Victorian Public Sector Code of Conduct
Code of Conduct
for Victorian Public
Sector Employees
Describes how we are expected to behave
towards the Victorian Government, community and
colleagues
May be supplemented by information in:
•
Legislation
•
Industrial agreements
•
Awards
•
Policies
•
Procedures
Failing to comply with the code may be misconduct
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Responsiveness
Integrity
Impartiality
Accountability
Respect
Leadership
Human rights
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Encourages high performance
Gives organisations the competitive edge
Provides organisational clarity in moments of crisis
Creates an organisation with increased agility and creativity
Enables strategic organisational learning and accelerated employee
capability and performance
Collins, J & Porras, J 1994, Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies
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Advising Government
Remaining apolitical
Services to the community
Contributing to improvements
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Honesty at work
Using powers at work
Financial probity
Official information
Public comment
Reporting unethical
behaviour
Conflict of interest
Other employment
Public trust
Criminal offences
Drugs and alcohol
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Decisions and advice
Gifts and benefits
Acting fairly
Implementing government
policies and programs
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Working to clear objectives
Being responsible for decisions and
actions
Work resources
Open to scrutiny
Ability to meet essential requirements
Compliance with legislation
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Fair and objective treatment
Privacy and confidentiality
Maintaining confidentiality
Equity and diversity
Improving outcomes
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Leading by example
Managing staff
Supporting others
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Understanding human rights
Making decisions and providing
advice consistent with human rights
Implementing human rights
Protecting human rights
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Define the problem
Identify and consider stakeholders
Identify underlying values, principles,
laws and policies
Specify and evaluate alternatives
Get another opinion
Make a decision and act
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A trusted colleague
Your manager
Human resource manager
Victorian Ombudsman:
www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au
Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission:
www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au
Victorian Public Sector Commission:
www.vpsc.vic.gov.au
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Read the code of conduct
Lead your team in discussing a workplace problem in your next team
meeting
Start a discussion about the values the next time you have to make a
major decision
Examine your own behaviour and challenge misconduct in the
workplace
Speak to HR about how you can get involved in developing a values
based organisation
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A member of the public has been put through to Kylie’s area by
mistake. Kylie attempts to answer the call, but she has doubts about
the quality of the advice she is providing.
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Kylie is trying to give good customer service, but what might be the
consequences of her advice if it isn't correct?
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What is more important in this situation, responding in a timely way
or giving the correct advice?
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Gina’s manager threatens to dismiss her if she ‘blows the whistle’ on
fraud within their section.
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If Gina decides not to report the fraud what will be the repercussion
for her organisation and for her?
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Is Gina protected from retaliation if she reports the fraud? How?
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Who should she report the fraud to? Should she also report her
manager’s threat?
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Hugh is a member of a committee that awards financial grants to small
business. He accepts a bottle of wine from a prospective grant
recipient.
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Is it appropriate to receive a gift in this situation?
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Even if the gift wouldn’t influence Hugh’s decision, is there anything
wrong with accepting it?
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Other organisations who didn't receive the grant learn about the gift.
What might be the consequences?
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Gary organises work around his incoming emails. He acts on other
matters only when they escalate. When Wendy asks Gary to respond
to an urgent matter, he says ‘I’ve got 54 emails to deal with first’.
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Is Gary taking the right approach to his work?
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What should Wendy do if Gary won't attend to the urgent matter
until after he has addressed his emails?
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What responsibility does the manager have to ensure Gary sets the
right priorities?
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Rebecca constructively challenges her colleagues’ ideas. Her
colleagues dismiss her input, and as a consequence, she feels
isolated and is increasingly reluctant to give her opinion on key issues.
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How should Rebecca’s colleagues have reacted to her?
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How could the manager ensure everyone listens to and values all
opinions?
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Barry has trouble completing his work on time no matter how hard he
tries or how he organises his time. He doesn’t tell his supervisor for
fear of being considered incompetent.
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Does Barry’s supervisor have a role to play in monitoring the
workload of his staff?
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How could Barry determine whether he has an unreasonable
workload?
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What options does Barry have to alleviate the situation and get the
work done?
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Meg has recently become a parent. Although she returns to work part-
time, her manager does not reduce her workload. Meg is depressed
that she will have to do the same amount of work, in fewer hours and
for less pay. She then discovers this has happened to other women in
her organisation.
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How are Meg’s human rights being violated?
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How is she being discriminated against?
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What laws protect her?
Code of Conduct
for Victorian Public
Sector Employees
Welcome to our organisation.
The Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees outlines expected behaviors towards the government, community, and colleagues. It emphasizes values such as responsiveness, integrity, impartiality, accountability, respect, leadership, and human rights. A shared understanding of these values is crucial for high performance, competitive advantage, organizational clarity in crisis, increased agility, creativity, and accelerated employee capability. The code also guides on demonstrating responsiveness, integrity, impartiality, accountability, and respect in various work aspects.
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Presentation Transcript
Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees
What is the code of conduct? Describes how we are expected to behave towards the Victorian Government, community and colleagues May be supplemented by information in: Legislation Industrial agreements Awards Policies Procedures Failing to comply with the code may be misconduct
The code reinforces our values Responsiveness Integrity Impartiality Accountability Respect Leadership Human rights
Why is a shared understanding of the values important? Encourages high performance Gives organisations the competitive edge Provides organisational clarity in moments of crisis Creates an organisation with increased agility and creativity Enables strategic organisational learning and accelerated employee capability and performance Collins, J & Porras, J 1994, Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies
Demonstrating responsiveness Advising Government Remaining apolitical Services to the community Contributing to improvements
Demonstrating integrity Honesty at work Conflict of interest Using powers at work Other employment Financial probity Public trust Official information Criminal offences Public comment Drugs and alcohol Reporting unethical behaviour
Demonstrating impartiality Decisions and advice Gifts and benefits Acting fairly Implementing government policies and programs
Demonstrating accountability Working to clear objectives Being responsible for decisions and actions Work resources Open to scrutiny Ability to meet essential requirements Compliance with legislation
Demonstrating respect Fair and objective treatment Privacy and confidentiality Maintaining confidentiality Equity and diversity Improving outcomes
Demonstrating leadership Leading by example Managing staff Supporting others
Demonstrating human rights Understanding human rights Making decisions and providing advice consistent with human rights Implementing human rights Protecting human rights
Not just good versus bad Intentional misconduct to benefit the organisation Eg: An employee bypasses quality controls to meet a deadline Intentional misconduct to benefit the individual Eg: An employee embezzles funds from his or her employer Unintentional misconduct to benefit the organisation Eg: An employee uses confidential information improperly and there is no company policy against this Unintentional misconduct to benefit the individual Eg: An employee accepts lavish entertainment from a supplier without knowing company policy
Decision making model Define the problem Identify and consider stakeholders Identify underlying values, principles, laws and policies Specify and evaluate alternatives Get another opinion Make a decision and act
Where to go for further information A trusted colleague Your manager Human resource manager Victorian Ombudsman: www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission: www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au Victorian Public Sector Commission: www.vpsc.vic.gov.au
What to do next Read the code of conduct Lead your team in discussing a workplace problem in your next team meeting Start a discussion about the values the next time you have to make a major decision Examine your own behaviour and challenge misconduct in the workplace Speak to HR about how you can get involved in developing a values based organisation
Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees
