The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has published a revised code of professional conduct, which has been issued for consultation today.
Clear standards of ethics, integrity, behaviour and competence lie at the heart of the draft code, which members have until 15 July 2011 to feed back on.
The CIPD says that the revised code is “designed to better reflect the world as it is today, post-financial crisis” and significantly differs from the current code. It is constructed around four fundamental principles:
- professional competence and behaviour;
- ethical standards and integrity;
- representation of the profession; and
- stewardship.
Launching the consultation, Jackie Orme, CIPD chief executive, said: “CIPD membership is a trusted and respected benchmark of HR professionalism. We’ve already completed thorough reviews of professional standards and entry requirements. The time is now right to review and update our code of conduct, to ensure it remains relevant to the world as it is today, particularly in the context of an ongoing crisis of confidence in business as a whole, post-financial crash.”
The CIPD’s code of conduct hit the headlines last year when HR professionals called on the institute to investigate the head of the National Bullying Helpline, Christine Pratt, after she went public about alleged bullying accusations made by Number 10 staff.
A revised code of conduct is due to be approved by the CIPD board in the autumn.
The draft revised code and details on how to respond to the consultation process can be found here. The current code of conduct can be reviewed here.
