Modern Slavery Statement

Modern Slavery Statement for Financial Year 2025-2026

This statement is made pursuant to s.54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and sets out the steps that The Zen Master Group has taken and is continuing to take to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking are not taking place within our business or supply chain.

1. Our Organisation and Supply Chains

The Zen Master Group is a temporary employment agency providing skilled staff for the Corporate Hospitality and Events industry across the UK. We provide Service Staff, Managers, Supervisors, SIA Licensed Security, Event Stewards, and Hostesses.

We operate in the UK labor market, which has a robust legal framework; however, we recognise that the temporary staffing, hospitality, and security sectors are widely identified as higher-risk areas for modern slavery and labour exploitation. Our supply chains primarily consist of the procurement of labour, uniforms, and office consumables.

2. Assessing and Managing Risk

We have identified that the greatest risk of modern slavery to our business lies in the recruitment of temporary staff, particularly regarding identity fraud, forced labour, and “debt bondage” (where workers pay fees to agents to secure work).

To manage this risk, we classify our activities into risk areas:

• High Risk: Recruitment of temporary workforce (Hospitality & Security staff).

• Medium Risk: Procurement of uniforms and goods from external suppliers.

• Low Risk: Internal head office operations.

Our risk management process involves mapping the supply chain and ensuring all recruitment is conducted directly or through approved partners subject to the same rigorous checks.

3. Policies in Relation to Modern Slavery

We operate a number of internal policies to ensure we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner. These have been reviewed in light of the March 2025 Statutory Guidance:

1. Anti-Slavery Policy: Sets out our zero-tolerance stance and explains how employees can identify and report signs of slavery.

2. Recruitment Policy: strict adherence to “Right to Work” checks. We do not accept mobile phone photographs of documents; we require original documentation or digital verification via the Home Office ECS service.

3. Whistleblowing Policy: Ensures all employees (permanent and temporary) can raise concerns about treatment or practices without fear of reprisal.

4. Code of Business Conduct: Explains the behavioural standards expected of our employees and suppliers.

4. Due Diligence Processes

We undertake due diligence when considering taking on new suppliers and regularly review our existing suppliers.

• Suppliers: We maintain a preferred supplier list. We conduct due diligence on all suppliers, which includes online searches for previous convictions and, where applicable, on-site audits to review working conditions.

• Employees: We utilise the Home Office Employer Checking Service (ECS) to verify right-to-work documents for applicants where physical document validity is in question.

• Payment Verification: We ensure all staff are paid directly into a bank account in their own name, a key control to prevent forced labour where wages are siphoned off by traffickers.

5. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

To measure the effectiveness of our steps to combat modern slavery, we track the following performance indicators for the 2024/2025 financial year:

• Training: 100% of our internal recruitment team have completed advanced Modern Slavery awareness training.

• Incident Reporting: We received 0 reports via our whistleblowing channel regarding modern slavery concerns. 

• Right to Work: 100% of employees placed on assignment had verified Right to Work checks prior to deployment.

6. Training

We regularly conduct training for our recruitment and operations teams so they understand the signs of modern slavery (e.g., workers with identical addresses, lack of access to their own bank accounts, or signs of physical/psychological abuse) and what to do if they suspect it.

7. Future Steps (2025-2026)

We are committed to continuous improvement. Over the next 12 months, we will:

• Review our KPIs to ensure they measure effectiveness rather than just activity.

• Refresh our staff training to include specific modules on the “psychological signs” of forced labour.
  
  
  

Approval for this statement This statement was approved by the Board of Directors on 30/11/2025

Name (Director): Alok Shinde

Date: 30/11/2025