The Professional Code of Ethics

A professional code of ethics is a moral framework that guides the way teams and organisations behave and make decisions in the workplace. It provides the opportunity to set minimum expectations for staff on what's acceptable and how employees can approach and solve problems. Creating a code of ethics takes careful consideration and understanding its significance is important for the organisation and its staff. In this article, we explore what a code of ethics is, why it's important to have one and how to use one

Obeying the Law

Obeying the law is a code of ethics subject that seems as if you shouldn't need to state it. However, finding out that employees have broken the law either during or after work can affect a company's brand. For example, a flower shop might require that all delivery drivers maintain a clean driving record. If an employee gets a DUI after work, this could affect his ability to do his job, even though the activity wasn't during his shift but this is a necessary part of the code of ethics.

Caring and Consideration Policies

Consumers often feel that businesses are just in it for the money and a quick sale. They are inundated with sales pitches all day long. As part of its code of ethics, your company could establish, that employees conduct business in a caring, considerate manner. Think about a home-care provider who is working with senior citizens and their loved ones; treating the patient and family in a way that demonstrates care can greatly increase the ability to get new clients.

This type of value-based code of ethics is a topic that employers should explain clearly in the document and to train employees as to what the expectations are for being a caring, considerate employee.

Lawfulness

You are obliged to follow all laws which apply to our organization. Depending on your role and profession, there might be various laws you need to observe. For example, accountants and medical professionals have their own legal restrictions and they must be fully aware of them.

When you’re preparing contracts, clauses, disclaimers or online copy that may be governed by law (such as consent forms), please ask verification from [our legal counsel] before finalizing anything.

You’re also covered by our confidentiality and data protection policy. You must not expose, disclose or endanger information of customers, employees, stakeholders or our business. Always follow our cybersecurity policy, too.

Following laws regarding fraud, bribery, corruption and any kind of assault is a given. You are also obliged to follow laws on child labor and avoid doing business with unlawful organizations.

If you’re not sure what the law is in a specific instance, don’t hesitate to ask HR or our legal counsel.

Competence and accountability

We all need to put a healthy amount of effort in our work. Not just because we’re all responsible for the organization’s success, but also because slacking off affects our colleagues. Incomplete or slow working might hinder other people’s work or cause them to shoulder the burden themselves. This comes in direct conflict with our respect and integrity principles.

We also expect you to take up opportunities for learning and development, either on-the-job or via educational material or training. If you are unsure how you can achieve this, have an open discussion with your manager.

Also, take responsibility for your actions. We all make mistakes or need to make tough decisions and it’s important we own up to them. Failing to be accountable on a regular basis or in important situations (e.g. a crucial mistake in our financial records) will result in termination. If you take responsibility and come up with ways to fix your mistakes where possible, you will be in a far better position.

Teamwork

Working well with others is a virtue, rather than an obligation. You will certainly get to work autonomously and be focused on your own projects and responsibilities. But, you should also be ready to collaborate with and help others.

Be generous with your expertise and knowledge. Be open to learning and evolving. If days go by without you consulting or brainstorming with anyone, you are missing out on opportunities for excellence. Instead, work with others and don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it.

Be considerate.

We all depend on each other to produce the best work we can as a company. Your decisions will affect clients and colleagues, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions.

Be respectful.

We won't all agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for disrespectful behavior. We will all experience frustration from time to time, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into personal attacks. An environment where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive or creative one.

Choose your words carefully.

Always conduct yourself professionally. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down others. Harassment and exclusionary behavior aren't acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:

Threats of violence.

Insubordination.

Discriminatory jokes and language.

Sharing sexually explicit or violent material via electronic devices or other means.

Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms.

Unwelcome sexual attention.

Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

Don't harass.

In general, if someone asks you to stop something, then stop. When we disagree, try to understand why. Differences of opinion and disagreements are mostly unavoidable. What is important is that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively.

Make differences into strengths.

We can find strength in diversity. Different people have different perspectives on issues, and that can be valuable for solving problems or generating new ideas. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong. Don’t forget that we all make mistakes, and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere.

Instead, focus on resolving issues and learning from mistakes.