Modern Slavery Statement
IRIS Software Group
Modern Slavery Statement – Financial year 23/24
Introduction
This statement sets out IRIS Software Group’s (“IRIS”) commitment to combat the practice of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking. It is also to understand the potential modern slavery risks related to its business and implement steps aimed at ensuring no slavery or human trafficking takes place in its own business and its supply chains. This statement relates to actions and activities during the financial year 1st May 2023 to 30th April 2024. The statement is IRIS’ commitment to act ethically by taking steps within its direct structures and wider sphere of influence to ensure that modern slavery, as set out in the Modern Slavery Act of 2015, is not taking place.
This statement will be reviewed annually by IRIS executives in line with its financial planning year end, ending 30th April.
Organisational structure and supply chains
This statement covers the structure and activities of IRIS including its subsidiary companies (as defined under the Companies Act 2006):
The Organisation is a leading provider of business-critical software and services. It connects accountants, educational establishments, businesses, and their employees enabling them to efficiently manage their financial, compliance and human capital resource requirements to achieve success. IRIS offers a broad range of specialist accountancy, financial management, human resource management and payroll solutions – delivered as a choice of integrated cloud-based and on-premises software and applications.
IRIS’ contractors and suppliers are primarily based within the UK, U.S.A and the EU.
Products, services, and software development are generally provided in-house rather than in a supply-chain method.
Countries of operation and supply
United Kingdom – majority of business conducted within the United Kingdom.
North America – to which a portion of the Organisation’s operations and customers are located, including PSI Payroll Services Inc. operating in Canada, and IRIS Americas, Doc.it, Conarc Inc, AccountantsWorld, Apex, myPay (Creative Solutions Software Corp) and Practice Engine Systems Inc.
The European Union and the rest of the world – to which a portion of the Organisation’s staff and customers are located.
India: IRIS KPO Resourcing located in India is a subsidiary of the Organisation, which provides business process outsourcing services for the Organisation’s customers based primarily in the United Kingdom.
Australia – to which a small portion of the Organisation’s staff and customers are located.
IRIS’ procurement procedures follows a defined pathway with authorised personnel within the management structures ensuring third-party organisations, within the supplier/contractor pool and other companies that may be engaged with, are expected to ensure their goods, materials, and labour-related supply chains:
Fully comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2015; and are:
Transparent, accountable, and auditable, and;
Free from ethical ambiguities.
Relevant policies
IRIS operates the following policies that describe its approach to the identification of modern slavery risks and steps to be taken to prevent slavery and human trafficking in its operations:
IRIS Anti-Slavery Policy:
Described in more detail below under ‘Awareness-raising programme’.
Whistleblowing Policy: IRIS encourages all workers, customers, and other business partners to report any concerns related to the direct activities, or the supply chains of IRIS. The whistleblowing procedure is designed to make it easy for workers to make disclosures, without fear of retaliation.
Employee Code of Conduct: The code makes clear to employees the actions and behaviour expected of them when representing the Organisation.
IRIS uses only specified, reputable employment agencies to source labour and verifies the practices of any new agency it is using before accepting workers from that agency.
Risk assessment
IRIS has reviewed material suppliers and assesses whether any risks of slavery or human trafficking arise. It does not consider that key relationships with professional or business services suppliers give rise to material risks in this area. Risk may have the potential to arise in relation to internal facilities management, catering, and the supply of office electronic equipment. Risk is managed using suppliers who are considered to be reputable, and it has been specifically requested that all material regular suppliers confirm that their own business activities do not involve slavery or human trafficking.
Steps taken by the Organisation since May 2023
(A) Management responsibility and general awareness
Agreed management responsibility for this statement and the IRIS Anti-Slavery Policy has received unanimous endorsement from the Board;
Raised general organisational awareness;
Reported progress to the executive management team and the Board;
Efforts made to raise awareness of this published statement;
Prepared the next applicable annual statement.
(B) Risk assessment
IRIS has undertaken assessments using legal, risk and procurement teams to determine risk exposure.
Included the Modern Slavery Act 2015 within IRIS’ statutory and regulatory compliance risk assessment procedures to ensure the risk continues to be flagged, assessed, and appropriately addressed.
Asked suppliers to confirm their compliance with the Act during the commercial due diligence process.
