Ethical and conduct standards
The standards of ethics and conduct represent the expected behavior of all employees and directors of the company. It is desirable that such standards are brought together in a single document, generally called a code of ethics or conduct. In any case, it is perfectly possible that the company has two complementary documents: one that deals with the company's values and principles (code of ethics) and another that explains the conduct to be followed by members of the company (code of conduct). The important thing is that such behavior patterns are clear, are followed by everyone, and that they are also widely accessible to the external public, especially to business partners and customers.
"THE CODE OF ETHICS OR CONDUCT IS AN IMPORTANT TOOL FOR COMMUNICATING THE COMPANY WITH ITS EMPLOYEES AND WITH SOCIETY, THROUGH WHICH IT CAN EXPLAIN THE VALUES AND BEHAVIOR EXPECTED OR FORBIDDEN".
The code must be written in a clear and concise manner, with easy-to-understand language and be applied to the company's different audiences. Above all, it should be a source of consultation for the internal public and, if applicable, for the company's business partners, on how to act, decide and on what basis to support decisions, whenever business integrity is in question. For this, it is important that the document is updated periodically, according to the new needs of the company, due to legal or regulatory changes, institutional or business areas.
Rules, policies and procedures to mitigate risks
In order for the compliance program to be clear and accessible to all interested parties, it is necessary to develop policies, for example, Code of Conduct and Ethics, Third Party Management, in addition to the procedures in each area in accordance with the integrated management system already in place. existing.
Such documentation must be constantly updated and presented to employees to demonstrate the work model to be followed according to each purpose.
In addition to detailing how each process works, responsibility is defined, disciplinary measures in case of misconduct and the company's ethical standards.
These policies and procedures must be in an easily accessible environment, on the intranet, for example, and in the most sensitive cases such as the code of conduct and ethics, even have the signature of receipt, knowledge and training of the content of the document.
The rules, policies and procedures to prevent and detect the occurrence of irregularities, based on the identified risks, must be coordinated with each other and be easy to understand and apply in the company's work routine.