Code of Conduct

OA Group are committed to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of its employees and other persons who may be affected by our activities, in so far as reasonably practicable, and that its work will be carried out in accordance with the Health & Safety At Work Act 1974, the Management of Health & Safety At Work Regulations 1992 and protective legislation, including the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Fire Precautions Act 1971, both as an employer and as a company. To that end, OA Group has appointed Alison Marshall to be responsible for health and safety arrangements and also for advising the Company and its Board of Directors on any new legislation affecting them, including EC Directives, Regulations and British Standards, in order to ensure compliance.

As a service organisation, OA Group is not directly involved in manufacturing or production. However, we do recognise the close relationship between the operation of businesses and the environment, and therefore the need for the organisation to demonstrate a corporate responsibility towards these issues. We have created and implemented an environmental strategy that is sustainable, both operationally and financially. This policy incorporates various environmental issues ranging from recycling and paper usage to supplier monitoring, energy, and transport fuels. Our full environmental policy is available separately.

Approaches to environmental issues are evaluated as a standard part of all procurement initiatives. All current and potential suppliers and contractors are asked to demonstrate an appropriate level of conformance and supportive stance on environmental issues.

Furthermore, OA Group agrees that it is responsible for controlling its own supply chain. It further agrees to encourage any subsequent provider of goods and services used by us to comply with ethical standards, human rights, health and safety and environmental standards when performing its obligations under any agreement with us.

Code of Conduct Policy

OA’s core values are documented in several of our policies and procedures. These include:

• Open Minded
• Ambitious
• Innovative
• Insightful
• Caring

Our professional reputations and the reputation of our company depend entirely upon how successful we are in putting our core values into our workplace. Here are some ways we can do this by valuing our colleagues, candidates, customers, suppliers and the communities in which we work and live.

Valuing our Colleagues & Candidates

Although OA Group comprises individuals from many different cultures, our similarities far outweigh our differences. We all need to be respected and treated with honesty and integrity. We must, therefore, all take responsibility for delivering this basic human need to our colleagues and candidates by:

• Actively helping one another to get the job done
• Creating a positive work environment
• Honouring the importance of each other’s lives outside of work
• Investing in each other’s professional development
• Never engaging in illegal discrimination or tolerating those who do
• Looking out for each other’s health and safety in the workplace
• Treating every colleague and candidate in the same way we would want to be treated
• Balancing fairness and compassion in our dealings with each other

Valuing our Customers

Earning our customers’ trust is essential to our business success. The best way to do this is by:

• Being honest with our customers about the services we can and cannot provide
• Competing fairly in the marketplace
• Honouring our written and verbal agreements
• Protecting confidential information and privacy rights
• Honouring intellectual property rights
• Making every effort to provide the best service possible

Valuing our Suppliers

Our businesses cannot function without a steady, reliable stream of goods and services. We can best value our suppliers by:

• Honouring our written and verbal agreements
• Making timely payments
• Never soliciting gifts or entertainment from suppliers
• Honouring vendors’ intellectual property rights

Valuing our Communities

In addition to being in business, we are members of the communities in which we work and live. As a responsible corporate citizen, we value our communities by:

• Obeying the laws of every country and community in which we do business
• Being open and honest with governments and regulators
• Being a responsible environmental steward
• Going beyond legal requirements by becoming actively involved in initiatives for the betterment of our communities
• Being responsive to community needs
• By acting in unison with one another to put our Core Values to work, we will assure our personal and collective success and make a positive contribution to the world around us

Code of Conduct

The importance of work, and what we do to help people find it, cannot be overstated; work can define who we are. It can give purpose and meaning to our lives. It permits us to apply our talents to contribute to society. It is essential to our financial well-being. It is the means by which we can each realise our dreams.

Our success in helping others realise their dreams depends entirely upon the trust and loyalty they have in us. Trust and loyalty is the most precious commodity in any business, but it cannot be bought or manufactured — it must be earned.

We are dedicated to earning the trust and loyalty of our Associates, Clients, Customers and the communities in which we operate, and one another, by performing our work in accordance with this Code of Business Conduct and our Core Values of Respect, Honesty and Integrity.