A Code of Conduct sets out the ‘golden rules‘ or guidelines in which employers and industry bodies codify acceptable standards of behaviour in the workplace.
Individual businesses can develop their own Codes of Conduct applicable to their specific interests. Many professional bodies also implement standardised Codes of Conduct covering behaviour which is perceived as being a particular risk within that type of industry.
Why is a code of conduct important?
A Code of Conduct provides employees with clear parameters for what is appropriate and inappropriate at work.
The precise content of a Code of Conduct depends on the nature of the industry or business to which it applies. For example, the legal industry imposes strict requirements on confidentiality and integrity, which may be unnecessary in other industries.
One important aspect of a Code of Conduct is ensuring specific guidelines are in place regarding professional distance and potential conflicts of interest that may arise, whether actual or perceived.
Acceptable behaviour under these guidelines is likely to differ significantly depending on what is appropriate within a certain profession. For example, while a general practitioner or a physical therapist needs to have physical contact with their clients and patients in order to perform their duties, there is a completely different expectation on teachers, where specific types of physical contact can be inappropriate, in breach of the Code of Conduct or can even constitute reportable conduct.
The Code of Conduct should also address complaints handling and the specific disciplinary response for conflicts of interest and other breaches of the Code.
dealing with vulnerable persons and a ‘special class’ of clients
In addition to avoiding the more obviously inappropriate behaviours such as perceived sexual or excessive physical contact, professional Codes of Conduct have regard to the type of clients or customers their adherents are likely to encounter.
In the spheres of nursing, teaching, social work and psychology, practitioners will almost inevitably deal with vulnerable people. Indeed, the nature of the work and the clients’ vulnerabilities may mean that they form inappropriate attachments or relationships with professional staff. Guidelines for dealing with these types of situations, including appropriate reporting requirements and the potential for independent observers to be used, are necessary parts of the Code of Conduct for these professions.
In a similar vein, aged care, legal or financial service providers must ensure that there cannot be any misconception of inappropriate behaviour constituting potential financial abuse or conflict of interest, such as putting undue and improper pressure on a client to make a financial bequest or confer a financial advantage.
Abuse of power
Explicit Codes of Conduct governing conflicts of interest and biased behaviour are vital in professions that are open to abuse of power. For example, there is considerable potential for corruption, fraud and conflicts of interest to arise in the case of staff employed in Local Government or in procurement, public servants and police officers.
a case in point
David Luke Cottrell and NSW Police [2017] NSWIRComm1030 is a recent example of a breach of a Code of Conduct by a police officer, which ultimately resulted in his dismissal. Constable Cottrell was dismissed from his position after he received payments for tipping off a local tow truck driver about the location of motor vehicle accidents. In essence, Constable Cottrell was passing on confidential information and in doing so, directly created a conflict of interest for himself, and also provided an unfair commercial advantage to the tow truck operator.
Given that by the very nature of their work, police officers ought to be paragons of moral behaviour, this arrangement clearly breached appropriate professional ethics. This was notwithstanding the police officer’s argument in response to his dismissal that he was trying to be ‘effective’ by clearing accident sites and did not realise that the leaked information was controversial.
Ultimately, it was held that he had breached the appropriate Code of Conduct by failing to meet the expected high standards of behaviour of a police officer, and did not appreciate the gravity of his misconduct, failed to protect the confidentiality of information and did not carry out his duties impartially.
Determining whether a breach has occurred
Conflicts of interest and inappropriate behaviour can occur inadvertently, and are not always a result of intentional wrongdoing. For this reason, it’s important that Codes of Conduct are effectively communicated to staff, and that the penalties for breaches of the code are clearly defined.
If you suspect that one of your employees may have breached an applicable Code of Conduct, it will become necessary for you to conduct a workplace investigation. WISE Workplace can provide full or supported investigation services to assist you in determining whether any breaches have occurred.
To find out more about professional distance and conflicts of interest, check out our series on this topic.
Content retrieved from: http://www.wiseworkplace.com.au/_blog/WISE_Blog/post/codes-of-conduct-and-different-professions/.
