Our Policies

Equal Opportunities Policy

PPA is an Equal Opportunities Employer and has a policy for this purpose. This policy covers all aspects of employment from vacancy advertising, selection recruitment and training to conditions of service and reasons for termination of employment.

The aim of this policy is to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, race, disability, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, marital status and sexuality, responsibility for dependants, religion, trade union activity and age.

Selection criteria and procedures will be kept under review to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and treated on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities. All employees will be given equality of opportunity within the company's service and will be encouraged to progress within the organisation. To ensure that direct or indirect discrimination is not occurring, recruitment and other employment decisions will be regularly monitored in conjunction with ethnic records of job applicants and existing employees. The company is committed to a programme of action to make this policy fully effective.

The company has voluntarily adopted the relevant sections of the general duty to promote race equality required of public authorities as a result of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act
2000. This requires that the company shall in carrying out its functions, have due regard to the need:
" To eliminate unlawful racial discrimination
" To promote equality of opportunity and good relations between persons of different racial groups.

The company shall abide by the guiding principles contained in the statutory code of practice on the duty to promote race equality as laid out in the consultation draft and subsequent versions.

To ensure that this policy is operating effectively (and for no other purpose) PPA maintains records of employees' and applicants' racial origins, gender and disability. Ongoing monitoring and regular analysis of such records provide the basis for appropriate action to eliminate unlawful direct and indirect discrimination and promote equality of opportunity. Where necessary, employees will be able to check/correct their own record of these details. Otherwise, access to this information will be strictly restricted.

Customer Care Policy Statement

PPA Customer Care Policy Statement formally acknowledges that the quality of service provided to our customers is of the highest priority to all PPA consultants. We are committed to maximising the benefits to customers through the services we provide.

All staff are committed to assisting customers and demonstrating that they care about their needs.

All staff will provide a competent, courteous, helpful and friendly service to the highest professional standards.

At all times staff will seek to demonstrate a flexible and responsive attitude to customers.

Confidentiality

PPA will maintain strict confidentiality with client information and between client projects.

Every employee has a responsibility to the company, its suppliers and customers to treat all information received as confidential.
It is PPA policy to treat any client or supplier's information with sensitivity and not disclose this internally or externally unless the information already exists within the public domain.

It is the role of the project manager (PM) to ensure all staff involved with a project are briefed on any special security or confidentiality agreements. The PM should also remind staff at the beginning of each project of this policy and confirm they have read and understood its contents.

It is common practice to make use of Non-Disclosure Agreements, and these can take the form of client's agreements or PPA standard agreement which is incorporated in the sample standard contract.

Security

PPA recognises that security and the protection of information and data are an essential part of maintaining client confidentiality and confidence.

To this end, the techniques of British Standard BS 7799:1999 (Code of Practice for Information Security Management) are used by the Company. Additional procedures and controls are applied to client projects where applicable.

All computing systems are protected from computer viruses by Virus Scan NT Anti-Virus software, regularly updated and ready for new viruses.