Code of Conduct
LIBERAL SERVICES is an organisation set up to establish and maintain recruitment standards and codes of practice for the recruitment industry for it’s clients anywhere in the world. Liberal Services represents recruitment services throughout the world in compliance with its clients Code of Conducts & Ethics and also respecting the laws of the host countries of work where its clients operates its business. Liberal Services is opted for self-regulation, with the best possible service in terms of support, communication, advice sharing and problem solving and in doing so to promote professional competence within the industry within but not limited to Civil Infrastructure Development Projects and in Oil & Gas Sectors onshore, offshore Projects of any type & form.
Employees of Liberal Services will observe the highest principles of ethics, equity, integrity, professional conduct and fair practice in dealing with others and will conduct their business in a manner designed to enhance the operation, image and reputation of the recruitment industry and Liberal Services.
Ethical conduct is not simply compliance with legal requirements but extends to honesty, respect for and equitable treatment of others, integrity and social responsibility. It is conduct that holds up to disclosure and to public scrutiny. Liberal employees will act towards other recruitment professionals, candidates, clients and others at all times in good faith.
Liberal Services Code of Conduct is as follows:
1. General
It is the condition of Liberal Services and all it’s team Members, or employees engaged by them to its client or employed with Liberal Services as to represent their services to the clients shall comply with the Code of Conduct and by the rules and regulations outlines below and any conditions or amendments to these rules as approved.
Principle 1.1 – Respect for Laws
- Liberal staff must comply with all relevant legislation, statutory and non-statutory requirements and official guidance and any future amendments to such requirements during the course of providing their services to others.
Principle 1.2 – Respect for Honesty and Transparency
- Liberal staff will act honestly in all dealings with work seekers, clients, Liberal staff, non-Liberal staff and others.
- In the course of representing a work seeker or client, Liberal staff shall not knowingly make a false or inaccurate statement, fail to disclose a material fact, or make a representation as to future matters without having reasonable grounds for making it.
- Liberal staff must adhere to principles of truth in advertising and will only advertise positions, through any medium, for which they have documented permission to recruit.
- All fees, charges and service provided must be explicitly and fully disclosed to clients prior to the acceptance of an assignment, or prior to any work being undertaken for a client.
- Liberal staff should document all key stages of the recruitment process in line with relevant legislation and good practice guidance.
Principle 1.3 – Respect for Work Relationships
- Liberal staff will not undertake actions that may unfairly or unlawfully jeopardise a work seeker’s employment.
- Liberal staff will not undertake actions that may unfairly or unlawfully interfere in work relationships established by others.
- Liberal staff will not attempt unfairly or unlawfully to prevent a work seeker from seeking work from other sources.
- Liberal staff will in their dealings with all other Liberal staff and non-Liberal staff treat them with respect and aim to work in a fair and open competitive environment.
Principle 1.4 – Respect for Diversity
- Liberal staff should adhere to the spirit of all applicable human rights, employment laws and regulations and will treat work seekers, clients and others without prejudice or unjustified discrimination.
- Liberal staff will treat all work seekers and clients with dignity and respect and aim to provide equity of employment opportunities based on objective business related criteria.
Principle 1.5 – Respect for Safety
- Liberal staff will act diligently in assessing risks to work seekers and clients and will not knowingly put at risk candidates, clients, or others.
- Liberal staff will inform work seekers whenever they have reason to believe that an engagement may cause a risk to health and safety.
Principle 1.6 – Respect for Professional Knowledge
- Liberal staff will work diligently to develop and maintain a satisfactory level of relevant and current professional knowledge.
- Liberal staff will ensure that they are adequately trained and skilled to undertake their responsibilities in recruitment practice.
Principle 1.7 – Respect for Certainty of Engagement
- Liberal staff must supply work seekers with full details of the work, conditions of employment, nature of the work to be undertaken, rates of pay, method and frequency of payment, and pay arrangements in accordance with requirements of current legislation.
- Liberal staff will ensure that any variation to the engagement can only occur with prior notification and agreement of the worker.
Principle 1.8 – Respect for Prompt and Accurate Payment
- Liberal will pay promptly and accurately any wages and benefits due in accordance with any agreed terms and legal requirements
- Liberal staff should not penalize temporary/contract workers, for example for having been late or failed to attend part or all of an assignment or for poor performance, by making deductions from pay due for time that they have actually worked
- Liberal staff will not take on assignments that could result in their inability to pay temporary/contract workers.
Principle 1.9 – Respect for Ethical International Recruitment
- Liberal staff must supply all overseas work seekers with the same level of information as set out and implied in Principle 7. In addition, information provided should include details of the likely cost of living in the area the prospective hirer is situated, the likely length of the job in question and the state of the employment market in the field they are being recruited into. All information must be provided at no cost to the work seeker.
