MODERN SLAVERY TRANSPARENCY STATEMENT
Last updated: June 20th, 2024
This statement is made on behalf of Hootsuite Inc. and its subsidiaries ("Hootsuite"). We are publishing this statement in accordance with the United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018 as a demonstration of our commitment to anti-slavery practices and an affirmation of the values we hold and adopt across our business.
Hootsuite is dedicated to ensuring that the way we conduct our business reflects our values and our belief that everyone should be treated with dignity and mutual respect in an environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. We are committed to practices that combat modern slavery and human trafficking, and to working with and encouraging any suppliers to uphold the principles in this statement.
Our organisational structure and business
Hootsuite is a leading social media management platform which integrates social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Hootsuite allows its users to, amongst other things, manage their social media from a single dashboard.
Hootsuite Inc. is the ultimate parent company of the Hootsuite group of companies and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. We operate and have subsidiaries all over the world, including UK based Hootsuite Media UK Limited and Australia based Hootsuite Media Aus Pty Ltd.
Our staff
We are committed to maintaining a fair and ethical workplace for all our staff, free of bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence. We prohibit the use of all forms of forced labour and any form of human trafficking.
Our Respectful Workplace Policy provides that employees of Hootsuite must:
treat co-workers with dignity and respect;
not engage in, and prevent workplace discrimination and harassment from occurring; and
report unresolved incidents of inappropriate workplace behaviour.
We also ensure compliance with all applicable employment legislation relating to employee recruitment and terms and conditions, including obtaining right to work evidence and ensuring that no staff in our global offices are paid less than the applicable national minimum or living wage.
Our supply chains and modern slavery risks
Hootsuite remains vigilant and monitors the level of risk involved through any of our supply chains and will take appropriate measures if a higher risk of modern slavery is deemed to exist.
Hootsuite’s business focuses on the provision of a software-as-a-service platform and professional services. There is no traditional manufacturing of products or “goods” that can be associated with modern slavery.
Hootsuite uses a limited number of outside consultants and contractors. Any such use is limited to the provision of professional services (e.g software development).
Our vendors are typically hosting or other cloud service providers, as is usually the case for software-as-a-service businesses.
Our subsidiaries, our customers and our vendors are generally located in jurisdictions where we do not consider there to be a high risk of modern slavery.
We ensure we have a robust recruitment process - our HR teams ensure that employees have the requisite authorisations to work in the applicable location.
Overall, and on the basis of the above, Hootsuite does not consider that there is a high risk of modern slavery existing in our supply chain.
Our policies in relation to slavery and human trafficking
We have implemented policies as part of our commitment to ethical business practices. In addition to our Respectful Workplace Policy, we also have in place a Code of Ethics which requires employees of Hootsuite to conduct business in a way that is fair, ethical and honest and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Vendors
We expect all our contractors, suppliers and other business partners to uphold the same high standards as Hootsuite, by ensuring all employees and workers are treated with dignity and respect in a fair and ethical environment. We endeavour to review potential areas of risk in relation to our business and where applicable, in respect of suppliers, consider the nature of what is being supplied and the location from where it is being supplied. We will continue to look to manage any risks identified.
Our Vendor Code of Conduct (the "Code") outlines our expectations regarding the practices and values that our vendors should comply with in order to engage with Hootsuite. The Code is not intended to limit or exclude any other legal or contractual obligations that vendors may owe to Hootsuite. The Code should be viewed as a set of minimum standards expected from the Hootsuite vendor community to ensure vendors share Hootsuite’s commitment to human rights and equal opportunity in the workplace
Training
It is important to us that our employees are aware of the issues surrounding modern slavery and support our values. We intend to work with relevant employees to reinforce any steps that should be taken and to remind them of the channels through which any concerns can be reported.
Looking ahead
The risk of modern slavery in our supply chain is low due to the nature of our services, our supply chain and the industry that we operate in. We maintain robust codes of conduct and policies that our employees and vendors are expected to adhere to. We will continue to monitor and develop our practices in respect of combating slavery or human trafficking. Our legal function is responsible for checking and testing the success of our commitments, and will work to ensure we meet our expectations.
This statement is given on behalf of Hootsuite for the financial year ending 31 December 2023. It sets out the steps taken during the financial year to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking in our business and supply chains.
Board approval of this statement was given on May 30, 2024. It was signed by Hootsuite Inc’s Chief Executive Officer on May 30, 2024.