Privacy Policy
Planit I.E. Limited understands that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used. We respect and value the privacy of everyone, our staff, our clients, our partners, our collaborators and those who visit our website. We only collect and use your personal data as described in this Privacy Policy. Any personal data we collect will only be used as permitted by law.
Our Contact Details
We are Planit I.E. Limited registered in England under company number: 08720367 and we are a member of the Landscape Institute. Planit I.E. Limited are registered with the UK Information Commissioner as a Data Controller. Our registration number is: ZB035312.
Registered address: 2 Back Grafton Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1DY
VAT number: 275951857
Data Protection Officer: Richard Line
Email address: info@planit-ie.com
Telephone number: 0161 928 9281
Our Website: https://planit-ie.com/
Our group include the following subsidiaries and trading names which are all covered by this notice:
Standard Practice Studio: https://www.standardpractice.studio/
For general enquiries please use the contact details above or use our enquiry form on our website.
If you are after a specific person you can visit our “Our Team” page or for a specific branch you can visit: https://planit-ie.com/contact/
What type of personal information we collect?
We currently collect and process the following information about our customers:
Contact details (name, address, telephone numbers, email addresses).
Technical Data including IP address, login data, browser type and version, location, operating system and platforms. Where you use our website.
Photographs if you attend one of our events.
Marketing and Communications Data so that we can log your communication preferences.
We also collect, use and share Anonymous Data such as statistical or demographic data. For example, we may aggregate your Usage Data to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific website feature or then number of individuals attending an event.
With the exception of photographs for which we obtain your informed consent we do not collect Special Categories of Personal Data about clients and website users.
How we get the personal information and why we have it
Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:
To allow us to carry out work for you.
So that you can attend one of our events.
So that we can communicate with you about your requirements.
In order to process payments from or to you.
To publicise events that you have attended.
So that you can interact with our website(s).
We also access personal information via a portal for events where we are working with other organisations (e.g. NOMA and the National Trust).
We use the information that you have given us in order to:
To produce design work for you.
To contact you about a specific project.
To communicate with you.
To [list how you use the personal information].
Why we have your personal data
We need to collect personal information for a variety of reasons including:
We have a contractual obligation with you.
To comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
To protect your vital interests.
It is in our legitimate interests: We make sure we consider and balance any potential impact on you (both positive and negative) and your rights before we process your personal data for our legitimate interests.
We have your consent to do so.
The data has been manifestly made public by you.
Marketing and promotional materials
We may use your photograph in post event literature but only where you have consented to have your photograph taken for this purpose.
We do not currently send marketing communications to clients. Should we decide to change this policy you will be automatically opted out of receiving marketing communications until you decide to opt in.
Change of purpose
We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining why we need to use it and the legal basis which allows us to do so.
How we store your personal information
We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and the regulator (the ICO) of a breach where we are legally required to do so.
We will only keep your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which we collected it. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements. For information on how long we keep your information, please see our data retention policy (available on request).
When we no longer need your personal data we will dispose of it appropriately. Hard copy data will be shredded and electronic files will be deleted from our systems and backups.
Who do we share your information with?
We do not routinely share your information except for where we are required or permitted to do so by law or regulation, such as prevention of crime and with third party service parties such as data hosting / storage providers or technology suppliers.
Our agreements with third parties include requirements to comply with relevant data protection legislation so that your rights are maintained.
We will not send your personal information outside of the European Economic Area (EEA).
Automated decision-making
We do not use automated decision-making for our client data.
What other information might we collect about you?
If you use our websites we collect information using ‘cookies’. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this website may become inaccessible or not function properly.
The Cookies on our website are:
Cookie | Type of Cookie | Description | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
_gid | Analytics | Google Analytics Cookie: stores information on how visitors use the website, and creates a report of the website’s performance (Data includes number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously). | 1 day |
_ga_9G2BL3JR8X | Analytics | Google Analytics Cookie. | 2 years |
_gat_gtag_UA_51632384_1 | Analytics | Set by Google to distinguish users. | 1 minute |
_ga | Analytics | Google Analytics Cookie: calculates visitor, session and campaign data. Keeps track of site usage. Stores information anonymously assigning a randomly generated number to recognise unique visitors. | 2 years |
Retaining your data
There are a number of reasons why Planit-IE will retain personal information, such as legal or statutory obligations and to respond to any complaint or dispute. We are sometimes contractually bound to retain information on behalf of funding providers.
