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Affiliates code of conduct
1. General
1.1 Through recognising, supporting and promotion excellence within the professional staffing Solutions Sector, APSCo provides client organisations, candidates and Government with a recognised stamp of quality assurance and affords our members business intelligence, industry solidarity and a clear commercial advantage
1.2 APSCo affiliate members shall, at all times, act in the best interests of the professional staffing industry and will not act in a way likely to bring the industry into disrepute
1.3 APSCo affiliate members will not make untrue statement which may lower the reputation of clients, candidates or competitors
1.4 APSCo affiliate members’ conduct is to be regulated in accordance with this Code of Conduct and support is offered to all affiliate members in order to achieve compliance with these standards
1.5 Any complaint that an APSCo affiliate member has breached the standards contained within this Charter shall be dealt with in accordance with the APSCo complaints procedure, which is available by clicking here.
1.6 In the event a complaint is made against an APSCo affiliate member, that member shall co-operate with any investigation of that complaint under the APSCo complaints procedure
1.7 APSCo affiliate members shall provide reasonable assistance to any investigation under the APSCo complaints procedure, even if they are not the subject of that complaint.
2. Compliance with laws
2.1 APSCo affiliate members will ensure that they comply with all relevant legislation relating to their business, including legislation relating to: equal opportunities, health and safety, taxation, data protection, telecommunications privacy.
2.2 APSCo affiliate members will champion equality and diversity within their hiring process and shall not discriminate against candidates on any of the grounds prohibited by law (e.g. sex, race, disability, age, religious belief, sexual orientation, marital status). APSCo affiliate members shall make reasonable adjustments to help applicants with disabilities as required by the Disability Discrimination Act 1996.
3. Training Staff
APSCo affiliate members agree to communicate the contents of this Charter and instruct all their staff members to abide by its contents.
4. Recruitment and Confidentiality
4.1 In an effort to encourage unreserved member participation in all events, and being mindful of today’s unrestricted business and social networking environment, APSCo requires that its members (both full and affiliate) show respect for each other and do not at any APSCo meeting or event participate in the solicitation of any employees of other members with a view to hiring them; or intentionally participate in the specific and persistent targeting of a fellow member’s employees. Should any member have grounds to believe that another member company has breached this clause they can call upon APSCo to act as mediator.
4.2 APSCo affiliate members will treat all client information confidentially and will not disclose such information unless obliged by law to do so.
4.3 APSCo affiliate members will treat all privileged information about other affiliate members and full members gained by way of conducting business with them or through 3rd parties, as confidential and shall not use such information to gain an unfair business advantage.
5. Miscellaneous
Members will take all reasonable steps to comply with the APSCo environmental policy and ensure that it is communicated to all staff members.
6. Relationships with candidates and clients
6.1 APSCo affiliate members should ensure that their products and/or services are represented truthfully and should not be misleading
6.2 APSCo affiliate members should not misrepresent their terms of business to clients/contractors/ candidates, nor levy any charges that were not apparent at the beginning of the relationship. There should be no hidden charges.
6.3 Where an arrangement is in place to provide reward for referred business from an APSCo affiliate member to an individual staffing consultant, such rewards should always be transparent. In particular, rewards should be:
6.3.1 Proportionate in relation to the value of the service provision.
6.3.2 Made openly and with the full knowledge and approval of the recipient’s employer
6.3.3 Never delivered to an individual’s home
6.3.4 In the form of goods, vouchers or services capable of fulfilling the criteria to qualify under an approved HM Revenue & Customers (HMRC) scheme to cover such rewards and should therefore not take the form of cash
6.3.5 Made under an approved HMRC “Taxed Award” scheme, with all taxes and National Insurances (including Employers National Insurance) attributable to such rewards, fully accounted for to HMRC. Details of such schemes should be available to both contractors and members on request.
6.4 When entering into a referral fee arrangement with a staffing company, or other business in the supply chain, affiliate members must ensure that such fee is proportionate in relation to the value of the service provision, and that the arrangement is transparent to all parties.
7. Compliance by Solution Providers
Where employment/accounting services (including, but not limited to, so called Umbrella and Limited Company arrangements) are provided to candidates by APSCo affiliate members, such affiliate members shall submit themselves to whatever compliance checks that the Executive deem appropriate. Such checks will be conducted initially on application for affiliate membership and annually thereafter, although such checks cannot be relied upon by candidates or other APSCo members as verification that such accounting services are fully compliant and in accordance with HM Revenue & Customers approved practices.
Related Documents
Affiliate Code of Conduct (Affiliate Code of Conduct 2011v2.pdf)Affiliate Code of Conduct
