An employee code of conduct lays out how your organization expects its employees to behave. It can be its own policy or it can be part of the employee handbook (our suggestion since that’s probably where people will be looking for this kind of information anyway).
While the employee handbook as a whole lays out information on topics like employee benefits, PTO, accommodations, working hours, remote work policies, and more, a code of conduct specifically focuses on employee behavior and expectations around ethics and professionalism.
It’s not enough to simply tell employees to “act professionally.” Who decides what’s professional? What should an employee do if their manager is the one not acting professionally?
Codes of conduct can’t account for every situation or dictate how people should respond to each unique scenario, but they can lay out a foundation and give employees an idea of where the lines are.
For example, say there’s a heated conversation going on in a team chat. In one department, the manager ignores it. In the next department over, the same conversation earns an employee a written warning. Why is that behavior acceptable in one department and not the other?
Or what if an employee receives an expensive gift from a client or vendor, or overhears gossip about a coworker’s personal life? Codes of conduct let employees know what’s expected of them and what steps to take if certain lines have been crossed.
Codes of conduct can also help you translate your company’s values and expectations around behavior into everyday practice.
Instead of simply saying “we value respect” and hanging that phrase on the wall, a code of conduct might lay out expectations around bullying, harassment, discrimination, and more.
What should an employee code of conduct include?
There’s no one-size-fits-all code of conduct. Every company is different and presents different risks. Some expectations will be shared across workplaces, while others will depend on your industry and how your employees work.
That said, here are some ideas to get you started.
1. Who the Code of Conduct Applies To
Lay out who’s expected to adhere to the code of conduct (this will likely include all employees, temporary employees, executives, and managers).
You should also lay out what settings the code applies to. That could include not only onsite at work but also while working remotely, on client or vendor sites, on business travel, at industry or company-sponsored events, in group chats and on other online platforms, etc.
After all, if two employees get into a heated discussion on Slack at 10 p.m., is that off limits since they’re working from home?
2. Respectful Behavior
Lay out expectations around respectful behavior, for each other but also for clients, customers, vendors, etc. This might include expectations around harassment, discrimination, threats, bullying, unwelcome sexual advances or comments, and more.
Make sure to tie in any additional policies you have around anti-harassment, equal employment, etc. and let employees know where/how to reach out with any questions or concerns. The EEOC suggests making multiple reporting options available, including, where possible, someone outside an employee’s chain of command. After all, what if their manager is the problem?
3. Honesty, Conflicts of Interest, and Acceptable Gifts
Lay out any expectations employees should have around honesty and avoiding or disclosing conflicts of interest. For example, say one of your employees is in charge of choosing a new vendor. They receive tickets to a sold-out concert from one of the vendors, can they keep those? Do they need to turn them in? Is there a price threshold?
Other potential conflicts of interest employees should disclose might include secondary jobs, financial interests, close relationships with people in the office, etc. Conflicts of interest aren’t necessarily the result of shady behavior, but laying out how to address/disclose potential conflicts of interest will help your company appropriately navigate tricky situations.
4. Confidential Information and Company Data
Of course, you don’t want your employees discussing confidential company information. But what does confidential information include? Lay it out, client/customer information, company passwords, employee information, private financial information, product development, internal company pricing, etc.
Make sure to give employees guidance around storing/sharing/discarding confidential company information. If your company uses certain technologies (e.g. AI) this section (or a separate AI use policy) might lay out expectations around not entering confidential company information into said tools (e.g. customer, employee, or financial information; information around unreleased products; etc.).
Just be careful here not to overly-restrict employee speech. According to the National Labor Relations Board, overly-broad confidentiality clauses that might prevent employees from discussing wages and certain other working conditions could run afoul of federal law.
5. Acceptable Use of Company Technology + Acceptable Use of Social Media
Lay out expectations around the use of company technology (computers/laptops, email accounts, group chat/messaging software, phones, cars, etc.). You don’t want your employees:
- Sharing their password with anyone
- Accessing or sending any threatening or otherwise illegal content using company technology
- Not reporting a lost/stolen device
As far as social media goes, lay out expectations around not posting anything that:
- Could be misconstrued as an official company statement (employees should make it clear these are their opinions and not speaking on behalf of the company)
- Includes confidential company information
Just be careful not to overly-restrict employee speech here, too. According to the National Labor Relations Board, overly-broad social media clauses could run afoul of federal law, even in non-union environments. For example, if an employee was commenting on changes to their work schedule or their wages that could fall under protected concerted activity.
