Additional policies
Your code of ethics represents the overarching document that expresses your commitment to doing the right thing in all circumstances. However, in some cases you might want to provide your staff, your clients and other stakeholders with more detailed guidance on specific ethical issues. This is when additional policies can be useful.
On this page, you can find some advice on what to include in these policies, as well as some templates that you can download and adapt to the needs of your business. Don’t forget to include a link to the relevant policies in your ethics statement, so that they are at hand when needed.
Introduction to the Gifts and Hospitality policy and policy template
A policy for all staff on the giving and receiving of gifts and hospitality should be consistent with the organisation’s code of ethics in encouraging high standards of personal honesty and integrity. The key principle is that hospitality received and offered has to have a clear business reason and not just be for the employee’s or their friends’ and family’s personal enjoyment.
A gifts and hospitality policy should set out:
- The general principle on the topic that explains your organisation’s approach, based on your core values
- A decision-making guide that includes:
- What is not acceptable to give/receive
- What is acceptable to give/receive only if authorised by a line manager
- What can be accepted/given
- What can be accepted without disclosure
- How staff can seek further guidance
- A gifts and hospitality register that includes:
- What has to be disclosed (date, persons involved, nature of the gift/hospitality and monetary value)
- Who is to monitor the Register
Please note that templates are for IBE's smaller supporters only.