In most instances we will retain records for up to seven years following the end of our contract with you or termination of our services. These details are set out in out retention policy.
Where we have obtained your consent to hold personal information, we will retain it for as long as we have your consent, subject to the above timescales.
Your Legal Rights
Data regulations and legislation provide you with certain rights over the personal information we hold.
You can request details of some or all of the personal information we hold about you. This is often referred to as a Subject Access request.
If you believe that personal information we hold about you is incorrect you can ask us to correct it.
Where you believe personal information is no longer required you can request that it is deleted. However, we may not be able to do so it we still have a legitimate basis for keeping it.
You can request a copy of personal information to be provided in a portable (electronic) format. We will endeavour to meet such requirements where the format is reasonable and in common use.
You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Where you have provided consent you can withdraw your consent at any time.
We aim to meet any requests promptly and as fully as possible. We may contact you to confirm your identity or further understand your requirements in order to expedite your request. In some cases, we may be prevented from completing requests for legal reasons or due to conflicting legitimate interests. If this is the case, we will explain our reasons why.
If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above we request that you contact our Data Protection Officer [Richard Line]. You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights.
If you wish to make a complaint
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us. Please in the first instance contact our Data Protection Officer. If you remain dissatisfied, or believe that we are not handling personal information in compliance with appropriate laws and regulations, you are entitled to raise your complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office who can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113, or via: https://ico.org.uk/livechat
ICO website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/your-personal-information-concerns/personal-information-concerns/
Review Date: 27 March 2023
Anti-Corruption and Bribery Policy
About this policy
It is our policy to conduct all our business in an honest and ethical manner. We take a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption and are committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships.
Any team member who breaches this policy will face disciplinary action, which could result in dismissal for gross misconduct. Any non-team member who breaches this policy may have their contract terminated with immediate effect.
This policy does not form part of any team member’s contract of employment, and we may amend it at any time. It will be reviewed regularly.
Who must comply with this policy?
This policy applies to all persons working for us or on our behalf in any capacity, including team members at all levels, Directors, officers, agency workers, seconded workers, volunteers, interns, agents, contractors, external consultants, third-party representatives and business partners.
What is bribery?
Bribe means a financial or other inducement or reward for action which is illegal, unethical, a breach of trust or improper in any way. Bribes can take the form of money, gifts, loans, fees, hospitality, services, discounts, the award of a contract or any other advantage or benefit.
Bribery includes offering, promising, giving, accepting or seeking a bribe.
All forms of bribery are strictly prohibited. If you are unsure about whether a particular act constitutes bribery, raise it with a Director.
Specifically, you must not:
Give or offer any payment, gift, hospitality or other benefit in the expectation that a business advantage will be received in return, or to reward any business received.
Accept any offer from a third party that you know, or suspect is made with the expectation that we will provide a business advantage for them or anyone else.
Give or offer any payment (sometimes called a facilitation payment) to a government official in any country to facilitate or speed up a routine or necessary procedure.
You must not threaten or retaliate against another person who has refused to offer or accept a bribe or who has raised concerns about possible bribery or corruption.
Gifts and hospitality
This policy does not prohibit the giving or accepting of reasonable and appropriate hospitality for legitimate purposes such as building relationships, maintaining our image or reputation, or marketing our products and services.
A gift or hospitality will not be appropriate if it is unduly lavish or extravagant, or could be seen as an inducement or reward for any preferential treatment (for example, during contractual negotiations or a tender process).
Gifts must be of an appropriate type and value depending on the circumstances and taking account of the reason for the gift. Gifts must not include cash or cash equivalent (such as vouchers) or be given in secret. Gifts must be given in our name, not your name.
Promotional gifts of low value such as branded stationery may be given to or accepted from existing customers, suppliers and business partners.
Reciprocal gifting is discouraged.
Retention of accepted gifts by the recipient is at the discretion of their Line Manager, but gifts will generally be shared within the team.
