The document provides examples of strong codes of conduct from various companies and what makes them effective. An ideal code of conduct is written clearly for employees, comprehensive in its coverage of topics, supported by leadership, accessible to all stakeholders, and visually appealing. It should use examples, definitions, questions and answers, and other interactive elements to explain rules and handle complex situations. Strong codes of conduct like those of AT&T, Hanes Brands, and Kellogg Company employ these best practices.

1. In February 2022, CNN president Jeff Zucker was forced
to resign when the network discovered he had been
hiding a romantic relationship with another employee.
While office romances are not prohibited at CNN,
employees are required to disclose them.
Though this incident ousted a top figure in the company,
CNN did the right thing by enforcing their policy as soon
as they discovered an infraction.
Your organization’s code of conduct should be clear in
both its rules and consequences, as well as applied
consistently, regardless of the person’s position. A strong
code of conduct can also reduce your company’s risk of
embarrassing public scandals and protect your
employees from harm.
For example, a zero-tolerance approach to harassment
could deter a manager from yelling at their employees.
Or, explaining your company’s conflict of interest policy
might keep an employee from unwittingly committing
fraud.
Encouraging an ethical culture with your code of conduct
creates a safer, more productive workplace while helping
you prevent internal incidents.
Not sure where to start when writing yours? These
examples from honorees on Ethisphere’s World’s Most
Ethical Companies list show how to create a document
that’s thorough, engaging, on-brand, and helpful.
What Makes a Great Code of Conduct?
Writing a strong code of conduct requires a
thorough understanding of your company, including its
culture, mission, values, and vision.
A great code of conduct is:
 Written for the reader (your employees). It is easy to
understand and doesn’t include any technical or legal
jargon.
 Comprehensive. It covers all important details that may
impact the daily lives of employees and answers common
questions that may arise.
 Supported by leadership. It has been acknowledged and
approved by the company’s senior management team.
This is often demonstrated in the form of a foreword
written by the CEO or President.
 Accessible. It is available to all employees, current
investors, and potential investors.
 Visually appealing. It follows a style that is clean and
reflective of your organization’s brand.
Below are 18 outstanding code of conduct examples that
you can use as inspiration to update or write your own.
(A ✓ denotes a particularly exceptional feature of the
code of conduct)

2. AT&T
AT&T’s Code of Business Conduct is readily available
online. It’s published under the policies section of the
“About AT&T” portion of its website for current and future
stakeholders to review.
AT&T emphasizes the values it maintains and
employees’ responsibilities to the company,
shareholders, customers, and each other. The document
also includes other relevant policies the reader can
reference within each section.
Each section of the code includes its own frequently
asked questions box, with real workplace examples of
confusing scenarios. Finally, a visual decision-making
model helps employees decide how to approach a
situation and, if they still aren’t sure, offers contact
information for further help.
✓ Concise
✓ FAQs
A code of conduct is just the beginning.
Enforcing it is the key to a functional, ethical workplace.
See how i-Sight can help you manage your workplace
investigations with ease. Book your demo now.
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Hanes Brands
A quick glance at the Hanes Brands Global Code of
Conduct reveals a clear, unifying theme: excellence. This
theme acts as the foundation for every component of the
code of conduct, including rules about the use of
company assets, interacting with coworkers, conflicts of
interests, and workplace safety. By embedding one of its
core values into its code of conduct, Hanes Brands is
able to demonstrate its strong commitment to the
business standards it has developed.
The company’s code of conduct also includes
addenda that outline necessary definitions, explanations
behind the rules, and links to other relevant policies. This
code of conduct is well organized and designed, easy to
understand, and comprehensive.

3. ✓ Visually Appealing
✓ Well Organized
Kellogg Company
The Kellogg Company’s Code of Ethics serves the same
purpose as a Code of Conduct, but bases the document
around the company’s core values and ethical standards.
The policy is attractive and appealing, drawing inspiration
from the grain farms that gave us the company’s first
cereal products. Beyond its visual appeal, however, this
code of conduct is extremely well written and organized.
The code is divided into employee responsibilities,
complete with how and why each one is key to the
Kellogg’s way of conducting business.
The Kellogg Company has also included several quizzes,
definitions, and question and answer boxes. These are
designed to help employees make decisions when
confronting problems that range from personal social
media use to conflicts of interest. This code of conduct
does an excellent job of promoting the company’s culture
while clearly indicating how employees should act.
✓ Visually Appealing
✓ Great Situational Examples
Starbucks
The Starbucks Standards of Business Conduct begins by
outlining the mission and values that Starbucks aims to
uphold as a company.
The document then dives into detailed descriptions of
organizational expectations with respect to the work
environment, business practices, intellectual property,
and community involvement. In many instances, the
company indicates where or who employees can refer to
for assistance or more information.
Starbucks’ code of conduct also answers several
questions that employees can reference when facing
uncertainty. These short Q&A sections help readers
understand how they should act in certain situations and

