Corporate Code of Conduct

corporate code of conduct:: A corporate code of conduct does not have any standardized definition, and refers to a company's public policy which defines their standards for ethical conduct. They are completely voluntary, meaning that a company may choose to have or not have one, and may address any issue from common workplace issues to worker's rights. Most corporate codes of conduct have evolved as a result of consumer pressure, which has given rise to a whole sector of corporations focused as much on ethical behavior as profit in recent years.

Formats: Compliance codes, corporate credos, and management philosophy statements are the three most common types of corporate codes of conduct. Compliance codes outline required employee or company actions in terms of ethical behavior; corporate credos explain a company's accountability to its stakeholders; management philosophy statements are more general outlines of expected company actions relative to ethical guidelines.

compliance code: is also called Regulatory compliance describes the goal that organisations aspire to achieve in their efforts to ensure that they are aware of and take steps to comply with relevant laws and regulations.The eight compliance codes now available are:

   

1.     Communicating occupational health and safety across languages: This compliance code covers workplaces with employees whose language skills require the use of languages other than English to understand information, receive training and participate in consultation. Practical guidance is given on: identifying language groups within the workforce, techniques for communicating across languages,suitable approaches to providing information and undertaking consultation, using translators, interpreters and bilingual staff,effective ways to provide training

2.     workplace amenities and work environment:This compliance code covers the provision of workplace amenities and facilities for the working environment in all workplaces other than construction workplaces.

3.     confined spaces: This compliance code covers the identification of hazards and the control of risks associated with confined spaces in workplaces. It applies to employers and designers and manufacturers of plant that includes a confined space.

4.     first aid in the workplace: This compliance code covers first aid arrangements including first aid needs assessment, first aid training, first aid kits and first aid facilities.

5.     prevention of falls in general construction: This compliance code applies to fall hazards associated with construction work. Although the code can be applied to house construction, it is not specifically tailored to this type of construction. It is recommended that current Work Safe guidance for the prevention of falls in housing construction be used in the first instance.

6.     foundries: his compliance code is aimed at employers, managers and the self-employed in foundries. It may also be of assistance to employees, It provides practical guidance on foundry specific hazards but also refers to other hazards related to foundry work.

7.     managing asbestos in workplace: The code provides practical guidance to assist duty holders to meet their regulatory duties, such as identifying asbestos in workplaces and plant, and implementing control measures to reduce the risk to health. It also provides information about the legal requirements for workplaces where asbestos-related activities are carried out.

8.     removing asbestos in workplace:This compliance code is aimed at asbestos removal lists  both licensed and those that perform permitted limited asbestos work without a licence.

Corporate Credo: A Corporate credo is a belief or value set that guides all company actions. For example,  Walmart follows the "3 Basic Beliefs" defined by founder Sam Walton. These beliefs are

1. respect for the individual

2.service to our customers

3. striving for excellence.

management philosophy statement: management philosophy statement should provide guidance, directions, leadership and set an example to subordinate, its a strategy to gets results through other people.

Content of corporate code of conduct:  Employee honesty, company commitments to the employee, confidentiality of records, environmentalism, product and workplace safety, drug-related issues, and employee conduct are all issues commonly dealt with in corporate codes of conduct

Implementation:  Many corporations with codes of conduct will also offer training to their employees regarding them. Such training can be as narrow as an explanation of the company's ethics statements only, or may involve a variety of ethical sensitivity exercises. Videos on ethics and educational seminars are also a common medium of instruction. In those cases where no training is provided, manager comprehension of codes is often assured through oral or written confirmation.

Transparency: In terms of the transparency, access to and dissemination of corporate codes of conduct, there is a clear trend favoring the distribution of such codes to all employees of an organization. Some companies even include portions of their corporate code of conduct in their annual reports to shareholders. It is far more common, however, that codes are kept in internal circulation.

Enforcement:  Most corporate codes of conduct do not state any enforcement provisions. Some, such as Boeing, note only that "violations of the company standards of conduct are cause for appropriate corrective action, including discipline.