P3 — Ethical Behaviour and Code of Conduct

Policy Owner: Chief Human Resources Officer
Approver: President and CEO
Date Approved: January 23, 2024
Next Review Date: January 2029

See the P3 – Ethical Behaviour and Code of Conduct Procedures ›

1. Purpose

1.1

Red River College Polytechnic is proud of its reputation as an excellent institute of post-secondary education. Further, our employees are a part of the broader public service in Manitoba and must therefore meet a high ethical standard in the public interest. To successfully retain this reputation as well as meet our obligations as part of the public service requires ethical behaviour at every level of RRC Polytech’s operations.

1.2

Our business partners, donors, alumni, governmental agencies, the potential employers of our students and the public in general, expect and demand relationships based on respect for others, integrity, trust, accountability, skill, and dedication.

1.3

The purpose of this Policy is to:

1. Establish an ethics code of conduct for RRC Polytech employees that promotes honest and ethical conduct;
2. promote compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations;
3. promote the prompt internal reporting to an appropriate person of violations of this Policy;
4. promote accountability for adherence to this Policy;
5. provide guidance to employees, officers and directors to help them recognize and deal with ethical issues;
6. provide mechanisms to report unethical conduct; and
7. help foster RRC Polytech’s culture of honesty and accountability.

2. Policy

2.1

RRC Polytech’s employees must behave ethically and in accordance with the values of an ethical public service.

2.2

RRC Polytech’s employees will demonstrate the values of an ethical public service as follows:

1. Show respect for others by:
   1. Treating people with respect, dignity and fairness;
   2. Appreciating difference and welcome learning from others;
   3. fostering a workplace free of harassment, including sexual harassment and bullying in accordance with Policy H1.
2. Behave with integrity by:
   1. placing the public interest over the personal interest;
   2. acting professionally with honesty, consistency and impartiality;
   3. handling sensitive information appropriately and discretely.
3. Be accountable for our actions by:
   1. Being fiscally responsible and focusing on the prudent use of public resources;
   2. showing leadership and taking responsibility for decisions and actions.
4. Show skill and dedication by:
   1. Being open to continual learning and innovation;
   2. promoting competency through reflection and improvement.

2.3

RRC Polytech employees will comply with applicable laws and policies:

1. Each employee must at all times comply fully with applicable laws and RRC Polytech policies and avoid any situation that could be perceived as improper, unethical or indicate a casual attitude towards compliance with the law.
2. No employee shall commit or condone an illegal act or instruct another employee to do so.
3. Employees are expected to be sufficiently familiar with any legislation that applies to their circumstances and shall recognize potential concerns or ethical issues, seeking advice where appropriate.
4. When in doubt, employees are expected to seek clarification from their immediate supervisor, Human Resource Services or the General Counsel.

2.4

Employees will deal with Vendors and stakeholders respectfully and ethically. Offers of gifts or entertainment are generally not acceptable in an ethical public service. Employees will manage offers of gifts and entertainment in accordance with the Procedures.

2.5

RRC Polytech is a public entity and as such has many interactions with government departments and officials. Employees who participate in political activities in any manner, as a candidate, volunteer or donor, must make every effort to ensure that they do not leave the impression that they speak or act for RRC Polytech when engaged in such political participation. RRC Polytech employees have the right to participate in political activities on their own time and at their sole expense. No RRC Polytech action, direct or indirect, will infringe on the right of any employee individually to decide whether, to whom, and in what amount, they will make personal political contributions or make volunteer political donations of personal service time, or to stand as a candidate so long as such service time does not interfere with RRC Polytech operational requirements and occurs outside working hours.

2.6

Members of the College Community who become aware of behaviour that does not comply with this Policy or, they consider otherwise as unethical, will disclose the behaviour to the College in accordance with the Procedures or, if the unethical behaviour amounts to “wrongdoing” under Policy P2, will disclose the information in accordance with the Public Interest Disclosure Protection Policy.

2.7

RRC Polytech and its employees will not take reprisal against employees who disclose unethical behaviour when such a disclosure is made in good faith.

2.8

Employees who do not demonstrate ethical behaviour will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

3. Responsibilities

3.1

The Chief Human Resource Officer has the responsibility to approve all Procedures under this Policy.

3.2

All Employees have the responsibility to be familiar with the requirements of this Policy and to ensure that they comply with this Policy at all times.

4. Application

4.1

This Policy applies to all employees of RRC Polytech.

5. Review Period

5.1

This Policy will be reviewed every five (5) years.

6. Related Documents

• The Public Service Act, C.C.S.M. c. P271
• P1 – Conflict of Interest Policy
• P2 – Public Interest Disclosure – Whistleblower Protection