4. why that behavior reflects the standards created by
Starbucks.
Additionally, Starbucks has included a unique ethical
decision-making framework to assist employees when
they are faced with ethical dilemmas in the workplace.
✓ Well Organized
✓ Great Situational Examples
✓ FAQs
PepsiCo
PepsiCo’s Global Code of Conduct is an extensive
document that covers a variety of topics including
responsibilities of individual employees, respect in the
workplace, and responsibilities of the company to its
shareholders.
As a massive global entity, PepsiCo has ensured that its
code of conduct is easy to understand (in several
languages) and very clear in its expectations for
employees.
As with any strong code of conduct, PepsiCo’s code has
rooted its expectations in one of the key behaviors of
“The PepsiCo Way”: “Acting with Integrity.” The company
has also dedicated an entire section of the code to
explaining how the code will be administered. This
includes information on investigations related to
misconduct and disciplinary actions the company may
take.
PepsiCo’s code of conduct also encourages employees
to report bribery, violence, or other misconduct by
contacting the company’s hotline.
✓ Well Organized
✓ Visually Appealing
✓ Great Examples and Definitions
Your code of conduct should outline how to behave not just
in the office, but online too.
Use this social media policy checklist to set expectations
for appropriate online behavior.
SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY CHECKLIST
Sony Corporation

5. Sony’s Code of Conduct, opens with the company’s
purpose, followed by its core values. The policy is
concise, yet comprehensive. It covers topics such as
harassment, product safety, intellectual property, and
corruption.
The document also includes opening messages from
Sony’s President/CEO and Executive Vice President.
These put a face to the rules, encouraging employees to
hold themselves to the company’s high standards in the
workplace.
Finally, the code of conduct explains how to report
concerns on Sony’s ethics hotline and what actions and
what actions the company takes after receiving a report.
✓ Concise
✓ Well Organized
Mastercard
Mastercard’s Code of Conduct starts by naming the
company’s purpose and explaining how it is applied to
work in a purpose manifesto. The policy also includes a
visual aid called “The Mastercard Way” that illustrates
core values and responsibilities.
The code of conduct’s design is not only attractive, but
also makes the document easier to understand. Images
and visual decision-making models make the content
more engaging and help separate sections and lists.
This document explains where and to whom employees
can turn with questions and reports of misconduct. It also
links to further resources, such as the company’s
Compliance Corner for employees.
✓ Visually Appealing
✓ Well Organized
Microsoft
Microsoft’s Standards of Business Conduct have been
drafted around one central theme: trust.
The company emphasizes that trust is an important
aspect of its operations, including with customers,

6. governments, fellow employees, investors, and
representatives. The code of conduct also offers a
process to help employees make difficult decisions that
reflect Microsoft’s values and standards.
Microsoft provides its employees with a visually appealing
and easy-to-read document that is reflective of the
organization’s values. The company highlights that the
responsibilities covered in the code of conduct apply to all
employees of the company, including managers,
executives, and members of the Board of Directors.
✓ Concise
✓ Well Organized
✓ Visually Appealing
Allstate
Allstate has a detailed and easy-to-follow Global Code of
Business Conduct for employees. The code outlines the
expectations that employees must meet, each with rules
and procedures explaining how to achieve it.
Additionally, the company’s code of conduct provides
definitions and examples of potentially unfamiliar terms.
The policy also uses question and answer boxes to
provide real-life situations when a rule could apply.
Allstate’s comprehensive code of conduct includes
information on cross-border business, diversity,
protecting company information, community involvement,
and much more.
✓ Well Organized
✓ Great Situational Examples
Royal Caribbean Group
Royal Caribbean Group’s Code of Business Conduct and
Ethics starts by naming the company’s core values, then
explains why the policy exists and who must follow it.
Each section includes multiple question and answer
boxes and “practical tips” to illustrate how the rules will
look in practice.