Team members must not canvass or seek gifts and hospitality.
Gifts are to be purchased centrally via the Studio Coordinator and hospitality offered is to be agreed with the Practice Manager.
Record-keeping
You must declare all hospitality given or received with a value exceeding £100. You must declare all gifts over £50, both accepted and declined, that are given or received. This is done by confirming the following information to the Studio Co-ordinator, Quality and Compliance Co-ordinator or Practice Manager who will update the centrally held log.
Gift or Hospitality provided / received
Date
Gift / Invite to
Gift / Invite from
Description / Occasion
Value
Accepted / Declined
The Director for People is to be alerted in writing by the Studio Co-ordinator, Quality and Compliance Co-ordinator or Practice Manager, if gifts given to or received from an organisation cumulatively exceed £200, and hospitality given to or received from an organisation exceed £500 within a financial year.
You must also submit all expenses claims relating to hospitality, gifts or payments to third parties in accordance with our expenses policy and record the reason for expenditure.
All accounts, invoices, and other records relating to dealings with third parties including suppliers and customers should be prepared with strict accuracy and completeness. Accounts must not be kept “off-book” to facilitate or conceal improper payments.
How to raise a concern
If you are offered a bribe, or are asked to make one, or if you suspect that any bribery, corruption or other breach of this policy has occurred or may occur, you must notify your Studio Director, Director or Principal for People as soon as possible.
Review Date: 17 February 2023
Whistleblowing Policy
1About this policy
1.1 We are committed to conducting our business with honesty and integrity and we expect all team members to maintain high standards. Any suspected wrongdoing should be reported as soon as possible.
1.2 This policy covers all team members, consultants, contractors, apprentices, casual workers and agency workers.
1.3 This policy does not form part of any team members contract of employment and we may amend it at any time.
2 What is whistleblowing?
2.1 Whistleblowing is the reporting of suspected wrongdoing or dangers in relation to our activities. This includes bribery, fraud or other criminal activity, miscarriages of justice, health and safety risks, damage to the environment and any breach of legal or professional obligations.
3 How to raise a concern
3.1 We hope that in many cases you will be able to raise any concerns with your Principal / Studio Director. However, where you prefer not to raise it with your Principal / Studio Director for any reason, you should contact the Whistleblowing Officer, the Chairman or Managing Director.
3.2 We will arrange a meeting with you as soon as possible to discuss your concern. You may bring a colleague or union representative to any meetings under this policy. Your companion must respect the confidentiality of your disclosure and any subsequent investigation.
4 Confidentiality
4.1 We hope that team members will feel able to voice whistleblowing concerns openly under this policy. Completely anonymous disclosures are difficult to investigate. If you want to raise your concern confidentially, we will make every effort to keep your identity secret and only reveal it where necessary to those involved in investigating your concern.
5 External disclosures
5.1 The aim of this policy is to provide an internal mechanism for reporting, investigating and remedying any wrongdoing in the workplace. In most cases you should not find it necessary to alert anyone externally.
5.2 The law recognises that in some circumstances it may be appropriate for you to report your concerns to an external body such as a regulator. We strongly encourage you to seek advice before reporting a concern to anyone external. Public Concern at Work operates a confidential 2-91 helpline, and can be referred to for information and advice. Their contact details are at the end of this policy. The UK Government’s website publishes the ‘Whistleblowing: list of prescribed people and bodies’.
6 Protection and support for Whistleblowers
6.1 We aim to encourage openness and will support whistleblowers who raise genuine concerns under this policy, even if they turn out to be mistaken.
6.2 Whistleblowers must not suffer any detrimental treatment as a result of raising a genuine concern. If you believe that you have suffered any such treatment, you should inform the Whistleblowing Officer, Chairman or Managing Director immediately. If the matter is not remedied, you should raise it formally using our Grievance Procedure.
6.3 You must not threaten or retaliate against whistleblowers in any way. If you are involved in such conduct, you may be subject to disciplinary action.
6.4 However, if we conclude that a whistleblower has made false allegations maliciously or with a view to personal gain, the whistleblower may be subject to disciplinary action.
