Code of conduct

A code of conduct is a document setting out your rules on appropriate standards of behaviour in the workplace.

Existing clauses and policies

Normally, an employee’s required standards of conduct at work are covered under the terms of the specific company policies or contractual clauses to which the particular type of behaviour relates, for example dress and appearance, timekeeping, dignity at work, health and safety, anti-bribery, outside business interests, confidentiality, etc. This is the best approach to setting out your conduct rules as each of those clauses and policies can cover in some detail the relevant behavioural standards required of the employee and the sanctions for breach. However, also putting a basic code of conduct in place, which sets out a non-exhaustive list of general behavioural requirements for your employees to comply with and which cross-refers to their employment contract and your policies, can usefully provide a "catch all" provision detailing your overall expectations of the way in which you require employees to behave. This is the intention of our Code of Conduct.

Basic code of conduct

Our code is designed to provide general information on how employees should conduct themselves when carrying out your business, to ensure the safe and efficient performance of work and to ensure that good relations are maintained between employees and their work colleagues and managers. It comprises a set of non-exhaustive conduct rules, the first two of which are that employees must observe the terms and conditions of their employment contract and adhere to the rules and provisions contained in your policies from time to time in force. This cross-reference means you then don’t need to repeat what the contract and policies each say. Our code goes on to set out some very general behavioural rules, such as that the employee must at all times be diligent, honest, faithful and ethical in the performance of their job duties, render their services in a professional, responsible and competent manner, willingly co-operate fully with their work colleagues and managers, comply with all reasonable management directions and instructions, be polite and courteous in their behaviour towards colleagues, managers and customers, etc. and not knowingly break a legal requirement in connection with their employment. Finally, our code provides for breach to be a disciplinary offence. We’ve given you the option of making our code contractual. As the code gives important instructions to employees as to the performance of their jobs and other aspects of their conduct, it would be in your interests to place your staff under a contractual duty to comply with it as it will make it easier to discipline them in the event of breach. That said, conversely, making the code contractual makes it harder for you to amend it in future (as you’ll need employees’ consent to do so).

A more detailed code of conduct?

The problems with having a more detailed code of conduct than ours include that: (1) there’s a risk it could conflict with what another existing company policy says, unless you’re prepared to cross-check it against the wording of all of your other policies; and (2) it can never encompass absolutely everything and so there’s a risk that if a particular action isn’t prohibited by the code, employees may assume it’s acceptable behaviour.