- Liberal staff must ensure that in relation to overseas recruitment they abide by all relevant legislation and provide all relevant and applicable information to work seekers, clients and others.
- Liberal staff should observe the highest principles of social responsibility, integrity, professionalism, equity and fair practice in their dealings with all overseas work seekers.
Principle 2.0 – Respect for Confidentiality and Privacy
- Liberal staff must observe the highest principles of integrity, professionalism, equity and fair practice to maintain the confidentiality and privacy of candidate and client information and should respect the confidentiality of records in accordance with the law and good business practice.
- Liberal staff must ensure that permission has been obtained and documented before disclosing, displaying, submitting or seeking confidential or personal information.
2. Applicant Handling/ Confidentiality
(a) Applicants must be treated in a courteous and dignified manner at all times. Under absolutely no circumstances will an applicant be bullied or coerced by a member company. Their right to privacy must be respected including their right to be interviewed in a private area in accordance with health & safety regulations. Regard must be had to the employment Equality Acts.
(b) All applicants must be interviewed by the agency prior to being put forward to the client. (An interview may be by telephone or face-to-face however if an interview has not been face-to-face the client must be informed.
(c) Applicants must be given full details of any job which Liberal or it’s clients intend to recommend them and permission must be sought from the applicant. An applicant’s permission must be sought and obtained before his or her details are revealed to an employer/client of Liberal Services. Liberal should also determine whether or not the applicant has been approached by another agency about the same job.
(d) References must not be sought without an applicant’s consent
(e) Liberal Services must protect the confidentiality of any information obtained in the course of a recruitment assignment and use such information only for the purpose of staff selection and recruitment.
(f) Where testing procedures are taking place, there tests must be carried out by properly licensed and qualified testers and must comply with normal standards and ethics of test procedures.
(g) Full regard must be given to the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation; concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector as transposed into practicing Law by general ethics of Electronic Communications Networks and Services Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations at all times. In this respect Members are required to have in place the following provisions to ensure compliance with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation):
1) Conduct a yearly Data Audit identifying:
a. Why Liberal Services is holding data?
b. How did Liberal Services obtain data?
c. Why the data was originally gathered?
d. How long will Liberal Services retain data?
e. How secure the data is, both in terms of encryption and accessibility?
f. Whether the data is ever shared with third parties and on what basis this might be done?
2) Conduct an audit of Liberal Services’s legal bases for processing data and clearly set that out in a policy document, including where necessary conducting a Legitimate Interest Assessment in respect of processes relying on legitimate interest as a lawful basis for processing
3) Conduct an audit of Liberal Services’s ability to comply with the six data processing principles
4) Conduct an audit of Liberal Services’s ability to comply with the rights and entitlements of data subjects
5) Where appropriate conduct Data Processing Impact Assessment(s)
6) Publish and implement
a. Privacy Policy and/or Data Protection Policy
b. Data Retention Policy
c. Data Security Policy
d. Data Transfer Policy
e. Data Processing Agreement(s) where appropriate
f. Data Sharing Agreement(s) where appropriate
g. Implementation Process Review
7) Ensure all staff are properly informed and trained in relation to their responsibilities in respect of GDPR
8) Ensure that the Liberal Services is ready to respond to a Data Subject Access Request and has a readily accessible process in place to respond to a data subject’s exercise of their rights and entitlements in accordance with GDPR.
9) Ensure that Liberal Services is ready to implement a procedure in accordance with the GDPR time dependent requirements for breach notification
10) Appoint a Data Protection Officer where appropriate
5. Temporary/ Contract Applicants
(a) Rule 4 shall apply to all applicants for temporary or contract employment.
(b) Full details of the work, conditions of employment, method and frequency of payment must be supplied to applicants prior to assignment to temporary employment in accordance with requirements of current
legislation.
(c) All payments, tax refunds, benefits and tax certificates must be given promptly to temporary employees with due.
6. Clients (Employer) Handling
(a) Liberal Services must provide full details of fees, charges, expenses and all Terms and Conditions of Business (confirmed in writing) before proceeding with a recruitment assignment.
(b) Liberal Services is not allowed under any circumstances to “poach” applicants whom they have places in permanent employment without the express permission of the employer.
(c) Liberal Services must protect the confidentiality of any information obtained on client’s business in the course of a recruitment assignment and use such information only for the purpose of staff selection and recruitment for that client.
7) Advertising
(a) Only real jobs that Liberal Services is authorised to promote may be advertised.
For Further Information:
Tel: 8801740100100
[email protected]