7 Contacts
Andy Roberts
Whistleblowing Officer
07737 352 197
ar@planit-ie.com
Ed Lister
Chairman
07973 803 282
el@planit-ie.com
Pete Swift
Managing Director
07970 950 580
ps@planit-ie.com
Protect (Independent whistleblowing charity)
Helpline: 0203 117 2520
Website: https://protect-advice.org.uk
Review Date: 18 December 2022
Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy
What is Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking?
Modern slavery is a term used to encompass slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour, bonded and child labour and human trafficking. Human trafficking is where a person arranges or facilitates the travel of another person with a view to that person being exploited. Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights.
Policy statement
This policy applies to all persons working for us or on our behalf in any capacity, including Team Members at all levels, directors, officers, agency workers, seconded workers, volunteers, agents, contractors and suppliers.
Planit has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and human trafficking in our operations and supply chain. We have and will continue to be committed to implementing systems and controls aimed at ensuring that modern slavery is not taking place anywhere within our organisation or in any of our supply chains. We expect that our suppliers will hold their own suppliers to the same high standards.
Responsibility for the policy
The Directors have overall responsibility for ensuring this policy complies with our legal obligations, and that all those under our control comply with it.
The Directors and the Principal for People work together to ensure that this policy is maintained across all areas of Planit in accordance with evolving regulatory requirements and to ensure that any breaches or concerns are addressed.
Principals have primary and day-to-day responsibility in relation to our supply chain for implementing this policy and monitoring its use and effectiveness, dealing with any queries about it, and auditing internal control systems and procedures to ensure they are effective in countering modern slavery.
The Principal for People has primary and day-to-day responsibility in relation to those directly employed by us for implementing this policy and monitoring its use and effectiveness, dealing with any queries about it, and auditing internal control systems and procedures to ensure they are effective in countering modern slavery.
Commitments 2-85
Planit shall be a company that expects everyone working with us or on our behalf to support and uphold the following measures to safeguard against modern slavery:
Planit has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery in our organisation and our supply chains.
The prevention, detection and reporting of modern slavery in any part of our organisation or supply chain is the responsibility of all those working for us or on our behalf. Workers must not engage in, facilitate or fail to report any activity that might lead to, or suggest, a breach of this policy.
Planit is committed to engaging with our stakeholders and suppliers to address the risk of modern slavery in our operations and supply chain.
Planit take a risk-based approach to our contracting processes and keep them under review. Planit assess whether the circumstances warrant the inclusion of specific prohibitions against the use of modern slavery and trafficked labour in our contracts with third parties. Using our risked based approach Planit will also assess the merits of writing to suppliers requiring them to comply with our Code of Conduct, which sets out the minimum standards required to combat modern slavery and trafficking.
Consistent with our risk-based approach we may require:
Employment and recruitment agencies and other third parties supplying workers to our organisation to confirm their compliance with our code of conduct.
Suppliers engaging workers through a third party to obtain that third parties' agreement to adhere to the code.
- As part of our ongoing risk assessment and due diligence processes we will consider whether circumstances warrant us carrying out audits of suppliers for their compliance with our Code of Conduct.
Compliance with the policy
All persons working for Planit must ensure that they read, understand and comply with this policy.
The prevention, detection and reporting of modern slavery in any part of our business or supply chains is the responsibility of all those working for us or under our control. All persons working for Planit are required to avoid any activity that might lead to, or suggest, a breach of this policy.
All persons working for Planit are encouraged to raise concerns about any issue or suspicion of modern slavery in any parts of our business or supply chains of any supplier at the earliest possible stage.
Communication and awareness of this policy
This policy will be communicated to all Planit Team Members.
Planit Team Members are required to communicate our zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery to all suppliers, contractors and business partners at the outset of our business relationship with them and reinforce our approach as appropriate thereafter.
Breaches of the Policy
Any breach of this policy will generally be treated as gross misconduct and may result in dismissal without notice. We may terminate our relationship with individuals and organisations working on our behalf if they do not comply with this policy.
Privacy Policy
Planit I.E. Limited understands that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used. We respect and value the privacy of everyone, our staff, our clients, our partners, our collaborators and those who visit our website. We only collect and use your personal data as described in this Privacy Policy. Any personal data we collect will only be used as permitted by law.
