Employee Code of Conduct
An Employee Code of Conduct sets out the company's standard conduct for employees in the workplace.
4.5 (12 reviews)
Last updated December 20, 2024
Under 10 minutes
Suitable for Australia
Written by
Edwin Montoya Zorrilla
Reviewed by
Damin Murdock
Document Overview
An employee code of conduct is a document which clearly establishes your company’s expectations for employee behaviour. Employee misconduct can be an exceptionally difficult and potentially costly area to navigate. An employee code of conduct can help you remove confusion around how to handle misconduct, and potentially avoid costly unfair dismissal claims by establishing a standard of acceptable behaviour and consequences for breaching these standards.
This document clearly defines standards of employee conduct with respect to specific areas, including standards of work ethic, workplace safety, personal conduct, confidentiality, use of company assets, conflicts of interest and absenteeism.
It is important to note that this document does not have the legally binding qualities of a formal contract or agreement. Instead, it is designed to provide employees with clear and transparent guidelines, and complement any formal policies or agreements you may already have.
The Legal Risk Score of a Employee Code of Conduct Template
Our legal team have marked this document as low risk considering:
- There is a risk that the broad prohibition on unauthorized disclosure of information could restrict employees' ability to share potentially necessary information, even in contexts where such sharing could be considered reasonable or essential.
- The document mandates compliance with various ethical and business conduct standards without specifying detailed procedures for reporting or addressing breaches, which could lead to inconsistencies in enforcement or misunderstandings.
- The obligation for employees to disclose any changes in circumstances that might affect their job performance could be seen as overly intrusive, depending on the nature of the information required and the interpretation of what is relevant.
Employee Code of Conduct Checklist
Complete your free Employee Code of Conduct with our checklist
Review by Legal Counsel
Ensure the document is reviewed by a lawyer to verify compliance with legal standards and appropriateness for your specific organisational needs.
Employee Training
Conduct training sessions for all employees to clearly communicate the expectations and responsibilities outlined in the code of conduct.
Monitoring and Enforcement
Set up a system for monitoring compliance and enforce the code consistently across the organization to maintain integrity and fairness.
Update and Adapt
Regularly review and update the document to reflect any changes in the law, organizational structure, or business strategy to ensure ongoing relevance and effectiveness.
Use a Code of Conduct if:
- You are a business owner who wishes to set out specific conduct guidelines for your employees.
- You wish to emphasise the importance of your company’s existing policies (such as a company-wide diversity policy).
What does a Code of Conduct provide?
- Conduct guidelines on acceptable standards of work ethic, safety, interpersonal relations, integrity, working environment, absenteeism, conflicts of interest, disclosure and more.
- Specific principles on sensitive subject areas such as conflicts of interest, use of company assets, employee assistance/counselling and confidentiality
View Sample Employee Code of Conduct
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