Code of Ethics for Business free essay sample

Code of Ethics Company A is committed to providing expertise management consulting to nonprofit organizations that serve and meet the needs of citizens and communities. This Code of Ethics sets forth standards of behavior for our employees and managers. It is intended to assist them in fulfilling their duties and public representation of Company A. Employee Standards The success of Company A depends on our clients and their confidence in our services. We need to value that nonprofits are supported by individuals, corporations and foundations through charitable contributions and volunteer efforts. Many nonprofit organizations are also funded by government through contracts and grants. Therefore, Company A has adopted to use a Code of Ethics to promote ethical practices and accountability from our employees that will be working with these nonprofit organizations and representing Company A. Based on fundamental values, such as honesty, integrity, fairness, respect, trust, responsibility and accountability- Company A Standards are our foundation and we will strive to be ethical and accountable in our program operations. We will write a custom essay sample on Code of Ethics for Business or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Employee Conduct Employees are responsible for their own actions and job performance. All employees will have an annual review at the beginning of the calendar year to evaluate performance and company expectations. In addition all employees and managers are expected to abide by the following: Â ·Treat fellow employees with respect at all times. No forms of abusive language, harassment and discrimination will be tolerated. Â ·All employees are expected to maintain client confidentiality and keep client information secure at all times. Â ·Employees are expected to have good attendance and punctuality with the exception of vacation and sick leave. During company time or hours of employment, employees are expected to refrain from/ or use alcoholic beverages. Company A has a zero tolerance for employees that use illegal drugs. Employees of Company A must submit to random drug testing if there is reasonable suspicion of drug use. Â ·Professional attire is to be worn during hours of business by all employees and managers. Â ·Take reasonable care of property owned or use d by the company, and do not use company property (computer equipment/ internet/ telephones/office supplies) for personal purposes without authorization from management. Theft of any kind is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Failure to observe the above rules represents misconduct and may lead to disciplinary action being taken against the individual, in accordance with Company As disciplinary procedures. Actions may include written warnings, suspension without pay, dismissal with notice, and summary dismissal without notice. The penalty applied will correspond with the degree of seriousness of the misconduct, and consideration will be given of the employees service, work record, previous behavior, and other extenuating circumstances. Conflict of Interest Staff members and management shall act in the best interest of the company, rather than in personal interests or the interests of third parties. Company A has a policy that requires all employees to sign a Non-Compete/Non-Disclosure form before beginning employment. Company A will routinely and systematically review this policy annually with employees to prevent actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest. Ethics Training Company A requires that ethics training be mandatory for all new employees. Training will be conducted by the Human Resources Department and should last two days, depending on the number of employees being trained at the time. The purpose of this training (in addition to your department and/or position training) is to focus on principles of good character, ethical decision-making, and respect. Within these principles, employees learn to treat others with fairness and strive for the highest ethical behavior at work. During ethics training, employees will be given real-world examples of what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior in the work place. Employees will have an opportunity to role play and find problem-solving solutions[-0] to ethical dilemmas they may be faced with in their positions. In addition, employees will be given ample time to ask questions about any information covered during training. Once new employees of the company review the ethics policies and procedures, they will be provided with a copy of the ethics policies to take home. All employees will be required to complete ethics training prior to starting any other training for their hired positions. When we reach the end of training, an assessment will be given to employees to show their knowledge of the information covered during training. At that time you will be required to sign a copy of the Code of Ethics Policy to attest to your compliance. Please recognize that every employee and manager currently employed with company A has completed ethics training and corroborated by signing an agreement to abide by our code of ethics. Every employee and manager at Company A is required to complete an annual review of the code of ethics and policies. It is a short refresher course done at the end of every calendar year. Each department attends as a group and is expected to re-sign a current pledge to follow the guidelines established within the policy. Monitoring, Auditing and Reporting Monitoring: Company A has an Ethics Committee that is made up of the following members: upper management, Human Resources and the owners of the company. The committee will take reasonable steps to monitor and audit compliance of the Code of Ethics. Company A has established monitoring and auditing systems that are reasonably designed to detect conduct in violation of the Code of Ethics by managers and employees of the company. The committee is expected to conduct a thorough evaluation within 24 hours after a violation is discovered or reported. Quarterly meetings will be held with the ethics committee and department leaders to review and discuss any ethical situations that have commenced and how they were handled, as well as how to prevent reoccurrence. The Code of Ethics may be amended or modified by the committee at any time in order to ensure a proper and proficient work environment for the employees of Company A. Auditing: When a violation is reported to the committee, an appointed representative is required to prepare a report of the described violation. At that time an informal inquiry or a formal investigation shall be started. Any and/or all discoveries and findings will be documented. Documents shall include results of the investigation, including recommendations and/or resolution of the violation. Any abuses found to violate state or federal laws will be reported to authorities without delay. Twice a year, Company A has an external ethics audit team review existing audit records and other information. The external team evaluates the processes and practices of Company A and our Ethics Committee. The purpose and goal behind this is to make sure the Ethics Committee of Company A is compliant with the latest standards and abiding by current laws. They will also certify that correct actions were taken and if any modifications need to be made to the Code of Ethics policy. Reporting Misconduct: Company A encourages a free and open atmosphere that allows and encourages employees and others to convey work-related concerns about ethical issues, and/or to report violations or suspected violations of laws, regulations, and company policy. Violation reports should be made to a member of the Ethics Committee or the Human Resources Department. All reports will be handled confidentially to the greatest extent practicable under the circumstances. The existence and nature of the reporting system shall be communicated to all employees. The reporting system shall include an Ethics Hotline and Email with the option to report information anonymously. It shall be a violation of company policy to intimidate or impose any form of retaliation /retribution on any employee who utilizes the reporting system in good faith to report suspected violations. Any employee, who feels that he or she has been retaliated against or threatened with retaliation for these reasons, should report the matter immediately to a Human Resources Representative or any member of the Ethics Committee. Updating/Improving Ethics Policy It is the responsibility of Company A and the Ethics Committee to ensure that changes and updates to the Ethics Policy are made in order to stay up-to-date with the modifying of laws and industry practices or standards. Over time there are different issues and threats a company’s policies must address. We will also update our training programs and manuals to reflect the changes in any policies. If and when policies are altered, employees will be notified in the following ways: Â ·Company Email will be sent out to all employees. Managers will hold department meetings to announce and clarify changes. Â ·New inserts will be given to every employee to add to their Code of Ethics manuals at home. Â ·Signatures will be required from each employee verifying that they understand and will abide by the modifications or changes made to the Ethics Policies. Any questions, comments or concerns in regards to the Ethics Policies should be directed to the H uman Resources Department or any member of the Ethics Committee. [-0] http://www. ehow. com/how_2076438_provide-employee-ethics-training. html