7. The document also includes a decision-making flowchart
to help employees in ethically confusing scenarios. It is
easy to understand and sticks to the company’s branding.
The code covers a variety of topics related to Royal
Caribbean’s operations, including health and safety,
choosing responsible suppliers, protecting the
environment, and fair competition.
✓ Well Organized
✓ Great Situational Examples
Best Buy
Best Buy’s Code of Ethics frames employee conduct
guidelines through ethical standards. The policy is
organized intuitively and written in plan language, making
it easy to understand.
The code discusses the company’s purpose, values, and
guiding behaviors and defines the expectations of
employees and leadership alike.
Within each section of the code, Best Buy has includes a
“What If?” example scenario of how to apply its rules, as
well as links to the company’s other policies that can give
further detail.
✓ Well Organized
✓ Visually Appealing
IBM
The Business Conduct Guidelines created by IBM
provide employees with a clear understanding of the
expectations of their employer. This code of conduct is
grounded in the company’s guiding principles
and provides detailed explanations with examples.
IBM also includes several side notes to further explain
concepts and illustrate potential situations that could be
ethically confusing.
Additionally, the company provides links to several
additional resources and policies that may be helpful to
employees and investors.

8. ✓ Well Organized
✓ Visually Appealing
General Motors
The General Motors (GM) Code of Conduct is
comprehensive yet easy to understand. It is clearly
worded, with simple explanations.
The code specifies who it applies to, how it will be upheld,
and the expectations set for employees. GM uses the
term “we” throughout their code of conduct to ensure that
all employees, including senior managers and directors,
are held to the same standard.
The GM code of conduct includes a decision-making
model that employees can follow when facing ethical
dilemmas.
The company has also included several short Q&A
sections to explain how employees should act when they
are in certain situations. The document provides links to
several additional policies and resources, such as the
company’s ethics hotline.
✓ Concise
✓ Well Organized
✓ Visually Appealing
L’Oreal
L’Oreal’s Code of Ethics simple design makes it easy to
read and scannable.
Its sections clearly define what behaviors are and aren’t
acceptable using “We Must” and “We Must Not” lists. The
document also answers ethical questions using example
scenarios.
The code emphasizes a culture of openness and
transparency, explaining why and how reporting concerns
is important. Each section also includes suggestions for
who to report to with concerns on that topic (e.g. safety,
competition, data use).
✓ Well-Organized
✓ Great Situational Examples
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Kohl’s
Kohl’s Code of Ethics has a cute design that is both on-
brand and engaging. The document begins with the
company’s purpose statement and values, then explains
that it is every employee’s responsibility to uphold them.
The code’s visual aids, short paragraphs, and lists make
it very easy to read.
The policy explains each rule and standard through the
lens of the company’s values and reputation. Employees
are also given examples, definitions, and additional
resources to explain concepts throughout the code.
✓ Well Organized
✓ Visually Appealing
Visa
Visa’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is clear,
detailed, and comprehensive. Each section contains a
few key rules and explanations of how to apply them, as
well as helpful notes, example scenarios, and/or links to
other policies where employees can find more
information.
One of the code’s most unique features is its extensive
resource section at the end. It contains contact
information and steps on how to report concerns on every
topic from data privacy to HR incidents. Employees can
easily navigate this section and report quickly if they see
something amiss.
✓ Great Situational Examples
✓ Well Organized
Nokia

10. Nokia’s Code of Conduct is a detailed and thorough
document.
It highlights key policies that all employees should be
familiar with. Each section of the code of conduct also
provides employees with a clear understanding of what
their responsibilities are and red flags that may arise in
different situations.
This easy-to-understand document is focused on helping
employees make the best choices based on the
company’s values. Nokia has also provided a clear
description of reporting processes, retaliation policies,
and corrective action procedures.
✓ Well Organized
✓ Visually Appealing
✓ Dedicated Mobile App (iOS and Android)
Hewlett-Packard
Integrity at HP, the company’s code of conduct
document, is a clear and detailed guide to
employee behavior. It begins with the three components
of “The HP Way” and includes a visual decision-making
guide to help employees with ethical conundrums.
Next, four brief but detailed sections outline HP’s
responsibilities: promise, people, company, relationships,
and impact. Each section explains “What We Do” and
“How We Do It” to make the rules easier for employees to
understand.
Many of the sections also include “Act with Integrity”
question and answer boxes. These explain common
ethically confusing situations that employees might
encounter at work.
✓ Great Situational Examples
✓ Well Organized