Conduct Training: Everything You Should Know

Cultivating the right mindset in every employee through conduct training is necessary to avoid any costly consequences and promote a high-performance environment where individuals can extend their business and thrive simultaneously. Conduct training programs give employers real insight into how employees feel about the concepts and cultural skills presented.

Importance of conduct training

Here's why conduct training is considered to be important:

• Establishes an acceptable standard of behavior

It defines behavior expectations for both managers and employees. Communication of expectations helps establish clear boundaries. Employees should be informed about what is acceptable and unacceptable in the workplace and the consequences of poor decisions. It ensures that each employee is polite and cordial in their dealings with other staff and clients.

Establishes an ethical and moral standard

A code of ethics helps maintain the balance between the ends and the means. A company clarifies that its employees cannot claim ignorance as an excuse for unethical conduct through the code of ethics. Thus, each employee is held accountable for their actions. A documented set of ethical standards clarifies to the general public that a company is working for the public benefit. If the workings of a company are transparent, it will generate the public's trust and significantly reduce the chances of an internal scandal or corruption.

Improves work ethics

A well-written code of conduct instills a sense of professionalism in each employee and thus, boosts the company's efficiency and reputation. It ensures employees show up on time, are dressed appropriately, and behave in a manner befitting a professional organization. Once expectations and the penalties that fail to meet those expectations are violated, there leaves no room for misinterpretation and excuses. A code of conduct training session boosts teamwork by including trust among colleagues. People are more likely to work better when they trust and respect one another.

Empowers employees

The organization's management is subjected to the same set of ethics as all employees and thus necessarily needs to treat all employees equally and justly. A well-established rule protects its employees from any discrimination by race, gender, or religious affiliation. Workplace harassment rules and a whistleblower policy should be set so that employees can report such activities without any repercussions.

Why does conducting training matter?

Imagine what it would be like if there were a lot of inappropriate behavior or unprofessional conduct in your workplace? It doesn't take long to realize we don't want to work in that environment. In addition, if we look at the costs of staff turnover for people who quit their jobs because of inappropriate conduct of co-workers, it sums up a lot of expense to employers, which can be avoided. 

Employees should sign documents acknowledging the code of conduct policy or program of the organization. This will ensure that all the employees have reviewed and understood it and they agree to follow the policy and procedures to ensure their behavior and that of their co-workers is appropriate.

• Creating a good policy or training document – writing a good policy is not facile and takes time. Thankfully there are lots of templates resources, and policy writers online to help you get started.
• Communicate the policy with the staff – get them in front of your employees, let them read the policy, listen to it, watch videos or interact.
• Measure the retention or test – the best way to measure the retention is to test the employees.
• Get a signoff in writing – this can be a valuable piece of paper if there is a serious incident of inappropriate conduct, and if you don't have it before it happens, it's usually too late.
• Monitoring, enforcing, and maintaining – monitor to ensure that everyone has done this, including existing workers, newly hired, contract workers, or even visitors to your facility. Release the policy and look to update regularly and after every incident to see what you could do better.

Things employees should keep in mind 

Employees should:

• Be inclusive

Support people of all backgrounds and identities. It is not limited to members of any sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, ethnicity, culture, origin, social or economic class, educational background, color, immigration status, age, size, political belief, religion, and mental or physical ability.

• Be considerate

The staff members are interdependent on each other to produce the best work we can as an organization. Your decisions will affect clients and colleagues, and you should consider those consequences when making decisions.

• Be respectful

We don't agree all the time, but disagreement is not an excuse for disrespectful behavior. We all experience frustration from time to time. Still, we cannot allow that frustration to turn into personal attacks or create an environment where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not productive or creative.

• Choose your words carefully

Always conduct yourself professionally. Be kind to others. Do not insult anyone. Harassment and exclusionary behavior aren't acceptable. This includes:

1. Threats of violence
2. Discriminatory jokes
3. Sharing sexually explicit material 
4. Insults which are especially those using racist or sexist terms
5. Unwelcome sexual attention
6. Supporting or encouraging any of the above behavior

• Don't harass

If someone asks you to stop something and feels uncomfortable, you should stop. Try to understand why. Differences of opinion and disagreements are unavoidable. We must solve our disagreements and differing views constructively and find common ground.

• Turn differences into strengths

We can find strength in diversity. Different people have different views on different issues, which can be valuable for solving problems or generating new ideas. Being unable to understand why someone holds a different opinion doesn't mean that they're wrong. Don't forget that we all make mistakes, and blaming each other won't get us anywhere.

What should be included in conducting training 

During conduct training, the following concepts should be covered:

•  The work environment

Employees should act with respect, maintain a professional work environment, and understand company policies. They should treat customers, colleagues, and partners ethically and respectfully at all times without any judgments.

• Conflicts of interest

A company's reputation depends on the actions of its employees. It is hoped that they avoid relationships and activities which might hurt, or appear to hurt, their ability to make fair and rational decisions.

• Anti-bribery and corruption

A company's integrity is essential for maintaining trustworthiness and reputation in the market. Employees should always do their work fairly, honestly, legally, and rationally.

• Attendance and punctuality

Employees are expected to be regular and punctual, which means being in the office, ready to work. Absenteeism and laziness give a burden to other employees and the organization.

• Absence without notice.

Employees who cannot work due to illness or an accident should notify their supervisor beforehand. This allows the company to cover their duties and helps others continue to work in their absence, and there would be no break in productivity. If an employee reports for work and the company is not notified of an employee's status for three days, it is considered as job abandonment. 

•  General harassment and sexual harassment

Actions, words, jokes, or comments based on an individual's sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, age, religion, or other legally protected characteristics should not be entertained.