Small gifts preserve friendship. For this reason, Marketing Director Michael Müller had no guilty conscience when his counterpart handed him a small box - the contents: a gold wristwatch. "Take it," the man had said, "our agency is very grateful to you for allowing us to implement your new advertising campaign and we are deeply in your debt."

It is only later that he realizes that marketing man Müller has slipped into a conflict of interest by receiving the watch. Could he now still judge impartially when it comes to extending the advertising contract? A call to the compliance department provides clarity: The clock has to go back quickly! The company's own "Code of Conduct" clearly states that the acceptance of luxurious gifts is not permitted at all.

The "Code of Conduct" describes the values and beliefs of the company

The English term "Code of Conduct" (CC or CoC for short) means: code of conduct. In it, companies define their values and convictions. The Code of Conduct is therefore an important compliance instrument. It defines the company-wide standards of business ethics and social responsibility. In addition, a code of conduct contains rules for the behavior of employees toward each other.

The fictitious, but by no means absurd, example of marketing boss Michael Müller shows: The best code of conduct is of no use if a company's employees are not familiar with the contents of the paper. While many companies require their employees to sign the "Code of Conduct" as part of their employment contract - this does not presuppose that employees are also familiar with this important area of compliance.

Draw up a code of conduct and take it into account in practice

When companies create a code of conduct, they must also ensure that it is perceived as part of the corporate culture. It is advisable to offer employees appropriate compliance training. This can also take the form of online training.

Security Island, a product of mybreev GmbH, offers more than 75 online training courses for immediate use in the company. Employees can use them to learn more about topics such as cyber security, data protection, travel security and compliance. A "Code of Conduct" e-learning course is also available. This compliance e-learning gives participants a sound overview of the Code of Conduct. Practical examples are used to illustrate this central element of the compliance management system.

Code of Conduct: Showing the basis of compliance and warning against violations.

Companies are free to define their own code of conduct. Some companies put everything that is important to them on three pages. Other companies need 50 pages or more for their code of conduct. When a company's code of conduct is online, it signals that it is aware of its social obligations.

Almost every "Code of Conduct" contains provisions to prevent corruption and violations of fair competition. Most relate to the protection of human rights, workplace safety and the prevention of discrimination and child and forced labor. It is also important that a code of conduct provides information about the legal consequences for violations, and that companies enforce the consequences.

Raising awareness of codes of conduct with e-learning from Security Island

The diversity of the content of the "Code of Conduct" topic alone shows: When it comes to the Code of Conduct, there can be no universally valid "pattern F". Security Island, as a provider of online training, has also responded to this: Companies have the option of customizing compliance e-learning. In this way, the company's own contents of the Code of Conduct can be conveyed in a very targeted manner in the further training of employees.