Ethical Policy
A Box of Stories
1. Purpose
1.1 A Box of Stories (“the Company”) is committed to the practice of
responsible corporate behaviour.
1.2 Through its business practices, the Company seeks to protect and promote
the human rights and basic freedoms of all its employees and partners.
1.3 Further the Company is committed to protecting the rights of all of those
whose work contributes to the success of the Company, including those
employees and agents of suppliers to the Company.
1.4 The Company is also committed to eliminating bribery and corruption. It is
essential that all employees and persons associated with the Company
adhere to this policy and abstain from giving or receiving bribes of any form.
1.5 This policy is non-exhaustive, and all aspects of the Company’s business
should be considered in the spirit of this policy.
2. Human Rights
2.1 The Company is vehemently opposed to the use of slavery in all forms; cruel,
inhuman or degrading punishments; and any attempt to control or reduce
freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
2.2 The Company will ensure that all of its employees, agents and contractors are
entitled to their human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998.
2.3 The Company will not enter into any business arrangement with any person,
company or organisation which fails to uphold the human rights of its workers
or who breach the human rights of those affected by the organisation’s
activities.
3. Workers’ Rights
3.1 The Company is committed to complying with all relevant employment
legislation and regulations. The Company regards such regulations and
legislation as the minimum rather than the recommended standard.
3.2 No worker should be discriminated against on the basis of age, gender, race,
sexual orientation, religion or beliefs, gender reassignment, marital status or
pregnancy. All workers should be treated equally. Workers with the same
experience and qualifications should receive equal pay for equal work.
3.3 No worker should be prevented from joining or forming a staff association or
trade union, nor should any worker suffer any detriment as a result of joining,
or failing to join, any such organisation.
3.4 Workers should be aware of the terms and conditions of their employment or
engagement from the outset. In particular workers must be made aware of the
wage that they receive, when and how it is to be paid, the hours that they must
work and any legal limit which exists for their protection and any overtime
provisions. Workers should also be allowed such annual leave, sick leave,
maternity / paternity leave and such other leave as is granted by legislation as
a minimum.
3.5 The Company does not accept any corporal punishment, harassment in any
form, or bullying in any form.
4. Environmental Issues
4.1 The Company is committed to keeping the environmental impact of its
activities to a minimum and has established sustainability as a core operating principle.
4.2 As an absolute minimum, the Company will ensure that it meets all applicable environmental laws in whichever jurisdiction it may be operating.
5. Conflicts of Interest
5.1 The Company holds as fundamental to its success the trust and confidence
of those with whom it deals, including clients, suppliers and employees. Conflicts
of interest potentially undermine the relationship of the Company with its
partners.
5.2 All officers, employees and representatives of the Company are expected to
act honestly and within the law.
6. Information and Confidentiality
6.1 Information received by employees, contractors or agents of the Company
will not be used for any personal gain, nor will it be used for any purpose beyond
that for which it was given.
6.2 The Company will process any personal data collected in accordance with its Data Protection Policy.
8. Suppliers and Partners
8.1 The Company expects all suppliers and partners to work towards and uphold
similar ethical and moral standards.
8.2 The Company reserves the right to request information from suppliers
regarding the production and sources of goods supplied.
8.3 The Company reserves the right to withdraw from any agreement or other
arrangement with any supplier or partner who is found to have acted in
contravention of the spirit or principles of this Ethical Policy.
9. Bribery and Corruption
9.1 The Company is fundamentally opposed to any acts of bribery and to the
making of facilitation payments.
9.2 Employees and any other persons associated with the Company such as
agents, subsidiaries and business partners are not permitted to either offer or
receive any type of bribe and/or facilitation payment.
9.3 All employees are encouraged to report any suspicion of corruption or
bribery within the Company.
9.4 In the event that an individual reports suspected instances of bribery, the
Company will process any personal data collected in accordance with its Data
Protection Policy. Data collected will be held securely and accessed by, and
disclosed to, individuals only for the purposes of dealing with the report of
bribery.
9.5 If an employee or associated person is found guilty of giving or receiving a
bribe, he/she will be personally criminally liable and may be subject to
disciplinary action.
9.6 Anyone found guilty of bribery, will be responsible for bearing any related
remedial costs such as losses, court fees or expenses.