Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct for Employees: A Guide for Managers

If you think a code of conduct is “too much” for your company, think again. More than 85% of Fortune 200 companies have a code of conduct, and more than half say they have used the document to resolve disputes within their company.

A code of conduct is not just a document that you have for its own sake, but an active document that you use to align all employees and the management team towards a set of accepted and permitted behaviors in the workplace.

What is an Employee Code of Conduct?

A code of conduct is a set of guidelines designed to help employees understand how they should behave in the workplace. It usually takes the form of a document informing an organization’s employees of acceptable behavior (whether elsewhere or in the workplace).

Additionally, a code of conduct typically defines unacceptable behaviors. This can include workplace harassment, bullying, belittling others, inappropriate physical contact, etc.

A code of conduct should be given to every employee so that they can read it thoroughly and understand what is expected of them at work.

But first you need to establish a code of conduct. Here’s how to get started writing one…

Who is involved in creating a code of conduct?

In most cases, it is a company’s human resources department that creates the code of conduct. But they hardly create the code. It is always shaped by the management and the leadership team as well as by the company’s employees.

Since your employees are the ones who need to model the behavior required by the Code of Conduct, it’s always good to listen to feedback when drafting your document.

How do you write an employee code of conduct?

Creating a code of conduct is a fairly simple process, but it is anything but simple. It is an iterative process that requires clear distinctions between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors in the workplace.

The process typically consists of four steps:

• Creating a draft of the document: The first step is for the HR team to create a first draft of the document. This is where the HR team writes down all the behaviors they think are acceptable and unacceptable.
• Sharing the draft: The second step is to share the first draft with the company’s leaders and employees. In this way, the HR team collects important feedback to improve the code of conduct and make it more comprehensive.
• Completing the document: Once HR has collected feedback from employees and managers, it is time to incorporate it into the document and finalize it.
• Tracking implementation: The final step is for the HR team to distribute the code of conduct to all employees and managers and then track behavior in the workplace to see if it conforms to the document’s guidelines.

Over time, your HR team can make changes to the document and distribute a revised version to all employees.

Get inspired: examples of codes of conduct

If you’re struggling to create a code of conduct for your company, consider taking inspiration from some of the examples below.

All of the companies below have invested a lot of time in their code of conduct and have a number of features that set them apart.

In short, they are written for the people who will read them (no jargon), they are comprehensive, accessible, and supported by the company’s leadership team.

• Coca-Cola’s Code of Conduct
• Google’s Code of Conduct
• Sony’s Code of Conduct
• Starbucks’ Code of Conduct
• Kellogg’s Code of Conduct

Employee Codes of Conduct: Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Employee Code of Conduct?

An employee code of conduct is a document that informs all employees of an organization about acceptable behaviors at work (remotely or in person).

Who writes a code of conduct?

As a rule, it is the HR department, but the management team and all employees are also involved.

How do you write a code of conduct?

Creating the Code of Conduct occurs in four steps: creating a draft of the document, sharing the draft with the leadership team and employees, finalizing the document and sharing with all employees, and tracking the implementation of the policies from the document and iterating as necessary.

What are examples of employee codes of conduct?

Coca-Cola, Google, Sony, Starbucks and Kellogg’s all have good examples of employee codes of conduct.

Create a code of conduct before you need it

It is better to have a code of conduct and not need it than to not have a code of conduct and need it. So if you don’t already have a code of conduct, you should talk to your HR department about creating one.

This will also help employees to be clear about how to behave in the workplace and it will help the HR team to deal with any problems and disputes that arise during the working day.