I believe everybody should have a personal Code of Ethics or Code of Conduct. I also believe every company should have a Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct, and/or Mission Statement; every employee should have easy access to locating it; and any client should be able to easily locate it on the business website when considering doing business with them. Okay, with that said, I was really surprised at how difficult it was to search for Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Mission Statements. Absolutely, without a doubt, surprised. Really tough to find.

I then adjusted my search criteria to specific organizations to see if they provided a Code on their website. Some are easier to find than others and you may have to look for them under related terms that may apply. I am posting some examples here for those I found interesting.

Example 1: Marines

My first example is that of the United States Marines, knowing that our military live by a Code.

“Honor: Honor requires each Marine to exemplify the ultimate standard in ethical and moral conduct. Honor is many things; honor requires many things. A U.S. Marine must never lie, never cheat, never steal, but that is not enough. Much more is required. Each Marine must cling to an uncompromising code of personal integrity, accountable for his actions and holding others accountable for theirs. And, above all, honor mandates that a Marine never sully the reputation of his Corps.

Courage: Simply stated, courage is honor in action — and more. Courage is moral strength, the will to heed the inner voice of conscience, the will to do what is right regardless of the conduct of others. It is mental discipline, an adherence to a higher standard. Courage means willingness to take a stand for what is right in spite of adverse consequences. This courage, throughout the history of the Corps, has sustained Marines during the chaos, perils, and hardships of combat. And each day, it enables each Marine to look in the mirror — and smile.

Commitment: Total dedication to Corps and Country. Gung-ho Marine teamwork. All for one, one for all. By whatever name or cliche, commitment is a combination of (1) selfless determination and (2) a relentless dedication to excellence. Marines never give up, never give in, never willingly accept second best. Excellence is always the goal. And, when their active duty days are over, Marines remain reserve Marines, retired Marines, or Marine veterans. There is no such thing as an ex-Marine or former-Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Commitment never dies.”

http://www.usmcpress.com/heritage/corp_values.htm

Example 2: CDCR

My second example is for the State agency I work for:

Vision

With our partners, we protect the public from crime and victimization.

Mission

We enhance public safety through safe and secure incarceration of offenders, effective parole supervision, and rehabilitative strategies to successfully reintegrate offenders into our communities.

Values

SERVICE

We serve and are responsible to the public. We value their trust and invite their involvement.

LEADERSHIP

We serve as positive role models and foster an environment that supports a balance between professional development, professional job performance, and personal wellness.

INTEGRITY

We conduct ourselves professionally through fair, honest, and ethical behavior. We have the courage to do what is right, even in the face of adversity.

ACCOUNTABILITY

We accept responsibility for our actions and decisions as well as their consequences.

RESPECT

We respect each other’s differences and treat others with courtesy, dignity, and consideration.

TRUST

We are people of character. We keep our word and honor our commitments.
COLLABORATION We work with our stakeholders as partners to support mutual understanding of ideas and open exploration of our differences.

http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/About_CDCR/docs/mission.pdf

Example 3: IBM

My third example is that of a major international company, IBM. You will find the link after the writing that displays the IBM policies. To include all of that would be lengthy here.

Business conduct & ethics

IBM is committed to principles of business ethics and lawful conduct. It is IBM’s policy to conduct itself ethically and lawfully in all matters and to maintain IBM’s high standards of business integrity.

Employees must at all times comply with IBM’s business conduct and related guidelines. Violation of any IBM guideline is cause for discipline, including dismissal from the company. Employees should consult their management immediately if they have any question whether their actions could violate an IBM guideline.

Furthermore, it is IBM’s practice to voluntarily and promptly disclose known violations of government procurement laws to appropriate officials of government. In the event that IBM benefited economically from such known violations, it is our practice to reimburse the government customer accordingly. IBM employees should immediately make known to appropriate levels of management, either directly or through the Open Door or Speak-Up programs, any and all allegations of violations in connection with any government contract.