Our Contact Details
We are Planit I.E. Limited registered in England under company number: 08720367 and we are a member of the Landscape Institute. Planit I.E. Limited are registered with the UK Information Commissioner as a Data Controller. Our registration number is: ZB035312.
Registered address: 2 Back Grafton Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1DY
VAT number: 275951857
Data Protection Officer: Richard Line
Email address: info@planit-ie.com
Telephone number: 0161 928 9281
Our Website: https://planit-ie.com/
Our group include the following subsidiaries and trading names which are all covered by this notice:
Standard Practice Studio: https://www.standardpractice.studio/
For general enquiries please use the contact details above or use our enquiry form on our website.
If you are after a specific person you can visit our “Our Team” page or for a specific branch you can visit: https://planit-ie.com/contact/
What type of personal information we collect?
We currently collect and process the following information about our customers:
Contact details (name, address, telephone numbers, email addresses).
Technical Data including IP address, login data, browser type and version, location, operating system and platforms. Where you use our website.
Photographs if you attend one of our events.
Marketing and Communications Data so that we can log your communication preferences.
We also collect, use and share Anonymous Data such as statistical or demographic data. For example, we may aggregate your Usage Data to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific website feature or then number of individuals attending an event.
With the exception of photographs for which we obtain your informed consent we do not collect Special Categories of Personal Data about clients and website users.
How we get the personal information and why we have it
Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:
To allow us to carry out work for you.
So that you can attend one of our events.
So that we can communicate with you about your requirements.
In order to process payments from or to you.
To publicise events that you have attended.
So that you can interact with our website(s).
We also access personal information via a portal for events where we are working with other organisations (e.g. NOMA and the National Trust).
We use the information that you have given us in order to:
To produce design work for you.
To contact you about a specific project.
To communicate with you.
To [list how you use the personal information].
Why we have your personal data
We need to collect personal information for a variety of reasons including:
We have a contractual obligation with you.
To comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
To protect your vital interests.
It is in our legitimate interests: We make sure we consider and balance any potential impact on you (both positive and negative) and your rights before we process your personal data for our legitimate interests.
We have your consent to do so.
The data has been manifestly made public by you.
Marketing and promotional materials
We may use your photograph in post event literature but only where you have consented to have your photograph taken for this purpose.
We do not currently send marketing communications to clients. Should we decide to change this policy you will be automatically opted out of receiving marketing communications until you decide to opt in.
Change of purpose
We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining why we need to use it and the legal basis which allows us to do so.
How we store your personal information
We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and the regulator (the ICO) of a breach where we are legally required to do so.
We will only keep your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which we collected it. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements. For information on how long we keep your information, please see our data retention policy (available on request).
When we no longer need your personal data we will dispose of it appropriately. Hard copy data will be shredded and electronic files will be deleted from our systems and backups.
Who do we share your information with?
We do not routinely share your information except for where we are required or permitted to do so by law or regulation, such as prevention of crime and with third party service parties such as data hosting / storage providers or technology suppliers.
Our agreements with third parties include requirements to comply with relevant data protection legislation so that your rights are maintained.
We will not send your personal information outside of the European Economic Area (EEA).
Automated decision-making
We do not use automated decision-making for our client data.
What other information might we collect about you?
If you use our websites we collect information using ‘cookies’. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this website may become inaccessible or not function properly.
The Cookies on our website are:
Cookie | _gid |
|---|---|
Type of Cookie | Analytics |
Description | Google Analytics Cookie: stores information on how visitors use the website, and creates a report of the website’s performance (Data includes number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously). |
Duration | 1 day |
Cookie | _ga_9G2BL3JR8X |
|---|---|
Type of Cookie | Analytics |
Description | Google Analytics Cookie. |
Duration | 2 years |
Cookie | _gat_gtag_UA_51632384_1 |
|---|---|
Type of Cookie | Analytics |
Description | Set by Google to distinguish users. |
Duration | 1 minute |
Cookie | _ga |
|---|---|
Type of Cookie | Analytics |
Description | Google Analytics Cookie: calculates visitor, session and campaign data. Keeps track of site usage. Stores information anonymously assigning a randomly generated number to recognise unique visitors. |
Duration | 2 years |
Retaining your data
There are a number of reasons why Planit-IE will retain personal information, such as legal or statutory obligations and to respond to any complaint or dispute. We are sometimes contractually bound to retain information on behalf of funding providers.
