Z Staffing - Modern Slavery Statement

Acknowledgement of Country

Z Recruitment Pty Ltd (ACN 636 213 842) and its subsidiaries trading as, or operating the business, ‘Z Staffing’ (Z Staffing) respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands across Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Introduction

At Z Staffing, we are dedicated to conducting our business ethically and with integrity in all our dealings and relationships. We have established and are continuously improving systems and controls which reflect our zero tolerance approach to all forms of modern slavery. 

While we do not meet the revenue thresholds for disclosure obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) (Act), this statement reflects our commitment to maintaining transparency in our approach to addressing modern slavery throughout our corporate and trading activities. This statement is made by Z Staffing and covers the period of 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.

Z Staffing opposes slavery in all its forms. Our annual review process includes proactive measures to detect, address, and reduce the risk of modern slavery within our operations. These efforts are integrated into our governance and operational structures.

Group Organisational Structure

Z Staffing is at the forefront of delivering innovative staffing solutions through technological advancement, primarily serving the early childhood education sector and other industries. As a privately owned entity, we have refined our operations through thoughtful structural changes to bolster our service provision and efficiency.

Our parent company is Z Recruitment Pty Ltd (ACN 658 127 630), with its head office in Australia. From 2019, we focussed on developing a resilient infrastructure for our trailblazing app-based service, which was successfully launched in February 2022.

The launch and subsequent adoption of our application signified a pivotal shift in our business model and revenue streams. To accommodate the business’ evolution and operational growth, Z Staffing provides its bi-directional services via wholly owned subsidiaries which streamline our operational endeavours, directly overseeing staffing and employment services.

This structural refinement enables Z Staffing to concentrate on the essential activities at the heart of our mission: providing efficient, technologically advanced staffing solutions to our clients, all the while maintaining our dedication to ethical business practices.

Our Core Values and Ethical Commitment

At Z Staffing, our values underpin every aspect of our business operations

  • Go the extra mile: Every time.
  • Positive energy only: Solve problems and lift people higher.
  • Performance matters: The greater good will always win.
  • Detail matters: It’s too important to get it wrong.
  • Speed matters: Move fast, learn fast, improve fast.
  • Service mentality: Giving and contributing before taking.
  • Respect everyone.  Work as a team.  Have Fun.

Our vision is to create a world where there are no staff shortages.  Our mission is to revolutionise all aspects of casual work.  These both drive us to be vigilant against the risks of modern slavery, as this runs counter to the individual empowerment we aspire to provide.

Our Business and Supply Chains

Z Staffing's operations are currently predominantly confined within Australia, specialising in the provision of labour hire and staffing services to businesses via our bespoke technology platform. Our supply chains principally consist of engagements with individual educators, professional services, software development firms, marketing agencies, and an array of service providers that underpin our operational capabilities.

Assessing the Risks

Z Staffing acknowledges that the risks of modern slavery practices can arise in various facets of operations and supply chains unless properly managed. We recognise that our responsibility extends beyond ensuring fair work practices in our direct operations to taking steps to minimise risks in our supply chains. As a result, we adopt a proactive and vigilant approach to identify, assess, and effectively mitigate these risks throughout all aspects of our operations. 

The primary risks are identified in the sourcing of third-party service providers, particularly in sectors like software development and professional services, which might have extended supply chains of their own, obscured from direct view.

Our approach to identifying and assessing risks of modern slavery includes conducting risk assessments involving an analysis of our operations, the nature of our supply chains, and the geographies in which our suppliers operate.Should our assessments reveal any concerns, we take appropriate action. This may involve engaging with the supplier to address the issue and, if necessary, implementing remediation processes. 

We also have related policies, including our Grievance Policy (which outlines the processes for employees raising concerns or grievances) (Policy). Ensuring the function of reporting mechanisms for child safeguarding are critical components. As part of the Grievance Policy, we have ensured the following has been satisfied:

  • Accessibility and confidentiality: we have made reporting mechanisms easily accessible to all employees and stakeholders, including anonymous options and encouragement to come forward with any concerns;
  • Clear procedures: the Policy outlines who to contact, how to make a report, and what information to provide;
  • Training process: the Policy requires that employees are adequately trained on how to recognise and respond to signs of exploitation or abuse;
  • Review and evaluation: Z Staffing will regularly review and evaluate its reporting mechanisms to identify areas for improvement, which may involve soliciting feedback from employees, as well as conducting internal audits or reviews of past cases. 

Modern Slavery Governance

Our processes relating to modern slavery are facilitated by a “top-down approach” ensuring a robust due diligence process. Within this structure:

  • The board is responsible for the overall direction of our approach to addressing modern slavery and the oversight and approval of our modern slavery statement; and
  • Our Head of Finance and General Managers oversee the implementation and monitoring of our approach across business operations.

Effectiveness of Actions

The effectiveness of our actions is monitored through annual reviews and/or audits of our processes and supplier engagements. We evaluate the outcomes of our due diligence processes and adjust our strategies accordingly. Our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for assessing effectiveness include the number of supplier audits completed and the remedial actions taken in response to identified risks.

Consultation Process

We conduct a consultation process with the entities we control, including strategy and compliance sessions, to encourage open dialogue to ensure our collective efforts in combating modern slavery are aligned and effective.

Training

In line with our value of Inclusion, we will provide training as part of the employee induction process and client/supplier onboarding process to ensure an understanding of the risks of modern slavery is communicated across our operations.

These training sessions will be tailored to cater to the requirements within the organisation. The overarching aim of this initiative is to empower our team with an understanding of environmental, social and governance principles and the nuances surrounding Modern Slavery. This includes:

  • delivering annual Modern Slavery training to all employees;
  • establishing early childhood education specific training with an eye to environmental, social and governance principles;
  • introducing employee incentives with regard to employee training.

Conclusion

At Z Staffing, we hold ourselves accountable to our core values of Growth, Inclusion, Value Teamwork, and Experience. This is reflected in the strategy outlined in this statement, which will be revised and updated regularly to ensure it remains effective and responsive to any new risks as they emerge.

Approval

This statement was approved by the Board of directors of Z Recruitment Pty Ltd on 15/03/2024.