Communication on Progress

Participant
Published
  • 13-Jun-2014
Time period
  • June 2013  –  June 2014
Format
  • Stand alone document – Basic COP Template
Differentiation Level
  • This COP qualifies for the Global Compact Active level
Self-assessment
  • Includes a CEO statement of continued support for the UN Global Compact and its ten principles
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Human Rights
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Labour
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Environment
  • Description of actions or relevant policies related to Anti-Corruption
  • Includes a measurement of outcomes
 
  • Statement of continued support by the Chief Executive Officer
  • Statement of the company's chief executive (CEO or equivalent) expressing continued support for the Global Compact and renewing the company's ongoing commitment to the initiative and its principles.

  • Dear Secretary-General

    I am pleased to confirm that Infocredit Group is committed to continuing their support of the principles of the United Nations Global Compact. We will continue to adopt the relevant strategies and ensure our policies are in line with the human rights, labour and Environment and Anti-Corruption principles.

    As a key requirement of our participation in the United Nations Global Compact, this Communication Progress outlines the actions our company has taken over the past year to implement and support the ten principles and we are committed to submitting our progress annually.

    Sincerely,

    Theodoros Kringou
    Managing Director

Human Rights
  • Assessment, policy and goals
  • Description of the relevance of human rights for the company (i.e. human rights risk-assessment). Description of policies, public commitments and company goals on Human Rights.

  • Infocredit Group has a company code of conduct which outlines our values, ethics and beliefs upon which we base our business operations. We are committed to operating in a responsible manner and take into account human rights in terms of forced labour, harassment, and equal opportunities, at every level of our operations.

  • Implementation
  • Description of concrete actions to implement Human Rights policies, address Human Rights risks and respond to Human Rights violations.

  • Infocredit Group is committed to tackling any issues concerning human rights violations experienced by our employees and have implemented a company- wide procedure, through the Action Request, which is accessible to all employees via the company intranet. The Action Request form allows all employees to lodge any complaints or violations in procedures which affect their ability to work.

  • Measurement of outcomes
  • Description of how the company monitors and evaluates performance.

  • We monitor the number of action requests we receive to evaluate our performance concerning human rights violations within Infocredit Group. The Action Requests are received directly by the General Manger of Infocredit Group who is responsible for assessing the request. During the management review meetings, issues including human rights violations or complaints from employees are discussed.

Labour
  • Assessment, policy and goals
  • Description of the relevance of labour rights for the company (i.e. labour rights-related risks and opportunities). Description of written policies, public commitments and company goals on labour rights.

  • Infocredit Group’s company policy makes provisions for our responsibilities concerning labour and the rights of our employees. The company policy explicitly outlines our position and confirms that we do not tolerate forced labour, underage employment or discrimination of employees on any grounds. This policy extends companywide to Infocredit Group and our affiliates. Our goal for the coming year is to evaluate our suppliers and external providers to ensure they maintain compliance with principles 3, 4, 5 and 6 in terms of labour and their operations.

  • Implementation
  • Description of concrete actions taken by the company to implement labour policies, address labour risks and respond to labour violations.

  • Infocredit Group maintains an Action Request procedure which allows employees to lodge any complaints or violations in terms of labour principles and raise these with the management team.
    As part of our quality management system, Infocredit Group has a dedicated Health, Safety and Environment Committee, which is headed by the HSE coordinator. This team is responsible for the regular review of the company’s Health and Safety procedures and for making all employees aware of these. Additionally, key employees have undertaken the required fire safety training and first aid training. The HSE committee reports regularly to the management team to ensure procedures are reviewed and maintained, ensuring the safety of all Infocredit Group employees.
    Within our company policy, we also make provisions for tackling discriminations, whether this is on the grounds of gender, race, religion, age etc. Furthermore, we promote a fair working environment and ensure equal opportunities for all employees. All employees are compensated fairly for their working contributions, which are outline within each individual’s employment agreement.

