Modern Slavery Awareness: A Workplace Guide for Employees

Modern slavery is not a distant issue confined to headlines about overseas factories. It happens in the UK, in ordinary-looking workplaces, warehouses, farms, construction sites, care homes and supply chains that feed into businesses of every size. Every employee has a part to play in recognising it, and every organisation has obligations around it. This guide explains what modern slavery looks like, what UK law requires of larger businesses, and what to do if you're concerned about someone.

What is modern slavery?

Modern slavery is an umbrella term covering slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking. It involves one person controlling another through coercion, threats, deception, or abuse of power, typically to exploit them for labour, services, or financial gain. It can affect UK and non-UK nationals, adults and children, and it is rarely as visible as physical restraint — control is more often psychological, financial or documentary, such as confiscating someone's passport or trapping them in debt they can never repay.

According to the Global Slavery Index (Walk Free, 2023 report, using 2021 data), an estimated 122,000 people were living in modern slavery in the UK. Because victims are deliberately hidden and rarely self-identify, the true figure is difficult to pin down — but every credible source agrees this is a live issue within the UK workforce, not just something that happens abroad.

The UK Modern Slavery Act 2015

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 consolidated and strengthened UK offences relating to slavery, servitude and forced labour, and human trafficking, alongside tools like Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders. For employees, the part of the Act most likely to be visible day-to-day is the transparency in supply chains requirement.

Under this provision, commercial organisations that supply goods or services, carry on a business (or part of one) in the UK, and have an annual global turnover of £36 million or more must publish an annual modern slavery statement, approved by the board (or equivalent) and signed off by a director. Government guidance recommends the statement cover six areas:

• The organisation's structure and supply chains
• Policies on slavery and human trafficking
• Due diligence processes
• Risk assessment and management
• Key performance indicators used to measure progress
• Training provided to staff on modern slavery and trafficking

Statements must be published within six months of the organisation's financial year end. Importantly, a business does not have to claim its supply chains are "slavery free" — it has to be honest about the risks it faces and the steps it is taking to address them. If your organisation is in scope, HR or the compliance team can usually point you to the current published statement.

Where the risk shows up

Modern slavery risk sits in two places for most employers: the direct workforce, and the wider supply chain.

In the direct workforce

Look out for colleagues, agency staff, or contractors who seem to have no control over their own pay, hours, accommodation or documents. Recruitment routes that bypass normal checks — for example, workers supplied through an unfamiliar agency, paid in cash with no payslips, or housed by the person who also controls their work — are worth a second look.

In the supply chain

Risk tends to concentrate in labour-intensive, lower-visibility tiers: agricultural work, cleaning and facilities contracts, textiles, construction, and hospitality supply chains, particularly where subcontracting is layered several levels deep and oversight thins out the further you go from the buyer.

Recognising the signs

No single sign confirms modern slavery, but a combination of indicators should prompt you to raise a concern rather than investigate yourself. Common indicators include:

• Working unusually long hours with little or no rest, or being dropped off and collected in groups by the same vehicle
• Being paid less than the National Minimum Wage, paid irregularly, or not paid directly at all
• No employment contract, or one the worker cannot explain in their own words
• Lack of access to personal identity documents, passports or bank cards, which someone else appears to hold
• Appearing frightened, withdrawn, anxious or reluctant to speak in front of a particular individual
• Signs of physical or psychological abuse, untreated injuries, or a malnourished or unkempt appearance
• Living in cramped, overcrowded accommodation controlled by the employer, or living and working at the same address
• Lack of appropriate protective equipment, clothing or training for the work being done

Modern slavery and forced labour concerns often surface alongside other workplace issues covered in Learnsignal's guide to handling whistleblowing disclosures, so it's worth understanding both together — a colleague who raises a concern about exploitation is, in effect, making a disclosure that deserves the same care and confidentiality as any other.

What to do if you're concerned

You do not need proof, and you should never try to intervene directly or confront a suspected trafficker. Instead:

• Report internally through your organisation's designated route — this might be a line manager, HR, a safeguarding lead, or a whistleblowing channel, depending on your employer's policy.
• Call the Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline on 08000 121 700, run by the anti-slavery charity Unseen. It's free, confidential, and available every day of the year, and can advise on next steps even if you're unsure whether what you've seen counts as modern slavery.
• In an emergency, or where someone is in immediate danger, call 999.

Employees should never feel they have to gather evidence or verify a suspicion before reporting it — that's the role of trained investigators and, where relevant, the police or the National Referral Mechanism, the UK's framework for identifying and supporting potential victims.

Due diligence basics for procurement and HR

If you work in procurement, HR, or supplier management, you're often the first line of defence. Practical due diligence steps include:

• Mapping suppliers beyond the first tier where possible, focusing effort on higher-risk sectors and geographies
• Including modern slavery clauses and right-to-work checks in supplier contracts and onboarding
• Verifying recruitment agencies are reputable and do not charge workers recruitment fees
• Checking that pay slips, bank payments and working hours records exist and are held by the worker, not a third party
• Building a clear, well-publicised internal reporting route, and training staff to use it
• Reviewing and refreshing the organisation's modern slavery statement annually, not treating it as a one-off compliance exercise

These due diligence habits sit alongside other operational safeguards HR and facilities teams are expected to maintain — from premises and public safety obligations under Martyn's Law to data and remote working policies — and are best built into existing supplier and onboarding checklists rather than run as a separate process.

A note on Ireland

Organisations operating in Ireland should be aware the legal framework differs from the UK's. Ireland addresses forced labour and trafficking primarily through its Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Acts rather than a single consolidated modern slavery statute, and does not currently impose a direct equivalent of the UK's transparency in supply chains statement duty. Employers with cross-border operations should treat UK and Irish obligations as related but separate, and take local legal advice where in doubt.

FAQ

Does the Modern Slavery Act apply to my employer?

The statement requirement applies to commercial organisations supplying goods or services, carrying on business in the UK, with annual turnover of £36 million or more. Smaller organisations aren't legally required to publish a statement but can still adopt good due diligence practice voluntarily.

What if I'm wrong and there's an innocent explanation?

Report anyway. Raising a genuine concern in good faith is always the right call, and trained staff or the Modern Slavery Helpline can assess the situation properly. You will not be penalised for a mistaken but honest report.

Can I report anonymously?

Most internal reporting routes and the Modern Slavery Helpline allow you to raise concerns without giving your name, though providing contact details can help investigators follow up if safe to do so.

Is modern slavery only a supply chain issue?

No. It can affect anyone in an organisation's direct workforce, including permanent staff, agency workers and contractors, as well as workers several tiers down an outsourced supply chain.

Awareness is the first and most reliable safeguard against modern slavery: knowing the signs, understanding your organisation's obligations, and knowing exactly who to tell. For broader compliance training that builds this kind of awareness across your team, explore Learnsignal's CPD courses.