Code of Conduct Policy
POLICY #: 245
What is a Code of Conduct policy? Why do I need it?
The Code of Conduct policy is one of the most important policies in your Employee Manual. It defines misconduct and communicates that misconduct won't be tolerated and reiterates the consequences of non-adherence.
It's beneficial because it protects both your business and staff by preventing inappropriate, damaging or illegal actions committed by an individual either knowingly or unknowingly. It prevents someone from saying "No one told me I couldn't"
Where can I find the Code of Conduct policy?
The HR Toolkit's policies are not created as standalone documents. Rather, they are all included within the Employee Manual, driven by a table of contents. This provides a better employee experience for easily accessing and cross referencing all policies.
- Active HR Toolkit subscribers can find this policy in all 3 employee manual templates for Ontario, Alberta, BC, in the Staff Policies / Conduct Expectations section, or search the Word template for "Code of Conduct".
- Once logged in, you can preview and download your employee manuals HERE.
If you are not an active HR Toolkit subscriber, employee manuals and individual policies are not available for preview or download, but we invite you to view the employee manual table of contents or buy the HR Toolkit here.
What type of policy is the Code of Conduct policy?
Business. The Code of Conduct policy is in place to protect your business and is not a legislated requirement.
In what jurisdiction is the Code of Conduct policy applicable?
This policy is not jurisdiction specific and may be used by any employer anywhere.
Importance/Legal Review
| Optional | Recommended | Critical | Comments | |
| How important is this policy? | x | This is one of the most important policies in your Employee Manual. | ||
| Is legal review required? | x | In most cases, this is a straightforward policy and does not require review. as long as your formal definition of Misconduct is solid. If this policy won't be reviewed by legal counsel, it should be approved by Finance or the position in your company that is responsible for legal matters, such as contracts. |
Policy Customization
| Low | Med | High | Comments | |
| Time/Effort | x | Any additional effort would be related to defining and providing examples for Misconduct for your business or industry. | ||
| Complexity | x | Same comment as above. | ||
| Expertise | x | Same comment as above. |
Dependencies
The HR Toolkit Employee Manual is written as a holistic document where some policies are connected to and refer to each other. You want to ensure that what you're communicating in one policy maps with and doesn't contradict other policies. This may result in employee confusion and voiding of terms and conditions in the document. It's best that this policy is not used as a standalone policy.
- It references the Health & Safety policy.
- It references the formal term: Misconduct.
If you do want to create a stand alone policy, modify as necessary and include the definition of Misconduct within the policy which is found in the Formal Terms & Definitions section within the template. However, know that the term Misconduct is referenced in other policies and it's best that the term is defined in one static location, or you'll have to make changes in several places when you make a change to the definition of Misconduct.
Learn more about Dependencies.
Additional Information & Tips
This policy is a good example of one that is shortened significantly and is easy to read because 'Misconduct' has been defined elsewhere, eg. in the Formal Terms & Definitions section that includes all formal terms and definitions. The term "Misconduct" can now be used throughout your Manual without having to define it every time it's used.
Disclaimer
This page includes general information and does not constitute legal advice. More.
Keywords
rules of conduct policy, code of behaviour policy, code of behavior policy,