health, and organisational commitment to handling individual issues.
The Aspers aim of this policy is to describe Aspers commitment to the mental health and wellbeing of employees in its broadest, holistic sense, setting out how the Company fulfils its legal obligations, the responsibilities of different functions and specialists and the range of services available to help employees maintain health and wellbeing. Aspers recognises that wellbeing and performance are linked. Improving employees’ ability to handle pressure and to balance work and home life will ultimately lead to improved individual and organisational performance.
Equal Opportunities
We encourage a diverse workforce and aim to provide a working environment where all staff at all levels are valued and respected, and where discrimination, bullying, promotion of negative stereotyping and harassment are not tolerated.
The Company is committed to maximising the effective use of people in a mutually beneficial manner, and will pursue equality of opportunity as a means of achieving this objective. Therefore, the Company’s policy requires that employment and progression within it will be determined solely by personal merit and the application criteria which are related to the effective performance of the job and the needs of the business.
No applicant or employee will be treated less favourably than any other on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
Dignity At Work
The Company is committed to creating a work environment free of harassment and bullying, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
Aspers Group Modern Slavery Act
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our Group’s slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ending 30th June 2022.
Our Structure, business and supply chains
Aspers UK Holdings Limited (“the Group” or Aspers”) is a leading UK casino operator, The Group’s turnover in 2021/22 was in excess of £66m. During the same financial year, the Group had 700 employees and approximately 1 million customers visited our casinos.
The Group has four operating casinos:
- Aspers (Stratford City) Limited – This is a large 2005 Gambling Act casino operated within the Westfield Shopping centre in Stratford In East London
- Aspers (Northampton) Limited – This is a converted 1968 Gaming Act casino operating in the centre of Northampton
- Aspers (Milton Keynes) Limited – This is a large 2005 Gambling Act casino operated at the Xscape leisure complex in Milton Keynes
- Aspers (Newcastle) Limited – This is a converted 1968 Act casino located in The Gate leisure complex in the centre of Newcastle.
The Group’s supply chain is comprised primarily of gaming suppliers and food and beverage, sourced principally from the UK and Europe. Further information about the Group can be found on our website at www.aspersgroup.co.uk
Our position
The Group is fully supportive of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and is committed to the prevention of modern slavery and human trafficking in all its forms and will not tolerate or condone the abuse of human rights within any part of its business or supply chains.
Our policies in relation to modern slavery and human trafficking
The Group is committed to business integrity, high ethical and moral standards and professionalism in all its activities. ‘Doing the right thing’ forms a central part of Aspers values. In line with these values. The Group has a zero-tolerance approach to slavery and human trafficking, which extends to all business dealings and transactions in which it is involved, regardless of location or sector. The Group remains committed to strengthening its practices in this area, both within its own business and across its supply chains.
Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.
Due diligence processes
The Group expects high standards from all of its contractors, suppliers and other business partners, we expect our suppliers to have appropriate anti-slavery and human trafficking policies and processes and communicate to our key suppliers that we have zero tolerance in regard to these matters. The Group expects that its suppliers will hold their own suppliers accountable to the same high standards for example.
As part of its ongoing effort to identify and mitigate risk Aspers has developed a robust supplier onboarding process. The process includes a standard procurement contract which applies contract terms used by its UK businesses to ensure Aspers’ suppliers and, in turn their suppliers, comply with all laws, regulations and codes relating to slavery and human trafficking.
The Group is committed to:
- Acting ethically and with integrity in all its business dealings and relationships.
- Ensuring effective systems and controls are in place to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in its own business or in any of its supply chains.
- Continue to ensure there is transparency in its own business and in its approach to tackling modern slavery throughout its supply chains.
- Committed to creating and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for its employees, customers and the community.
Risks and supplier adherence to Aspers’ values
In 2016 Aspers established a Modern slavery working group which is now part of the Compliance and Risk Committee, with representatives from its HR, Compliance and Finance departments. The working group undertakes an internal risk assessment exercise on an annual basis with each division and with the central procurement function to evaluate the Group’s risks and identify best practices, around the prevention of slavery and human trafficking with its supply chains or any part of its business.
Information and training about slavery and human trafficking
To ensure an understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chains and our business, we provide training to relevant employees who are involved in procurement and supplier management processes. All members or our senior management team have been briefed on the subject.
The Group have a comprehensive suite of employee policies which are relevant to our attempts to ensure that there is no modern slavery in any part of our workforce. Our relevant policies include:
- Recruitment Policy
- Equality and Diversity Policy
- Dignity at Work Policy
- Communication Policy
- Confidential Hotline Policy
- Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures
Board-level sign off of this statement
The Group recognises the importance of the provision of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the Directors aim to ensure that slavery and human trafficking have no part in the Group’s operations and supply chain. The Group has always been vigilant about employee welfare and aims to be transparent in its practices. The Board welcomes the opportunity to state its firm commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and human trafficking.
Signed:
Equality and Diversity
The Company is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment and to avoiding unlawful discrimination in employment and against customers.
This policy is intended to assist the Company to put this commitment into practice. Compliance with this policy should also ensure that employees do not commit unlawful acts of discrimination. Striving to ensure that the work environment is free of harassment and bullying and that everyone is treated with dignity and respect is an important aspect of ensuring equal opportunities in employment. The Company has a separate dignity at work policy, which deals with these issues.