In most instances we will retain records for up to seven years following the end of our contract with you or termination of our services. These details are set out in out retention policy.
Where we have obtained your consent to hold personal information, we will retain it for as long as we have your consent, subject to the above timescales.
Your Legal Rights
Data regulations and legislation provide you with certain rights over the personal information we hold.
You can request details of some or all of the personal information we hold about you. This is often referred to as a Subject Access request.
If you believe that personal information we hold about you is incorrect you can ask us to correct it.
Where you believe personal information is no longer required you can request that it is deleted. However, we may not be able to do so it we still have a legitimate basis for keeping it.
You can request a copy of personal information to be provided in a portable (electronic) format. We will endeavour to meet such requirements where the format is reasonable and in common use.
You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Where you have provided consent you can withdraw your consent at any time.
We aim to meet any requests promptly and as fully as possible. We may contact you to confirm your identity or further understand your requirements in order to expedite your request. In some cases, we may be prevented from completing requests for legal reasons or due to conflicting legitimate interests. If this is the case, we will explain our reasons why.
If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above we request that you contact our Data Protection Officer [Richard Line]. You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights.
If you wish to make a complaint
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us. Please in the first instance contact our Data Protection Officer. If you remain dissatisfied, or believe that we are not handling personal information in compliance with appropriate laws and regulations, you are entitled to raise your complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office who can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113, or via: https://ico.org.uk/livechat
ICO website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/your-personal-information-concerns/personal-information-concerns/
Review Date: 27 March 2023
Anti-Corruption and Bribery Policy
About this policy
It is our policy to conduct all our business in an honest and ethical manner. We take a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption and are committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships.
Any team member who breaches this policy will face disciplinary action, which could result in dismissal for gross misconduct. Any non-team member who breaches this policy may have their contract terminated with immediate effect.
This policy does not form part of any team member’s contract of employment, and we may amend it at any time. It will be reviewed regularly.
Who must comply with this policy?
This policy applies to all persons working for us or on our behalf in any capacity, including team members at all levels, Directors, officers, agency workers, seconded workers, volunteers, interns, agents, contractors, external consultants, third-party representatives and business partners.
What is bribery?
Bribe means a financial or other inducement or reward for action which is illegal, unethical, a breach of trust or improper in any way. Bribes can take the form of money, gifts, loans, fees, hospitality, services, discounts, the award of a contract or any other advantage or benefit.
Bribery includes offering, promising, giving, accepting or seeking a bribe.
All forms of bribery are strictly prohibited. If you are unsure about whether a particular act constitutes bribery, raise it with a Director.
Specifically, you must not:
Give or offer any payment, gift, hospitality or other benefit in the expectation that a business advantage will be received in return, or to reward any business received.
Accept any offer from a third party that you know, or suspect is made with the expectation that we will provide a business advantage for them or anyone else.
Give or offer any payment (sometimes called a facilitation payment) to a government official in any country to facilitate or speed up a routine or necessary procedure.
You must not threaten or retaliate against another person who has refused to offer or accept a bribe or who has raised concerns about possible bribery or corruption.
Gifts and hospitality
This policy does not prohibit the giving or accepting of reasonable and appropriate hospitality for legitimate purposes such as building relationships, maintaining our image or reputation, or marketing our products and services.
A gift or hospitality will not be appropriate if it is unduly lavish or extravagant, or could be seen as an inducement or reward for any preferential treatment (for example, during contractual negotiations or a tender process).
Gifts must be of an appropriate type and value depending on the circumstances and taking account of the reason for the gift. Gifts must not include cash or cash equivalent (such as vouchers) or be given in secret. Gifts must be given in our name, not your name.
Promotional gifts of low value such as branded stationery may be given to or accepted from existing customers, suppliers and business partners.
Reciprocal gifting is discouraged.
