Human Rights Policy

Human Rights Policy

Purpose:

At Uncommon we are committed to respecting and upholding human rights in all aspects of our operations. We recognise that protecting human rights is integral to our values, reputation, and long-term success. This policy is grounded in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and aligned with the Protect, Respect, Remedy framework. It reflects our commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ILO Core Labour Standards, and the UN Global Compact.

Scope:

This policy applies to all employees, contractors, suppliers, and business partners of Uncommon. It covers all individuals and communities who may be affected by our own operations and across our value chains.

Policy Principles:

  1. Respect for Human Rights
    • We support and uphold internationally recognised human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.We are committed to treating all individuals with dignity, fairness, and respect.
    • We commit to conducting annual human rights due diligence in line with the UNGPs, which includes identifying, assessing, preventing, mitigating, and accounting for how we address our human rights impacts.
  2. Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity
    • We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or bullying based on race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
    • We provide equal opportunities in recruitment, development, and promotion.
  3. Safe and Healthy Working Environment
    • We provide a safe, healthy, and secure workplace for all employees.
    • We comply with applicable health and safety laws and standards.
  4. Freedom from Forced Labour and Child Labour
    • We do not engage in or support forced labour, modern slavery, or child labour in any form.
  5. Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
    • We respect the right of all employees to organise, join a trade union, and engage in collective bargaining, in accordance with applicable law and ILO Core Labour Standards.
    • We will not penalise or discriminate against any employee for exercising these rights.
  6. Fair Pay and Living Wage
    • We are committed to paying at least the London Living Wage (LLW) to all direct employees and on-site contractors, including cleaning and security staff. We believe fair pay is a core human rights commitment and one that we actively uphold.
    • We encourage suppliers and business partners to commit to equivalent living wage standards within their own operations.
  7. Reporting, Grievance, and Remed
    • Employees are encouraged to report any human rights concerns confidentially.Violations of this policy will be investigated and addressed promptly.Concerns can be raised confidentially via our designated whistleblowing channel. All reports will be acknowledged, investigated impartially, and resolved with a written outcome within 30 days wherever possible. No individual will face retaliation for raising a concern in good faith.
    • Where harm has occurred, Uncommon is committed to providing or facilitating appropriate remedy, which may include apology, remediation, restitution, or other corrective action as appropriate to the circumstances.
  8. Supply Chain Human Rights Due Diligence
    • We recognise that human rights risks can exist not only within our direct operations but throughout our supply chain. We are committed to identifying, assessing, and mitigating these risks in line with the UNGPs.We will assess human rights risks as part of our procurement and supplier onboarding process, and annually review existing supplier relationships, with particular focus on those identified as high-risk categories.
    • Where negative impacts are identified in the supply chain, we will work with suppliers to remediate them, and will escalate to contract review or termination where necessary.
  9. Human Rights Risk Assessment
    • Uncommon will conduct a human rights risk assessment at least annually and when entering significant new supplier relationships, markets, or business activities. The assessment will identify our most salient human rights issues, those where the risk of serious impact is greatest, across our operations and value chain.
    • The findings of risk assessments will inform our prioritisation and action plans, and will be reported to the policy owner (Managing Director) and shared with the Leadership Team.
  10. Training and Awareness
    • We will provide training on human rights responsibilities for those responsible for the procurement. Training will cover the requirements of this policy, how to identify human rights risks, and how to raise concerns.

Commitment:

Uncommon will continually review and improve our practices to ensure respect for human rights across all operations and supply chains. This policy will be reviewed annually by the Managing Director, who holds overall responsibility for its implementation. Any material updates will be approved by the Board of Directors and communicated to all staff and key business partners. This policy is publicly available on our website.