Responses U4

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.