Response 1:
A code of conduct is a guide that a company uses as a framework to shape all of its decisions, how staff operates and how the company interacts with its customer base.
Creating a culture that is based on a strong code of conduct, is critical to the overall success of the company. In a situation where a company is devoid of ethics, the company's leadership will not operate in an ethical fashion and decisions made may not benefit the entire company, just the leaders.
The actual code of conduct should be in a written form that is accessible to all staff members and customers. "A formal, well-communicated code of ethics can also help to protect a company's reputation and legal standing in the event of a breach of ethics by an individual employee." (Ingram, D.)
It will be important for Mike and Theresa to foster the proper environment for the company's staff via an effective, clear code of conduct. The merger brings great benefit given that the companies coming together allows the code to be designed from the ground up.
The basic topics that cover how employees across regions will interact, how training will be conducted should be included in the company's code of conduct. Items such as anti-theft, appropriate use of company assets and resources, sexual harassment, respect for others, safety regulations and anti-discrimination should all be included.
Many "Publically-held companies, issuers under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, are required to establish and communicate codes of conduct." (2009). Privately held companies are not required to establish a code of conduct. At Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, MD, the organization is big on diversity and inclusion.
The very fiber of the organization is based on this. Even though Johns Hopkins Medicine is not a publicly traded company, the organization establishes written guides for all of its entities, so that there is transparency. As an institution of higher learning, portions of the code of conduct include:
· Bans of opportunity loans
· Bans on gifting to recruit new students
· Limitations when it comes to employees being members of advisory boards of lenders
As the consultant and adviser to Mike and Theresa, I recommend borrowing existing components from both companies' code of conduct, only using that which has worked well.
The code of conduct should outline of the rules and regulations as well as the subsequent consequences for violations. All consequences should be consistent with the violation. I will be working with Mike and Theresa to put a code of conduct together and make it available via the intranet. This is an exciting time for the newly merged company and I look forward to assisting.
Respons 2:
A Code of Conduct outlines job expectations for performing tasks with uncompromised ethics. It includes responsibilities to teammates, customers, and shareholders, and should explain that each employee has a duty to report offenders to the code, and outline the means for doing so.
The code of conduct must be written, because oral and spoken codes and rules are easier to ignore, and inconsistent across interpreters, and difficult to implement. (Editorial Board, 2015) A written code also systematizes ethics. (Editorial Board, 2015). Codes should cover such issues as compliance with laws, accounting rules, conflicts of interest, discrimination and harassment, insider trading, fraud, and protection of company information. In a merger situation, it is especially important to focus on customer relations and the procedures for reporting unethical behaviors, as some employees might be trying to get a "leg up" to appear more favorably in the new company environment.
My current company, T-Mobile, frequently touts being voted among the "most ethical companies" and seems to post reminders about ethics and compliance in wall posters and intranet links. T-Mobile's code is titled "Code of Business Conduct" and appears in a PowerPoint slide deck format, with clickable links and lots of colorful graphics - quite a change from the staid sober rules lists of the past.
( T-Mobile Code of Business Conduct , T-Mobile US Internal communications, 2016.) It begins with a message from the CEO, and then is broken into six sections. The first, labelled "HOW WE PLAY" explains the code itself and the reason for its existence. It encourages employees to ask questions, and gives a hierarchy of escalation. It also stresses that no one should ever feel they're being asked to bend the rules to meet a company goal.
The second section goes into customer relations. T-Mobile employees are to treat customers honestly and fairly, keeping their information safe and to honor rules that apply to governmental customers. It specifies who to inform if the police, the government, or an attorney is asking for customer information.
The third section deals with how to treat co-workers and the environment. It addresses distraction and harassment, health and safety, confidentiality of employee information, and minimizing impact on the environment.
Section four calls for a "24/7" demonstration of integrity. It explicitly prohibits lying and stealing, conflicts of interest, excessive or unreasonable gifts, insider trading in company stock, and outlines accurate record keeping.
The fifth section is titled "We do Business the Right Way" and instructs the employees to uphold TMO's anti-corruption commitment, deal in good faith, compete fairly, engage ethical suppliers, follow rules on campaign contributions and lobbying, and respect trade secrets.
The sixth and final part deals with safeguarding company information and using company assets responsibly. This last part is a good example to show how the whole code is structured.
Company asset use rules are described as "During your daily work, use e-mail, web-browsing, social media and other digital resources provided by T-Mobile in a way that meets our business needs and our Acceptable Use Policy and Social Media Policy.
When you use the company's digital resources, remember that we have no expectation of privacy. When necessary, T-Mobile can monitor and use any content that's shared or stored on them." Rather than list every applicable rule, the text appeals to common sense, and refers to policies for more information.
Overall, this format of a Code of Conduct is engaging without being over-detailed; the employee can get overall guidelines to answer his or her question, or delve deeper into the rules if a specific situation needs addressing.