Step 2 - Codes of conduct

Rules and codes of conduct in the workplace

Employees come from all walks of life, the same is true of users, guests and customers. One therefore cannot assume that they all recognise the same boundaries or know where to draw the boundaries.

Employers should therefore, in cooperation with the employees, draw up rules that make it clear to all employees what is regarded as acceptable conduct and behaviour in the workplace. All new employees must be given this information as soon as they start working. The rules must be in a language that the employees understand.

The purpose of the rules is to protect employees from any form of harassment. The rules are not intended to regulate the actions of good colleagues as long as these actions reflect the wishes of both parties and do not have an undesirable impact on other employees or on the working environment.

The rules should always apply to actions carried out by:

• Clients, guests or customers
• Senior employees in relation to subordinates
• Employees with responsibility for training trainees/interns
• The majority group in relation to a minority group

Examples of rules/procedures:

• Calling employees by offensive or sexual names is not accepted at our workplace. Examples of unacceptable names: slut, nigger, homo, retard
• Comments on an employee’s body are not acceptable at work. The more sexual the comments are, the less acceptable they are.
• Sexual advances must not occur at work or in connection with work.
• Sending nude pictures and pornography to colleagues is prohibited.
• Sexual assaults will always be reported to the police.
• These rules also apply to clients, guests or customers
• All employees must notify management when these rules are breached

How to inform staff of these rules:

Enclose the rules within the working manual or with the employment contract.