The Senior Vice President and General Counsel is responsible for providing specific instructions regarding business conduct and ethics and, as appropriate, directing periodic reviews, including business conduct guideline certification programs, to ensure compliance. Each operating unit or subsidiary is responsible for implementing such instructions, including administering certification programs.

http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/policy2.shtml

Example 4: IAAP

What began my research in this was seeking out a professional Code for administrative professionals. This is the only one I could track down, the professional organization International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP):

Code of Ethics for Administrative Professionals

(Preface note: The International Association of Administrative Professionals® defines administrative professionals as “individuals who are responsible for administrative tasks and coordination of information in support of an office related environment and who are dedicated to furthering their personal and professional growth in their chosen profession.”)

Recognizing that a position of trust imposes ethical obligations upon administrative assistants, office coordinators, executive secretaries and other types of administrative professionals to act for benefit of employers, clients, and the public, members of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) established and promulgated four standards of professional conduct and resolve to be guided by them as embodying the ethical ideals of their profession.

The development of a Code of Ethics demonstrates that the administrative support profession accepts the obligation to engage in self-discipline and accepts the responsibility and trust earned by administrative professionals throughout past generations.

Each administrative professional has a personal obligation to support and follow the Code, recognizing that the greatest penalty possible for its violation is loss of the respect of professional colleagues and the trust of employers, clients, and society.

Ethical behavior is encouraged by both the Code and the profession. An administrative professional’s personal ethical behavior may often exceed the requirements of the Code, which do not demand less than the law, and often exceed those of the law. Persons found guilty of violating laws will be considered in prima facie violation of the Code and may be censured or otherwise penalized by the association or profession.

1. The administrative professional shall act as a trusted agent in professional relations, implementing responsibilities in the most competent manner and exercising knowledge and skill to promote the interests of the immediate and corporate employer.

The immediate employer shall be considered to be the person or persons who, by an established and predetermined arrangement, receive directly the agreed upon services of the administrative professional. The corporate employer shall be considered the entity (company or organization) providing the administrative professional’s compensation. In cases where the immediate employer does not provide compensation for the administrative professional, the administrative professional’s principal obligation shall be to serve the corporate employer. In serving the immediate employer, however, the administrative professional shall not act contrary to interests of the corporate employer or to public safety and welfare or in such a way as to impair the dignity and status of the profession.

The administrative professional shall strive to avoid conflicts of interest with the immediate employer whenever possible, but if such conflicts cannot be avoided or resolved, the administrative professional shall fully disclose to the immediate employer and all interested parties the relevant reasons and circumstances.

Communications and information either given in confidence or such that confidentiality is required to serve the best interests of the immediate employer shall not be revealed by an administrative professional unless permission to do so is granted by the immediate employer or continued confidentiality is harmful to the corporate employer, client, public, or profession. Testimony in a court of law regarding confidential matters should be given only under the immediate or corporate employer’s authorization, under legal compulsion, or to protect the public from harm.

The administrative professional will assume responsibilities only when qualified by training and experience and shall inform the immediate or corporate employer concerning any lack of qualification which might harm the interests of the employer or impair the administrative professional’s capacity to serve such interests.

In acting as agent for an immediate employer, the administrative professional shall strive to accurately and honestly represent the views and interests of the immediate employer as well as the views and interests of those who seek to contact or influence the immediate employer, and shall not distort or misrepresent such views and interests, whether for personal advantage or to protect the employer from unwelcome information.

The administrative professional shall respond to those seeking the immediate employer’s professional attention with impartial courtesy and consistent good will, recognizing that by the administrative professional’s demeanor the immediate employer will be judged.

When entrusted with funds or material goods essential to serve the employer, an administrative professional shall never appropriate or use such funds or goods for personal or nonprofessional purposes, and an administrative professional shall never use the employer’s facilities or time for the pursuit of such purposes without the express consent of the immediate employer.

The administrative professional shall not accept outside employment or accept any form of compensation from outside sources which would impair the efficiency and effectiveness of the administrative professional or which would be in conflict with the employer’s welfare.

2. The administrative professional shall strive to maintain and enhance the dignity, status, competence, and standards of the profession and its practitioners.

The administrative professional, when applying for or being listed for employment, shall not make exaggerated, misleading, or false claims concerning training or qualifications. When judging the qualifications of other persons, whether in providing references, assisting with assignments, or evaluating performances, the administrative professional shall strive to provide fair and objective appraisals and shall attempt to avoid any false, malicious, or indiscriminate injury to or criticism of the professional reputation or work of others.

