…our collective energy, commitment and intelligence. We’re a firm with a unique culture and brand who do things differently, yet what really distinguishes Grant Thornton is our people.
I believe in all of our people, trusting each and every one of you to live our values, make choices and do what you believe to be the right thing by our firm. After all, as a shared enterprise, it’s in all our best interests to share ideas and share responsibility in order to share the reward.
Sharing responsibility is about making a commitment to each other and understanding the consequences of falling short on this. This code of conduct forms a large part of that commitment, providing clarity on what’s expected of us as Grant Thornton people and as a firm. While it can’t govern every possible situation – it’s a key part of our wider stewardship, governance and risk management culture.
The code also provides guidance on where to get support when you have a concern or if you simply need some advice. Please use it to guide you through life with Grant Thornton, remembering that it’s not a substitute for our individual and collective responsibility to exercise professionalism and good judgment every day.
CEO
Bribery, as a form of corruption, is contrary to our Code of Conduct, which requires all our people to act without self-interest and with integrity. Our people must not facilitate corruption by others. To manage the risks associated with bribery and corruption our people are required to undertake due diligence on our clients and third-party relationships in accordance with the law and internal policy. Those providing services to us, or on our behalf, must also comply with the expectations outlined in our policy.
This is the foundation for a safe and healthy working environment that is free from discrimination and enables us all to be ourselves when working together
All complaints of behaviour that constitutes discrimination, bullying or harassment will be investigated. For our people, this could result in an informal or formal process and – depending on the seriousness of the matter – could result in disciplinary action or dismissal. We will withdraw from working with any clients or suppliers who do not treat our people with dignity and respect. Any behaviour which may be considered a criminal offence will be reported to the police.
If you would like to speak up in absolute confidence regarding a concern of discrimination, bullying and/or harassment, please contact the confidential whistleblowing hotline on 0808 196 5793.
You can learn more about the standards of behaviour we expect from all of our people in the firm’s code of conduct. You can also learn more about workplace bullying and harassment at gov.uk (workplace bullying and harassment or NHS.uk bullying at work).
We work with the government of the day and with other political parties as appropriate.
When engaging government we aim to reflect our broad client base and our experience of working with clients, encouraging policies that promote sustainable growth. We also engage in political and policy debate regarding our own profession.
We do not lobby government on behalf of individual clients. Grant Thornton UK LLP are not members of the UK Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists and do not provide consultant lobbying services to Government Representatives on behalf of clients.
We operate a strict policy of not providing financial donations to political parties or individual Politicians.
On occasion we are asked to provide technical analysis or expert insight, including on potential policy ideas, which could be defined as donations in-kind. When undertaking this activity we ensure they do not disproportionately advantage any party or political viewpoint.
For the purposes of the above, ‘government’ incudes national and devolved administrations, Parliament and national assemblies.
The government announced on 17 March 2020 that the implementation date for the legislation for Off Payroll Workers (OPW) or contractors, commonly known as IR35, will be deferred until 6 April 2021.
In response to this, we are currently assessing the impact of this on our business as well as the contractors we work with.
If you are a contractor engaged with the firm, prior to 6 April 2020 we may have already been in touch with you to discuss the impact of IR35 and the way we need to engage with you going forward. As the implementation date for the legislation has now moved and could impact previously agreed plans, we will be in contact in due course to advise on any required changes or to discuss proposed next steps.
If you have any further questions in the meantime, please get in touch with your firm contact.
Grant Thornton Business Services, a UK subsidiary within the Grant Thornton UK LLP group, falls into this category as a result of having more than 2,000 employees.
You can also contact the ethics team to obtain advice in confidence. If you do not wish to discuss a matter of concern with your people manager or practice leader, you can use the confidential whistleblowing hotline on 0808 196 5793. This service enables you to speak in confidence if you become aware of, or are concerned about, fraud, theft or other misconduct including injustice, harassment, bullying or other inappropriate behaviours.
The whistle-blowing phone-line is operated on behalf of the firm by a third party organisation.
To find out more, please download a copy of our whistle-blowing policy [ 277 kb ]
