Most organisations launch their code of conduct with some one-off comms and crossed fingers. Here's how to launch yours so people use it to guide responsible decisions and reduce risk.
The real challenge isn’t in writing the code of conduct. It’s getting people to understand it and apply it to their everyday work. Yet most organisations launch their code of conduct by sharing some one-off comms and crossing their fingers that people will pay attention.
A code of conduct protects you from risk when it influences everyday decisions. This means not just requesting your employees’ attention but earning it.
How can you make a code of conduct stay top of mind?
Make doing the right thing easy
The code should be easy to find, easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to use. It should help employees manage potential risks by making it simple to put principles into positive action.
This means avoiding legal jargon and complex policy language. Most of us will skim read a lengthy document, scanning for information that feels most relevant. Good codes help employees find answers quickly. So clear away the clutter and prioritise your information.
You can do this by using:
- Clear headings and signposting
- Hyperlinks and searchable content in web-based codes
- FAQs
- Interactive navigation
- Concise summaries of key expectations
- Visual examples
- AI assistants
Make it practical
A code should outline expectations for employee behaviour on a practical level. It’s no good having a set of nicely written rules if the rules aren’t easy to reach for when someone is making a difficult decision. Think about the common risks your people encounter and what kind of support they would need in those situations. Training and comms need to be tailored for specific roles. Make the guidance useful, not cerebral.
Use real-life examples
Risk is role-specific. A customer-facing hospitality worker comes up against different ethical challenges from a software engineer, a recruiter or a finance manager.
A generic description of misconduct often fails to resonate because employees struggle to recognise their own situations within it. Instead, you want to bring the code to life through realistic scenarios. For instance:
- A manager receives a ticket to a football match from a supplier
- A recruiter uses an unapproved AI tool to sift through applications
- A salesperson witnesses a colleague making inappropriate comments during a lunch break
Role-specific scenarios allow employees to see how principles apply in practice. These scenarios help employees identify risks early and respond appropriately.
Acknowledge uncertainty
Not every situation has a clear rule-based answer. The strongest codes combine firm boundaries with practical decision-making support. You won’t be able to predict every emerging risk, so you should instead help your employees develop sound judgement. Equip them with questions that help them when they’re faced with uncertainty.
For example:
- Is this legal, fair and consistent with our values?
- Would I be comfortable explaining this decision to the people affected?
- Do I have enough information to proceed?
- If I’m uncertain, who can help me?
These prompts are especially valuable in emerging areas like AI use, where risks evolve faster than policies can be updated.
Example: Is it OK?
Channel 4 needed to make sure employees read and understood their Code of Conduct and used it to guide responsible decisions. The challenge was that a code often sounds dull and stuffy. How does that work for an organisation that’s bold and creative? Centring on the question asked by Channel 4’s The Last Leg, the result showed that acting with integrity can enable braver work.
“Asking ‘Is it OK?’ is now my handy check when I’m ready to take a creative risk.”
– employee, Channel 4
How do you successfully launch a code of conduct?
How you launch your code of conduct is just as important as what you put in it. Employees are already managing competing priorities. If the code appears as just another piece of mandatory reading, it’s unlikely to command attention or influence behaviour. Don’t just publish it on your intranet and expect it to make a difference.
Make an event of it
Sharing a code of conduct should be treated as a multi-stage campaign rather than a one-off event. Make an event of it. Make sure people have heard of it. Make organisational time for it.
Use these six steps to create a compelling campaign in your organisation.
Get stakeholder buy-in…
For a successful campaign, you need to get people on side. The more support you have from a broad range of teams, the more cohesive your communications can be, and the greater impact you can have. Think about getting support from internal comms, SMEs and any other important stakeholders who can help make this launch effective.
… including leadership support
Tone from the top is important. When senior leaders show that a code of conduct matters, it becomes something people actually use.
A leader can reinforce this message by:
- Announcing the launch personally
- Explaining how the code of conduct applies to everyday decisions
- Sharing examples of difficult decisions they’ve faced and how the code helped them
- Referring to the code during meets and broader comms
Target your messages
Not everyone needs the same information at the same time. On top of any mandatory training you have, tailor communications to the risks each role actually carries. For example, managers might need additional guidance on handling concerns, while a finance officer might need more support on fraud risks. Increase relevance and you’ll help reduce learning fatigue.
Connect to values and culture
A good code should have purpose to it beyond telling people what to do. By connecting it to the values and culture of the organisation, its guidance becomes more meaningful. If you can help your employees feel more confident in speaking up when they’re uncertain, and prove that you listen to them, they will feel more secure and respected at work.
You can do this without being judgemental or overly-prescriptive. A great example is Co-op’s campaign The Colleague Code, which acknowledged that the world is imperfect and everyone is learning. The guide helped advise what to do, what to avoid, and how to show you care even if you make mistakes sometimes. It acknowledged reality and didn’t make anyone feel they were being told off.
Small and often
People learn through repetition. Instead of relying entirely on annual training, sustain a conversation throughout the year. Revisit key messages and encourage discussion around them.
For example:
- Set discussions in team meetings
- Send out monthly ethical dilemma scenarios
- Post short and relevant intranet blogs
- Encourage manager-led conversations
By embedding the lessons of your code of conduct into employees’ working lives, you make it a part of their everyday, rather than making it another task to tick off. Small interventions delivered consistently are often more effective than one large compliance exercise.
Think creatively
People remember stories better than policies. The most successful campaigns use narrative to make ideas come to life.
How could you think outside the box to launch your code of conduct? Use employee stories. Create an internal podcast. Gamify a challenge. Build a character to promote the compliance team. It’s not just what you say but how you say it. Make your code of conduct something to talk about.
Example: Meet Connie, your conscience
“It would be easy for people to see the Code of Ethics as restrictive and dry. We had to show them how it connects to our beliefs, our values, and our mission, and to help them see it as an asset by making it actionable.”
Associate General Counsel – Ethics, Governance & Compliance, Fraser Simpson, explains how a pink-haired puppet got people to pay attention to Wellcome Collection’s new Code of Ethics.