Healthcare Company’s Code of Ethics

1. Conformity to laws and policies. Each employee should be guided by the country’s laws and the company’s internal policies to perform the job at the highest level and without any law-breaking activity.
2. Discrimination and injustice. Every person within the organization should have a right to perform his/her duties without being exposed to biased attitudes. At the same time, every employee should take care to support the atmosphere of equity and amiability.
3. Harassment. Sexual abuse or provocation is not tolerated. Employees who harassed their colleagues, upon the investigation, will be dismissed from the company immediately.
4. Discussion of prices. Company workers must not discuss its prices and discounts with any competitors or other third parties whose awareness about the company’s pricing policy may cause harm to the organization and people working in it.
5. Questions regarding violation of company rules. When an employee is uncertain how to behave in a certain situation, he/she should immediately contact someone from his/her management team to solve the problem. The same regulation considers the cases when an employee suspects the violation of company regulations by others.
6. Bribery. Under no circumstances, should the company’s employees exert bribery. They must not bribe anyone at a government or private level, no matter what beneficial aims they think they might be pursuing.
7. Health and safety issues. The company provides its employees with a healthy work environment. Each employee is responsible for sustaining this environment safe and clean. The company has a right to require a test for alcohol or drugs when an employee’s behavior is not natural. Smoking areas are marked by special signs, and no smoking is allowed in any other part of the company’s territory.
8. Corruption. All employees must take care of avoiding corruption within and outside the organization. Dishonest conduct will be severely prosecuted.
9. Conflict of interest. To avoid conflict of interest, employees are not allowed to accept any gifts from the customers or communicate with them outside the company. Also, personal connections between employees and customers are not welcome as they may undermine the workers’ dedication to the organization.
10. Certification at regular intervals. The company welcomes and promotes the regular certification of its employees to ensure that their skills are maintained at the highest level. Employees need to be in constant search of self-development and improvement and should show the best results during certification. If an employee fails to demonstrate the best level of expertise, he/she will be dismissed.

Reasons for Including the Elements

The abovementioned elements were included in the code of ethics as compliance with them will provide the most beneficial outcomes for the company itself, its employees, and customers. The elements concerning conforming to laws and policies, bribery, corruption, conflict of interest, and discussion of prices are aimed at eliminating the ill-behavior of the company’s employees and management team. By taking care of these regulations, the organization will ensure that people working within it are dedicated and have the best intentions towards their company. By avoiding the conflict of interest, the organization eliminates people’s misconduct and keeps them dedicated to the company goals rather than to personal objectives. Employees’ certification will ensure people’s self-and professional development and increase their desire for constant education and improvement.

Such elements as considerations about discrimination and injustice, harassment, and health and safety issues are developed to protect every person working in the organization. Employees should feel secure at all times and should not feel any psychological pressure. Every person needs to feel empowered and satisfied with his/her work environment. Otherwise, employees may lose motivation, dedication, and loyalty towards their company. Conforming to health and safety regulations is aimed at protecting the employees from their colleagues’ bad habits and not allowing people’s behaviors to impact the company’s environment.

The Importance of a Code of Ethics from an Employer Standpoint

Any employer needs to take care of his/her organization’s image and success. Thus, a code of ethics is viewed by managers as a means of providing equal conditions for the workers. Also, such a code eliminates the employees’ ill-behavior by establishing a system of reprimands in case of misconduct. It is noted that ethical norms should bear a preventive character to provide the best outcomes (Bishop, 2013). Therefore, employers need to get their workers acquainted with the code of ethics as early as possible. For company owners, such code presents a possibility to “control opportunistic behavior” and eliminate the negative issues (Davidson & Stevens, 2013). Employers find a unanimous set of ethical rules an excellent tool for encouraging the employees to sustain a friendly and professional atmosphere at their workplace.

The Significance of a Code of Ethics from an Employee Perspective

While the implementation of a code of ethics in a company has a beneficial purpose, some employees feel unhappy about it. For instance, it has been noted by researchers that people may experience moral sensitivity issues when an organization introduces a code of ethics (Kim, Kang, & Ahn, 2012). However, the limitations do not outnumber the benefits. Employees feel more secure when they know that there are regulations developed to punish anyone who violates the norms of social communication. Additionally, people know that their disloyalty to the company will be punished, and they are motivated to show the best performance.

Ways of Implementing the Proposed Code of Ethics

To put the code of ethics into action, it is necessary to inform all employees about it first of all. If a company is newly-opened, a general meeting of the staff may be a good idea. At the meeting, the organization’s management team can let workers know about the ethical rules and the purpose with which they were established. Employees should be given the possibility to ask questions to obtain all the information they need, which will ensure their understanding and compliance with the code of ethics. The organization’s leaders need to explain to the employees the outcomes of violating the rules. Every person should know what types of conduct are unacceptable and take care to follow the necessary regulations.

If the code of ethics is presented to a newly-hired employee, this person should be given some time to get acquainted with the code’s elements and should have an opportunity to discuss any issues with a manager hiring him/her. No questions should remain unanswered before one starts working. The code of ethics is aimed at optimizing the process of work and not at making the employees feel uncomfortable. Thus, the implementation of the code is a crucial step on the way to creating a positive and productive atmosphere within the company.

References

Bishop, W. H. (2013). The role of ethics in 21st century organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 3(118), 635-637.

Davidson, B. I., & Stevens, D. E. (2013). Can a code of ethics improve manager behavior and investor confidence? An experimental study. The Accounting Review, 88(1), 51-74.

Kim, Y.-S., Kang, S.-W., & Ahn, J.-A. (2012). Moral sensitivity relating to the application of the code of ethics. Nursing Ethics, 20(4), 470-478.