Our Policies

Our Policies

 

Hardies are committed to high standards of corporate governance and investment in staff and our policies and guidelines include the following:

Quality Standards

Our accreditation under ISO 9001:2015 reflects our commitment to best practice and continuous improvement. Internal quality audits are carried out regularly and a full time staff member is dedicated to ensuring that agreed operational procedures are fully implemented.

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Continuing Professional Development and Training

Hardies general policy is to comply with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Code of Professional Conduct which places an obligation on the Partners to provide adequate resources in terms of qualified staff to complete works undertaken by the Firm. The practice meets this requirement by:

  1. Ensuring appropriately qualified staff are recruited
  2. Maintaining records of staff qualification and experience
  3. Formulating and implementing a policy for staff training

Individual members of staff have a responsibility to ensure all necessary training is identified and requested where appropriate. This would include CPD requirements as laid down by the RICS and any other training deemed necessary. All new employees are taken through an induction process within their particular office. The new employee is directed to our Wiki where Hardies Staff Manual and Quality Assurance System Manual are held. The Business Manager is available to provide clarification or further information.

Health and Safety

Health and Safety

The management of Hardies Property and Construction Consultants recognises that it has a legal duty of care towards protecting the Health and Safety of its employees and others who may be affected by the Firm’s activities. In order to discharge its responsibilities the management will:

  • Provide an organisational structure that defines the responsibilities for health and safety
  • Ensure that the systems and procedures relating to this Policy Statement are rigorously applied
  • Provide adequate control of the health and safety risks arising from our work activities
  • Consult with our employees on matters affecting their health and safety
  • Provide and maintain safe plant and equipment
  • Ensure the safe handling and use of hazardous substances provide information, instruction and supervision for employees
  • Provide adequate training and ensure that all employees are competent to do their tasks
  • Prevent accidents and cases of work-related ill-health
  • Maintain safe and healthy working conditions
  • Satisfy itself that any organisation who is contracted to carry out work for the Firm is able to demonstrate that it pays due regard to health and safety matters
  • Bring this Policy Statement to the attention of all employees and seek their co-operation in supporting the management in its efforts to establish and maintain a safe and healthy working environment.
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Equal Opportunities

Hardies is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to ensuring within the framework of the law that our workplaces are free from unlawful or unfair discrimination on the grounds of disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sex gender (including gender reassignment), sexual orientation, age, marital status, religious or other similar philosophical belief. We aim to ensure that our employees achieve their full potential and that all employment decisions are taken without reference to irrelevant or discriminatory criteria. We have adopted this policy as a means of helping to achieve these aims.

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Environmental

Impaired environments affect the quality of life and the well-being of everyone. Hardies believe that every commercial organisation has its part to play in ensuring sustainable development in the long term. In recognition of our environmental responsibilities, Hardies are accredited under ISO 14001:2015 which reflects our commitment to best practice and continuous environmental improvement.

  • Raising awareness within the Firm (Partners and Staff) or environmental issues.
  • Raising awareness with clients on environmental issues in connection with professional advice provided.
  • Improvising knowledge and expertise on environmental issues by attendance at relevant courses, seminars, etc.
  • Employing, where possible, local people to reduce traffic pollution and effect and effect on the environment.
  • Using recycled products for business use wherever possible.
  • Wherever possible increasing energy efficiency on building sites and encouraging lower running costs of buildings.
  • Promoting more transparent procurement procedures, so that materials from renewable sources, such as timber, can be more easily, cheaply, and reliably obtained.
  • Fostering better standards of design in both buildings and the wider urban fabric.
  • Promoting better standards in health and safety for all construction workers.

Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking

Hardies Property & Construction Consultants are committed to improving our practices to combat slavery and human trafficking. Modern slavery and human trafficking is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.

Hardies Property & Construction Consultants has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and human trafficking and we are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our own business or in any of our suppliers. Hardies is also committed to ensuring there is transparency in our own business and in our approach to tackling modern slavery and human trafficking throughout our supply chains, consistent with our disclosure obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. We expect the same high standards from all of our contractors, suppliers and other business partners.

Organisation’s structure
Hardies is one of the largest independent firms of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland with thirteen offices strategically located across the country. Hardies provides a comprehensive and complementary range of property and construction professional services across the board to both the private and public sectors.

Our business
Hardies services are principally involved in three main areas:

  • Quantity & Building Surveying Services
  • Project Management
  • Principal Designer Services

But offer many more services such as dispute resolution, health & safety services etc.

Our supply chains
We procure a wide variety of goods and services, from networks and IT services to stationery and consultancy. Some of these products and services we use in our own business (like waste disposal services and stationery) and some we use as part of what we use to provide to our clients. On top of that, many of our suppliers have their own suppliers. Therefore our supply chain is large and complex. So we prioritise attention on companies that supply high value products or services, or things without which our business could not run.

Our policies on slavery and human trafficking
We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business. Our Anti-slavery and Human Trafficking Policy reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our supply chains.

Due diligence processes for slavery and human trafficking
As part of our initiative to identify and mitigate risk, we have in place systems to:

  • Identify and assess potential risk areas in our supply chains.
  • Monitor potential risk areas in our supply chains.
  • Encourage whistleblowing and protect whistle-blowers.

Supplier adherence to our values
We have zero tolerance to modern slavery and human trafficking. To ensure all those in our supply chain and contractors comply with our values, we have in place for new contracts a requirement that clearly set out a requirement that suppliers and their sub-contractors must adhere to the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

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