Retention of accepted gifts by the recipient is at the discretion of their Line Manager, but gifts will generally be shared within the team.
Team members must not canvass or seek gifts and hospitality.
Gifts are to be purchased centrally via the Studio Coordinator and hospitality offered is to be agreed with the Practice Manager.
Record-keeping
You must declare all hospitality given or received with a value exceeding £100. You must declare all gifts over £50, both accepted and declined, that are given or received. This is done by confirming the following information to the Studio Co-ordinator, Quality and Compliance Co-ordinator or Practice Manager who will update the centrally held log.
Gift or Hospitality provided / received
Date
Gift / Invite to
Gift / Invite from
Description / Occasion
Value
Accepted / Declined
The Director for People is to be alerted in writing by the Studio Co-ordinator, Quality and Compliance Co-ordinator or Practice Manager, if gifts given to or received from an organisation cumulatively exceed £200, and hospitality given to or received from an organisation exceed £500 within a financial year.
You must also submit all expenses claims relating to hospitality, gifts or payments to third parties in accordance with our expenses policy and record the reason for expenditure.
All accounts, invoices, and other records relating to dealings with third parties including suppliers and customers should be prepared with strict accuracy and completeness. Accounts must not be kept “off-book” to facilitate or conceal improper payments.
How to raise a concern
If you are offered a bribe, or are asked to make one, or if you suspect that any bribery, corruption or other breach of this policy has occurred or may occur, you must notify your Studio Director, Director or Principal for People as soon as possible.
Review Date: 17 February 2023
Whistleblowing Policy
1About this policy
1.1 We are committed to conducting our business with honesty and integrity and we expect all team members to maintain high standards. Any suspected wrongdoing should be reported as soon as possible.
1.2 This policy covers all team members, consultants, contractors, apprentices, casual workers and agency workers.
1.3 This policy does not form part of any team members contract of employment and we may amend it at any time.
2 What is whistleblowing?
2.1 Whistleblowing is the reporting of suspected wrongdoing or dangers in relation to our activities. This includes bribery, fraud or other criminal activity, miscarriages of justice, health and safety risks, damage to the environment and any breach of legal or professional obligations.
3 How to raise a concern
3.1 We hope that in many cases you will be able to raise any concerns with your Principal / Studio Director. However, where you prefer not to raise it with your Principal / Studio Director for any reason, you should contact the Whistleblowing Officer, the Chairman or Managing Director.
3.2 We will arrange a meeting with you as soon as possible to discuss your concern. You may bring a colleague or union representative to any meetings under this policy. Your companion must respect the confidentiality of your disclosure and any subsequent investigation.
4 Confidentiality
4.1 We hope that team members will feel able to voice whistleblowing concerns openly under this policy. Completely anonymous disclosures are difficult to investigate. If you want to raise your concern confidentially, we will make every effort to keep your identity secret and only reveal it where necessary to those involved in investigating your concern.
5 External disclosures
5.1 The aim of this policy is to provide an internal mechanism for reporting, investigating and remedying any wrongdoing in the workplace. In most cases you should not find it necessary to alert anyone externally.
5.2 The law recognises that in some circumstances it may be appropriate for you to report your concerns to an external body such as a regulator. We strongly encourage you to seek advice before reporting a concern to anyone external. Public Concern at Work operates a confidential 2-91 helpline, and can be referred to for information and advice. Their contact details are at the end of this policy. The UK Government’s website publishes the ‘Whistleblowing: list of prescribed people and bodies’.
6 Protection and support for Whistleblowers
6.1 We aim to encourage openness and will support whistleblowers who raise genuine concerns under this policy, even if they turn out to be mistaken.
6.2 Whistleblowers must not suffer any detrimental treatment as a result of raising a genuine concern. If you believe that you have suffered any such treatment, you should inform the Whistleblowing Officer, Chairman or Managing Director immediately. If the matter is not remedied, you should raise it formally using our Grievance Procedure.
6.3 You must not threaten or retaliate against whistleblowers in any way. If you are involved in such conduct, you may be subject to disciplinary action.
6.4 However, if we conclude that a whistleblower has made false allegations maliciously or with a view to personal gain, the whistleblower may be subject to disciplinary action.