The administrative professional will cooperate with other administrative professionals in extending public knowledge and appreciation of the profession and its achievements and will strive to protect it from misrepresentation and misunderstanding.

The administrative professional shall strive to improve the standards of the profession by belonging to a professional association, attending and encouraging others to attend professional meetings, exchanging knowledge and information with other administrative professionals, and by achieving and encouraging others to achieve the Certified Professional Secretary® or Certified Administrative Professional® rating.

3. The administrative professional shall insist that judgments concerning continued employment, compensation, and promotion be based upon professional knowledge, ability, experience, and performance.

The administrative professional shall strive to improve working conditions and to ensure equal employment opportunities within the profession and throughout the organization by which employed.

The administrative professional shall refuse to cooperate with or condone by silence the actions of coworkers or employers who misuse their positions for personal, nonprofessional advantage

The administrative professional shall resist, and if necessary report to the proper authorities, instances in the workplace of harassment for reasons of sex, creed, race, or age.

The administrative professional shall inform the employer concerning any changes in conditions of employment, including fringe benefits, which encourage inefficiency or make difficult the proper performance of prescribed assignments.

4. The administrative professional must consider the promotion and preservation of the safety and welfare of the public to be the paramount duty.

The administrative professional, in addition to sharing with all concerned citizens an obligation to promote the general welfare and safety, has a special obligation to cooperate with and promote the interests of other allied professions and to exercise particular concern for those directly affected by the actions of employers served.

If requested or required by an employer to engage in or passively condone activities which are contrary to the public safety or welfare, the administrative professional shall indicate clearly to the employer the possible harmful consequences and, if such activities continue, the administrative professional must either resign or notify the proper authorities.

The administrative professional is obliged, before reporting to the proper authorities actions contrary to the public interest, to determine that the factual evidence is correct, to be motivated by no desire for personal benefit or vindication, and to inform the employer of such an intention unless doing so will be harmful to the public.

http://www.iaap-hq.org/resources/workplace/ethics.htm

IAAP also provides a Code of Conduct in participating in their website groups. I would suggest them as a great professional organization resource to look into joining. Also add them in your Facebook. I did.

As I mentioned in the start, everyone should have a Code. Standards that reflect an individual’s morals, values, conduct, mission, and vision. It inspires us to hold ourselves to a higher standard, giving us a template of behavior to live by and aspire to, give ourselves accountability, and not traverse through life randomly, but with purpose. Saying this, I would be a dope not to put together my own Code. So, with that said, I will let you know when I post that. I will either post that on my Philosophy page or probably create a specific page just for that purpose.

Tools: Entrepreneur

In my search and destroy mission, I uncovered a great article by Entrepreneur called, “Developing a Code of Ethics.” [Suggestion… Subscribe, put them on your feedreader, whatever. They are a great resource of information. I have them linked in my sidebar under Magazines. Check them out.] This write up covers everything you want to include in your Code.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/132085592.html

Tools: Franklin Covey

You can build a mission statement directly online with Franklin Covey’s Mission Statement Builder at http://www.franklincovey.com/msb/. [Suggestion… Subscribe to their Go Blog, put them on your feedreader, whatever. They are a great resource of information. I have them linked in my sidebar under Blog Roll. Check them out.]

Tools: Oprah

While you’re at it, create a Dream Board. You can also do this online with Oprah’s “O Dream Board: Envision Your Best Life.” http://www.oprah.com/packages/o-dream-board.html. [Suggestion... Subscribe to Oprah.com. Lots of great, inspirational information is provided, covering a range of topics.]

Conclusion

I covered quite a bit on this piece. Lots of links referencing some outstanding information. Bing and Google, you are my friends. I hope this inspires you. Inspires you to bring up your game. Let people know what you stand for and believe in. What you won’t compromise and that you hold yourself accountable above all else.

I also hope you will contribute your own suggestions and links to share in the Comments. And if you enjoyed this article and it inspired you to create your own Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct, Mission, Values, and/or Vision, share with your colleagues or share on your Twitter with one of my Sexy Bookmarks located at the bottom of this post. Also, if you decided to create your very own and post it on your website or one of the many social media sites, share your link in the Comments as well. Would  love to come by and show you some Love.

With great affection,