We are proud of the role that Allied Universal and its employees play in society and the positive contributions that they make each day to the protection of human rights through our range of
services and the standards which we apply. However, we are clear that, as a business, we have a responsibility to ensure that we are not at risk of violating human rights through the services we
provide, the customers with whom we work, the suppliers we use, or through the treatment of our colleagues and others in our care.

Our respect for human rights is core to the sustainable success of the business and continues to be an important part of our risk assessment and mitigation process.

G4S' Human Rights Policy and its related framework are based upon the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Alongside our values, the framework reinforces the continued development of a business model which aids the realization of the UN SDGs through the creation of employment opportunities, the global improvement of industry standards and by helping to create secure and stable communities around the world.

Led by our Global Human Rights Policy, which was launched in 2022, human rights matters are embedded into key business policies and processes, such as our Ethics Codes, Human Trafficking Policy, labour management standards and the G4S Supplier Code of Conduct that was refreshed in 2022. We have commenced a review of our human rights guidance for managers and our due diligence framework guidance.

We have refreshed our global human rights heat map. The review identified 26 countries where we operate, which are considered to have a high-risk human rights environment. The results of the review inform several of our business processes, such as our internal audit programme and risk assessment.

We operate human rights controls, due-diligence frameworks, and control self-assessments for higher risk businesses, which are integrated into risk and
compliance systems. Thematic audits of specific human rights matters are conducted by internal audit. Five were undertaken in 2022, covering migrant worker employment and welfare matters. In addition, relevant topics such as workplace safety and labour management are incorporated into the wider audit programme. 

Additionally, in 2022 we commenced a new programme of human rights control audits. In the past 12 months, we have completed three audits in Africa and one in Asia. We conduct human rights due-diligence reviews of major international business opportunities, as part of the executive review process. Human rights awareness programmes are organized for senior management and key functional officers, such as human resources and procurement staff. More widely, human rights matters are embedded into relevant operating procedures and training programmes, such as those for employee safety and use of force.

We encourage our employees to use our Speak Out services should they have any concerns about human rights violations either in the business, our supply chain, or customer sites.

Download our Human Rights Policy

Respecting human rights in the supply chain

G4S has partnered with leading sustainability analytics providers, Integrity Next and EcoVadis to ensure that our suppliers meet the ethical standards set out in G4S’s Supplier Code of Conduct, most recently refreshed early in 2023.

The EcoVadis programme has been applied to suppliers in high-risk categories and requires in-scope suppliers to complete an assessment tailored to their industry, size and location. The assessment covers 21 criteria including labour and human rights, ethics, the environment and sustainable procurement. The supplier’s responses are analysed by EcoVadis, which provides both the supplier and G4S with a detailed report setting out the supplier’s sustainability performance. Where performance does not meet the required levels, a corrective action plan must be submitted to G4S to address any issues raised.

Since it began in 2019, the programme has been implemented in 26 countries. Within these markets, around 5.5% of suppliers (c.560) have been categorized as potentially high-risk, including manufacturers of electronics and uniforms, and providers of cleaning services and temporary labour.

Approximately 400 EcoVadis assessments have been completed, representing over 70% of in-scope suppliers. As we extend into less developed markets, it is encouraging that more than half continue to achieve a satisfactory rating.

We are working with all organizations that have not achieved a satisfactory rating or that have declined to take part in the programme to address any shortcomings and encourage participation. A number of organizations have failed to fully engage and have been excluded from our supplier database as a result. Alongside our partnership with EcoVadis, in 2021, we began to implement Integrity Next into our supply chain management. Integrity Next is an online supplier monitoring platform that assesses a broad range of ethical and sustainability matters, providing G4S with a real-time overview of our suppliers' sustainability performance.

To date, the system has been applied in six countries, representing around 45% of international procurement spend outside of North America. We continue to utilize this experience and expand the programme globally.

Download the G4S Supplier Code of Conduct (PDF 4521.9 KB)

Protecting the Human Rights of migrant workers (Middle East)

G4S is a leading global employer that is committed to the highest standards of employment and this includes ensuring that migrant workers are treated fairly and with dignity and respect. 

Our policies and procedures reinforce the expected behaviours of all stakeholders for migrant workers. These include the Ethics Codes, G4S Migrant Worker Policy, and Speak Out whistleblowing service. Benchmarked against external organizations where appropriate, these policies and procedures add rigor to our internal audits and have provided further opportunities to establish improved standards, assess compliance and drive change. In 2020 we adopted the Employer Pays Principle, as set out in the Principles of the Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment (LGRR). As of 2023, we have completed the implementation of the principle in all directly managed G4S businesses, where migrant workers are deployed.

We continue to encourage and support the external management of G4S Qatar to address local challenges and complete implementation of this principle ahead of the LGRR objective date of 2026.
Our 20+ strong team of migrant worker coordinators (MWC), welfare officers and other related roles continues to support migrant worker employees on the ground.

• During 2022, our MWC has ensured that migrant worker employees were represented well in our Global Employee Engagement Survey. Over 23,000 migrant worker employees participated in the survey, making up 90% of the region’s total respondents.
• Overall, the survey had a 74% response rate in the Middle East and achieved a 91% overall positive score. 84% of respondents indicated that they felt they were treated fairly by G4S and 88% felt that their managers took their concerns seriously.
• Supporting the programme of face-to-face assurance interviews, we are developing a new interactive technology solution which will be located in all migrant worker accommodation facilities. This portal will enable employees to 24/7 access information, complete survey responses, ask questions to regional management, and register any concerns or issues. In addition, welfare officers are being trained to conduct interviews with employees and to raise reports with the MWC.
• The programme of face-to-face assurance interviews has recommenced in 2023.

Chaired by the international chief HR officer, the Modern Slavery Committee oversees the implementation of our Migrant Worker Policy and standards, and other relevant
case reviews.

During 2022, we continued to engage with interested stakeholders to ensure that opportunities to accelerate progress are not missed. These stakeholders include local business partners and government representatives.

For further information please see our Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Statements.