{"id":1517,"date":"2020-07-15T14:43:02","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T14:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crigroup.com\/?post_type=blog&p=1517"},"modified":"2021-11-18T03:31:13","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T03:31:13","slug":"you-need-an-ethical-code-of-conduct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crigroup.com\/ar\/you-need-an-ethical-code-of-conduct\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethical code of conduct: What should be covered?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Business leaders are usually quick to communicate their expectations to employees, especially when it comes to financial goals or tasks that they want to be accomplished. However, what is often lacking is a clear, concise explanation of what the organisation expects in terms of ethical behaviour. The recent article “Puffery or Not? Courts Examine Corporate Codes of Conduct”<\/a>\u00a0explains that although a number of federal courts have found code of conduct statements to be non-actionable puffery, given the uncertainty in the face of the novel CODIV19 pandemic, public companies are ought to review their codes of conduct and revise them if necessary to mitigate litigation risk.\u00a0Ethical code of conduct:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Does your organisation have an\u00a0ethical code of conduct<\/strong>? If not, you might be making assumptions that your employees know to conduct themselves in an ethical manner, when, in fact, this expectation only exists in a grey area in their minds \u2013 if at all. In fact, some employees who have engaged in fraud, corruption or other unethical situations have claimed that while they knew their behaviour was wrong, they thought it was implicitly accepted by their bosses and, in some cases, their company overall.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than assume that ethical rules \u201cgo without saying,\u201d every organisation should spell out what they expect of their employees when it comes to ethical behaviour. At\u00a0CRI Group<\/strong>, we counsel business leaders on the principle that every organisation should have a written, carefully considered ethical code of conduct as part of their fraud prevention strategy. CRI’s Certification\u00a0program through the ABAC Center of Excellence<\/a> includes developing an ethical code of conduct as part of the training and development phase for clients.<\/span><\/p>\n

What should be covered?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

An ethical code of conduct should be tailored to your company and your organisation \u2013 no two will be the same. What are the risks inherent in your organisation? What about in your industry? A pharmaceutical company will have some different risk areas than a retail store, for example. A nonprofit organisation might have concerns that relate to fundraising, a government agency might be focused on preventing bribery or collusion.<\/span><\/p>\n

The goal of an ethical code of conduct is to help all employees understand the expectation that they always behave in a legal and ethical manner, and that the organisation has zero tolerance for unethical behaviour. It should include the following focal points:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Business values<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

This can include your organisation’s mission and vision and should help set the tone for how the organisation relates to its clients, partners, its own employees and the public at large.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Guiding principles<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The principles that guide your company include customer satisfaction, financial success and profitability, improvement and growth. Your company might also follow policies of corporate responsibility, such as respect for social and environmental issues, and support of the community and\/or nonprofit efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Role of leadership<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

This section of the code of conduct should state that management has clearly endorsed the code and that employees can approach any manager or executive with ethical concerns or complaints.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Regulatory and compliance<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

This section should communicate the organisation’s commitment to meeting all compliance requirements, from OSHA and EPA to Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank. This reinforces leadership\u2019s expectation that employees must act diligently and ethically to uphold those standards, as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Employee <\/strong>responsibility<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Every employee, from top to bottom, shares the responsibility toward upholding the ethical standard defined in the code. Contractors and volunteers are also expected to follow the standard of behaviour. \u00a0Furthermore, the code should make clear that if the unethical behaviour is detected, turning a blind eye or deciding \u201cit\u2019s not my problem\u201d is unacceptable. That is a breach of the ethical code.<\/span><\/p>\n

CRI Group can help your organisation with the finer points of drafting and implementing an ethical code of conduct. ABAC Center of Excellence<\/a>\u00a0includes this critical piece as a part of any robust fraud, bribery and corruption prevention program.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the ethical code of conduct is approved by company leadership, it should be read and signed by all employees (with the signed copies kept on file by the organisation). And it should be displayed prominently in the office. Unethical behaviour, including fraud and other corruption, is everyone\u2019s problem, and it must be prevented, detected and reduced.\u00a0Staying one step ahead of any critical risk to your organisation is part of being an effective business leader.<\/span><\/p>\n

ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management System certification<\/strong><\/a> is offered under CRI Group\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>ABAC\u00ae Centre of Excellence<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0an independent certification body established for <\/strong>Anti-Bribery Management System training<\/strong><\/a> and certification, ISO 37301 Compliance Management Systems<\/a> and <\/strong>Risk Management System<\/strong><\/a> certification. The program will be tailored to your organisation’s needs and requirements. For assistance in developing and implementing a fraud prevention strategy,\u00a0<\/strong>contact ABAC today<\/strong><\/a> or get a <\/strong>FREE QUOTE<\/strong><\/a> now!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Who is CRI\u00ae Group?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Based in London, CRI\u00ae Group works with companies across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia-Pacific as a one-stop international Risk Management<\/a>,\u00a0Employee Background Screening<\/a>,\u00a0

\u0630\u0643\u0627\u0621 \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0639\u0645\u0627\u0644<\/div><\/a>,\u00a0
\u0627\u0644\u0639\u0646\u0627\u064a\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0648\u0627\u062c\u0628\u0629 360\u00b0<\/span><\/div><\/a>\u00a0and other professional Investigative Research solutions provider. We have the largest proprietary network of background-screening analysts and investigators across the Middle East and Asia.\u00a0Our global presence ensures that no matter how international your operations are we have the network needed to provide you with all you need, wherever you happen to be. CRI\u00ae Group also holds\u00a0BS 102000:2013<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0BS 7858:2012 Certifications<\/strong>, is an HRO certified provider and partner with Oracle.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2016, CRI\u00ae Group launched the\u00a0Anti-Bribery Anti-Corruption (ABAC\u00ae) Center of Excellence<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 an independent certification body established for\u00a0ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management Systems<\/a>,\u00a0ISO 37301 Compliance Management Systems<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0ISO 31000:2018 Risk Management<\/a>, providing\u00a0training<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0certification<\/a>. ABAC\u00ae operates through its global network of certified ethics and compliance professionals, qualified auditors and other certified professionals. As a result, CRI\u00ae Group\u2019s global team of certified fraud examiners work as a discreet white-labelled supplier to some of the world\u2019s largest organisations.\u00a0Contact\u00a0ABAC\u00ae for more<\/a> on ISO Certification and training.<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Business leaders are usually quick to communicate their expectations to employees, especially when it comes to financial goals or tasks that they want to be accomplished. However, what is often lacking is a clear, concise explanation of what the organisation expects in terms of ethical behaviour. The recent article “Puffery or Not? Courts Examine Corporate […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,47,21,16,11,12,13,45,48,49,39,41,36,50,146,10,19],"tags":[107,70,72,113,110,30],"class_list":["post-1517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-automotive","category-aviation","category-background-investigation","category-compliance-solution","category-covid-19","category-due-diligence","category-employee-background-check","category-finance-and-professional-services","category-insurance","category-it-and-telecommunications","category-oil-gas-energy","category-karachi","category-pharmaceutical-healthcare","category-property","category-resources","category-third-party-risk-management","category-london","tag-covid19","tag-due-diligence","tag-management","tag-mitigate-risk","tag-pakistan","tag-risk-management"],"gutentor_comment":0,"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n