(C) Risk mitigation
IRIS seeks to impose adequate and robust contractual provisions relating to modern slavery or human trafficking compliance by applicable suppliers doing business with the Organisation. IRIS:
Acts promptly where a compliance breach has been identified or flagged;
Continues to feedback lessons learnt into the compliance risk management process;
IRIS is committed to investigating any credible report of potential compliance violations and discrimination or retaliation against individuals reporting these is strictly prohibited. All communications received are treated confidentiality and respectfully. In the prior financial year, we received no indications of concerns relating to forced labour or trafficking via external or internal channels.
Steps to take during the financial year 1st May 2023 to 30th April 2024
(A) Risk assessment
Commence a review exercise of this policy against IRIS’ activities in relation to any newly acquired entity that may be incorporated within the Organisation. Generally, continuing to establish whether the approach taken by the Organisation follows emerging best practice by:
Assessing and interpreting any recent or emerging case law and best practice;
Benchmarking activities against statements and action plans undertaken by similar organisations; and
Re-evaluating the risk of non-compliance as part of the cyclical compliance risk register assessment;
Continuing to ask suppliers to confirm they are compliant when conducting commercial due diligence.
(B) Risk mitigation
Act promptly where a compliance breach has been identified or flagged;
Continue to feedback lessons learnt into the compliance risk management process;
(C) Training
Staff are required to complete compulsory training in company policies and procedures at regular intervals.
Awareness-raising programme
As well as training staff, IRIS has raised awareness of modern slavery issues by producing an IRIS Anti-Slavery Policy that is introduced to staff as part of the induction process and made available on the Organisation’s intranet thereafter.
The IRIS Anti-Slavery Policy explains to staff:
The basic principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015;
How employees can identify and prevent slavery and human trafficking; and
What employees can do to flag up potential slavery or human trafficking issues to the relevant parties within the Organisation.
Supply chains
To ensure suppliers are paid on time, the Organisation follows a set payment run timetable.
Board approval
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes the Organisation’s statement for the financial year ending 30th April 2024.
This statement has been approved by IRIS Board of Directors, who will review and update it annually.
Companies within the IRIS Software Group which this statement applies to:
123Comms Limited
Accountants World LLC
Apex Software
APS Global Limited
Atomic IT Limited
Bacsflow Limited
Biostore Limited
Blayhall Professional Limited
BLUE OCTOPUS (GROUP) LIMITED
Blue Octopus HR and Recruitment Limited
Blue Octopus Recruitment Limited
Bridgehead (Europe) Limited
Bridgehead (UK) Limited
CAVU Holdings Company LLC
Conarc Inc
Creative Solutions Software Corp
Datacode Tech Limited
Dataplan Holdings Limited
Dataplan Payroll Limited
Doc-It Corp
Doc-It Holdings Inc
Doc-It Inc
Elements Bidco Limited
Elements Finco Limited
Elements Holdco 1 Limited
Elements Holdco 2 Limited
Elements Midco 1 Limited
Elements Midco 2 Limited
Elements Topco
Eurowage Limited
FMP Global Bidco Limited
FMP HR and Payroll Software Limited
Galaxy Payroll Limited
Harper Morris (Payroll) Limited
HMP Associates Limited
Hosted Accountants Limited
Human Capital Management LLC
Indigo Marketing Limited
Innervision Management Limited
IRIS Americas Inc.
IRIS Bidco Limited
IRIS Business Software Limited
IRIS Canada Holdings Limited
IRIS Capital Limited
IRIS Debtco Limited
IRIS Global Inc.
IRIS Group Limited
IRIS Holdings Limited
IRIS KPO Resourcing (India) Private Limited
IRIS Midco Limited
IRIS Payroll Services Limited
IRIS Payroll Software Limited
IRIS Payroll Solutions Limited
IRIS Resourcing Limited
IRIS Software and Services Inc
IRIS Software Group Limited
IRIS Software Limited
IRIS Software Technical Centre S.R.L
IRIS US Holdings Limited
iSAMS Limited
iSAMS Pty Limited
Kashflow Software Limited
Kinetic Marketing & Design Limited
MCN Associates Limited
Net-worx (2001) Limited
Paycheck Plus Payroll Service Ireland Limited
Paycheck Plus UK Limited
Payplus Limited
Payroll Data Processing Inc
Phroot Limited
Practice Engine Systems Inc.
PS Financials Limited
PSI Payroll Services
PTP Software Limited
Results Squared Limited
Sandgate BG Limited
Sandgate Systems Limited
Senta SaaS Limited
SourceOne Payroll Services Inc
Staffology Limited
Star Professional Software Solutions Limited
Sweep Limited
Taxfiler Limited
The Practice Engine Group Limited
Troncmasters Limited Truancy Call Limited