6. Safety and workplace boundaries
Employees should be expected to:
- Follow safety procedures
- Report unsafe situations or conditions
- Refrain from violent or threatening behavior
Per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, employees should be able to express safety and health concerns at work without punishment or reprisals. So don’t include anything that discourages employees from reporting safety concerns (or makes them fear retaliation if they report an injury, for instance).
Depending on your company, other potential workplace boundaries to discuss may include:
- Alcohol and drug use
- Customer interactions
- Romantic relationships involving reporting lines
- Use of company vehicles
- Access to restricted areas
7. Reporting concerns and retaliation
It’s important for your employees to know who to report issues or concerns to. Ideally, there would be more than one option for reporting (i.e., a manager, HR department, specific company member, anonymous or confidential reporting line, etc.).
It’s also helpful to outline what managers should do when an employee does report a concern to them. (Because, hey, “I thought they were just venting” is no way to respond to an employee’s serious complaint.)
Try not to promise confidentiality (or anonymity) if you can’t always guarantee it. In some cases, information may need to be shared in order to appropriately handle the situation. Instead, say that you’ll share as little information as possible and keep things as confidential as circumstances allow.
Include a section about retaliation, meaning that you will not retaliate against employees who report (what they reasonably believe to be) violations in good faith, participate in an investigation, report safety issues, or engage in other protected activity.
8. Code of conduct violations and disciplinary action
Outline the fact that breaking your code of conduct may result in disciplinary action, depending on the situation.
It may seem like a good idea to guarantee some sort of process (such as three warnings before firing, for example). But you don’t want to hold yourself to a one-size-fits-all discipline policy if that’s not what you had in mind. After all, some situations may only warrant coaching or counseling, while others may warrant immediate and perhaps harsher consequences.
On the other hand, you don’t want to give yourself a get-out-of-jail-free card, either. (“Oops, we’ll just do whatever we want!”) There should be some consistency and fairness in how situations are handled.
Employee code of conduct examples
Need inspiration on how to word your employee code of conduct policy? Here are a few examples of policy statements that may be worth considering.
- Too vague: Employees must behave professionally at all times.
- More useful: Employees are expected to treat coworkers, customers, vendors, and visitors respectfully. Bullying, threats, repeated personal insults, unwanted sexual comments, and discriminatory conduct are not permitted.
- Too broad: Employees may not discuss internal company matters with anyone outside the company.
- More useful: Employees must protect customer data, trade secrets, passwords, private employee records, and other confidential business information. This policy is not intended to restrict legally protected discussions about wages, hours, or working conditions.
- Too rigid: Employees who violate the code will receive a written warning followed by termination.
- More useful: Violations may result in corrective action, up to and including termination of employment. The company will consider the seriousness of the conduct and the circumstances of each situation.
Again, these are just ideas; don’t lift these statements and add them to your employee handbook without editing!
How to write an employee code of conduct employees can use
An employee code of conduct doesn’t need to outline every possible employee faux pas. (Trust us, you’ll never finish that document.)
But it should give employees enough information to identify potentially problematic situations, act appropriately, and/or know whom to contact if they’re unsure of what to do.
Write in plain language and offer examples where helpful. And make sure managers are also expected to comply with the code of conduct!
After you’ve finalized your employee code of conduct policy, make sure employees have an opportunity to review the policy, ask questions, and acknowledge that they received a copy of the employee handbook. (Keep in mind that a signed acknowledgment form does not negate the need for proper training and consistent policy enforcement!)
Finally, remember to revisit your employee code of conduct as your business needs and the law change over time. And don’t forget to make sure employees can easily access the most up-to-date version of your employee handbook.
Build your employee code of conduct with Handbooks.io
Not sure how to define “professional,” “confidential,” or “appropriate” behavior at your company? Start creating and customizing your own employee code of conduct policy and more with Handbooks.io’s employee handbook builder. Consolidate all of your policies in one employee handbook that you can easily share with your team and update as your business needs change. Annual plans even include employee acknowledgment tools to simplify getting signed receipts from your team.
At the end of the day, your company’s employee code of conduct doesn’t necessarily have to be the longest or strictest. Just make sure it is one your employees and managers can follow, and that you are prepared to live by your own code of conduct! (Otherwise, it’ll just be window dressing.)