7 Contacts
Andy Roberts
Whistleblowing Officer
07737 352 197
ar@planit-ie.com
Ed Lister
Chairman
07973 803 282
el@planit-ie.com
Pete Swift
Managing Director
07970 950 580
ps@planit-ie.com
Protect (Independent whistleblowing charity)
Helpline: 0203 117 2520
Website: https://protect-advice.org.uk
Review Date: 18 December 2022
Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy
What is Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking?
Modern slavery is a term used to encompass slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour, bonded and child labour and human trafficking. Human trafficking is where a person arranges or facilitates the travel of another person with a view to that person being exploited. Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights.
Policy statement
This policy applies to all persons working for us or on our behalf in any capacity, including Team Members at all levels, directors, officers, agency workers, seconded workers, volunteers, agents, contractors and suppliers.
Planit has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and human trafficking in our operations and supply chain. We have and will continue to be committed to implementing systems and controls aimed at ensuring that modern slavery is not taking place anywhere within our organisation or in any of our supply chains. We expect that our suppliers will hold their own suppliers to the same high standards.
Responsibility for the policy
The Directors have overall responsibility for ensuring this policy complies with our legal obligations, and that all those under our control comply with it.
The Directors and the Principal for People work together to ensure that this policy is maintained across all areas of Planit in accordance with evolving regulatory requirements and to ensure that any breaches or concerns are addressed.
Principals have primary and day-to-day responsibility in relation to our supply chain for implementing this policy and monitoring its use and effectiveness, dealing with any queries about it, and auditing internal control systems and procedures to ensure they are effective in countering modern slavery.
The Principal for People has primary and day-to-day responsibility in relation to those directly employed by us for implementing this policy and monitoring its use and effectiveness, dealing with any queries about it, and auditing internal control systems and procedures to ensure they are effective in countering modern slavery.
Commitments 2-85
Planit shall be a company that expects everyone working with us or on our behalf to support and uphold the following measures to safeguard against modern slavery:
Planit has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery in our organisation and our supply chains.
The prevention, detection and reporting of modern slavery in any part of our organisation or supply chain is the responsibility of all those working for us or on our behalf. Workers must not engage in, facilitate or fail to report any activity that might lead to, or suggest, a breach of this policy.
Planit is committed to engaging with our stakeholders and suppliers to address the risk of modern slavery in our operations and supply chain.
Planit take a risk-based approach to our contracting processes and keep them under review. Planit assess whether the circumstances warrant the inclusion of specific prohibitions against the use of modern slavery and trafficked labour in our contracts with third parties. Using our risked based approach Planit will also assess the merits of writing to suppliers requiring them to comply with our Code of Conduct, which sets out the minimum standards required to combat modern slavery and trafficking.
Consistent with our risk-based approach we may require:
Employment and recruitment agencies and other third parties supplying workers to our organisation to confirm their compliance with our code of conduct.
Suppliers engaging workers through a third party to obtain that third parties' agreement to adhere to the code.
- As part of our ongoing risk assessment and due diligence processes we will consider whether circumstances warrant us carrying out audits of suppliers for their compliance with our Code of Conduct.
Compliance with the policy
All persons working for Planit must ensure that they read, understand and comply with this policy.
The prevention, detection and reporting of modern slavery in any part of our business or supply chains is the responsibility of all those working for us or under our control. All persons working for Planit are required to avoid any activity that might lead to, or suggest, a breach of this policy.
All persons working for Planit are encouraged to raise concerns about any issue or suspicion of modern slavery in any parts of our business or supply chains of any supplier at the earliest possible stage.
Communication and awareness of this policy
This policy will be communicated to all Planit Team Members.
Planit Team Members are required to communicate our zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery to all suppliers, contractors and business partners at the outset of our business relationship with them and reinforce our approach as appropriate thereafter.
Breaches of the Policy
Any breach of this policy will generally be treated as gross misconduct and may result in dismissal without notice. We may terminate our relationship with individuals and organisations working on our behalf if they do not comply with this policy.
Planit is a Certified B Corporation™
Planit is a Certified B Corporation™