How to write a business code of ethics

A code of ethics provides your employees a list of ethical practices that are expected from them while they work in your company and also gives the public a view on the kinds of values and principles that your business adheres to. In today's competitive and challenging work environment, having such written codes is highly advantageous and beneficial to any enterprise or company. In this article, find out how to write a business code of ethics.

How to write a code of ethics for your business

How to go about writing a business code of ethics 1) Establish a pool of ideas. The corporate code of ethics observed in one industry may be different from another, but generally speaking, a code of ethics is a collection of guidelines, laws, rules, values and beliefs that a business sticks to and that its employees are also expected to take to heart. Check out samples of well-written code of ethics that are applicable to your organisation and use them as a blueprint for creating your own. 2) Some points that you should also consider: Did your company have issues in the past? Were they addressed? If yes, how? Have you received complaints from customers before regarding the professional or business conduct of any of your employees? Are there acts or practices that you would not tolerate in your company? List all things that you don't want your staff doing. 3) Your next step would be to put into writing all of your code of ethics into an easy-to-understand package or pamphlet. Give each employee of your company a copy of this pamphlet. 4) Call for a staff meeting to discuss and reiterate your company's new code of ethics. Also, use this time to have a Q&A session and inform participants about corresponding disciplinary actions for violations or any act of disobedience. 5) Conduct yearly staff meetings in order to reinforce your company's beliefs, principles, code of ethics and values. Get the opinion of employees regarding the relevance and appropriateness of the code.

Tips

1) Conduct a yearly evaluation of your business' code of ethics and see if there is a need to perform any modification or alteration. 2) It should be noted that are certain industries that abide by a general code of ethics. 3) Make it compulsory for new hires to read and internalise your company's code of ethics.