  • Measurement of outcomes
  • Description of how the company monitors and evaluates performance.

  • Infocredit Group has a diverse workforce; we have both female and male employees with an age range from 20 to 45 years of age. Additionally, as an international company, our employees have an international mind-set and come from a range of countries including: Cyprus, UK, Poland, Lebanon, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and US.
    Furthermore the management team undertake regular reviews of the companies principles concerning labour and employment, to ensure no violations occur.

Environment
  • Assessment, policy and goals
  • Description of the relevance of environmental protection for the company (i.e. environmental risks and opportunities). Description of policies, public commitments and company goals on environmental protection.

  • Infocredit Group takes its responsibility to the environment seriously. Our company policy outlines our commitment to maintain an environmentally friendly approach and as such, minimise our impact on the external environment.

  • Implementation
  • Description of concrete actions to implement environmental policies, address environmental risks and respond to environmental incidents.

  • We implement specific procedures and provisions, in line with our code of conduct to ensure we maintain an environmentally friendly approach. We have a dedicated HSE (health, safety and environment) committee who is responsible for implementing and maintain environmentally friendly initiatives within the company. We use FSC paper from responsible sources which is also EU Ecolable approved. We print double sided and shred all paper which is collected and recycled by the municipality services, printing and toner cartridges are returned to the distributor for recycling. Furthermore the supplier of toners has provided relevant documentation that the used toner cartridges are not classified as hazardous to the environment.
    In terms of hazardous chemicals, we ensure the detergents utilised in the cleaning of the premises are not classified as hazardous to the environment or to aquatic organisms. Furthermore we have a recycling point for batteries, located in the reception of the building which is accessible to all employees.
    Additionally, the HSE committee has assigned an employee on each of the three floors of our building, to ensure lights, air conditioning and unused switches are turned off before leaving at night.

  • Measurement of outcomes
  • Description of how the company monitors and evaluates environmental performance.

  • The HSE committee is something that has been implemented within the last year and demonstrates our dedication to maintaining an environmentally friendly approach. As part of that, we have adopted new procedures including the battery recycling initiative and assigning a member of each floor to be responsible for the lights and air conditioning.
    The HSE committee report meets regularly to discuss current environmental policies and discuss improvements. Environmental issues are also discussed within the management meetings.

Anti-Corruption
  • Assessment, policy and goals
  • Description of the relevance of anti-corruption for the company (i.e. anti-corruption risk-assessment). Description of policies, public commitments and company goals on anti-corruption.

  • Infocredit Groups policy statement dictates that the working infrastructure securely instils the continuity of our business including the security of information we handle. Additionally, we ensure we maintain a compliant approach to our business operations, in line with global regulations. We do not tolerate corruption or bribery and ensure our operations are not compromised. Due to the sensitive nature of our services and the fact that we hold databases with private information, we ensure we have extensive information security procedures in place.
    For the coming year, it is our goal to ensure that all providers and external suppliers are also assessed to ensure they maintain their compliance with anti-corruption principles.

  • Implementation
  • Description of concrete actions to implement anti-corruption policies, address anti-corruption risks and respond to incidents.

  • Infocredit Group maintains an Action Request procedure which allows employees to lodge any issues concerning corruption which may have affected the company and their working procedures.
    Client facing teams within Infocredit Group also undertake specific trainings to ensure they are competent in identifying risks relating to corruption and bribery. Certain teams, such as our debt collection agents, go through further training to ensure they have the negotiation skills to handle debtors who may try and get out of their debt payment obligations

  • Measurement of outcomes
  • Description of how the company monitors and evaluates anti-corruption performance.

  • Our management team regularly reviews our procedures and training provided to employees to ensure they have a high level of understanding concerning corruption and how to approach situations concerning bribery.
    Additionally, we maintain compliance in line with global legislation and screen clients during our client acceptance procedure to ensure they are not involved in any suspicious activities concerning money laundering etc.