Farm Africa’s Code of conduct sets the standard of conduct we expect of all staff. It outlines the behaviours and attitudes that the people we work with, other staff, our trustees, our partners, our donors and all other stakeholders rightly expect of us.
All Farm Africa staff have committed to follow this code of conduct and all new staff will be given a copy of this code and asked to sign it during the first week of their employment with Farm Africa.
This code of conduct should be reviewed alongside Farm Africa’s staff handbook which contains full details of the policies summarised in the Code of conduct.
1. I will treat people with dignity and respect
2. I will ensure my personal and professional conduct is of the highest standard
3. I will take responsibility for my own safety, health and welfare and for those I manage and work with
4. I will act with the upmost of financial integrity
5. I will protect Farm Africa’s reputation in how I behave
6. I will steward (use) Farm Africa’s assets wisely
7. I commit to report any incident or concern of a breach in this code.
As a staff member of Farm Africa I commit myself to:
1. I will treat people with dignity and respect:
1.1. I will treat all people with respect and dignity. I will not discriminate, show differential treatment to, or favour particular individuals to the exclusion of others
1.2. I will act fairly and honestly, regardless of issues such as gender, race, religion or lack of religion, colour, national or ethnic origin, language, marital status, family status, birth, sexual orientation, age, disability, socio-economic background, caste, political conviction, HIV and AIDS status, physical appearance or lifestyle
1.3. I will refrain from any form of bullying, harassment, discrimination, abuse, intimidation or exploitation.
2. I will ensure that my personal and professional conduct is, and is seen to be, of the highest standard:
2.1. I will, in our programmes, promote the well-being and development of the people Farm Africa works with and will not engage in behaviour that is likely to cause harm, including physical, sexual, emotional abuse or exploitation
2.2. I will observe all local laws and behave in a culturally sensitive manner
2.3. I will not use or condone language that is inappropriate, demeaning, or offensive towards others
2.4. I will not abuse or exploit children or adults in any way (including physical, verbal, sexual or emotional abuse) and will report any such behaviour by others to a senior manager.
3. I will take responsibility for my own health, safety and welfare, and of those of the staff I manage:
3.1. I will adhere to all organisational health and safety regulations within in my work place
3.2. I will comply with any local security guidelines and in a manner consistent with Farm Africa’s Security Policy
3.3. I will behave in ways that avoid creating unnecessary risk to the safety, health and welfare of myself or others (including partner organisations and beneficiaries).
4. I will act with the upmost of financial integrity:
4.1. I will ensure that I achieve value for money for Farm Africa for all financial transactions I am involved with
4.2. I will avoid situations where my personal interests could conflict, or appear to conflict, with the interests of Farm Africa. I will declare any potential conflict of interest (due to a business relationship, family interest or other personal/professional link) to my line manager and through a conflict of Interest disclosure
4.3. I will not be involved in awarding benefits, contracts for goods/services, employment or promotion within the organisation, to any person with whom I have financial, personal, or family interests
4.4. I will not request or accept bribes or gifts (except small tokens of appreciation) or any remuneration from governments, beneficiaries, partners, suppliers or other persons which have been offered to me as a result of my employment. I will notify my line manager if I am offered or have received gifts of any kind, however small.
5. I will protect Farm Africa’s reputation in how I behave:
5.1. I will ensure that my behaviour both during and outside of work does not bring Farm Africa into disrepute and does not impact on or undermine my ability to undertake the role for which I am employed
5.2. I will ensure that while contributing to any of Farm Africa’s social media activities, my communication is appropriate for the public sphere, has a purpose and a benefit to Farm Africa and my communications will not bring Farm Africa into disrepute.
6. I will be responsible for the use of information, assets and resources to which I have access by reason of my employment with Farm Africa:
6.1. I will ensure that I use Farm Africa assets and resources entrusted to me in a responsible manner and account for all money and property, following the appropriate policy and process.
6.2. I will not use the organisation’s computer equipment, other technology or equipment or services in contravention of Farm Africa’s policies to engage in any activity that is illegal under local, state, or international law or that encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offence
6.3. I will not use Farm Africa’s computer equipment, other technology or equipment to view, download, create, distribute, or save in any format inappropriate material, including but not limited to adult or child pornography
6.4. I will not release to others any private or confidential information relating to Farm Africa unless legally required to do so.
7. I commit to report any incident or concern of a breach in this code:
7.1. I will bring to the attention of a senior manager or the local Human Resources representative any potential incident, abuse or concern that I witness, I am made aware of, or suspect which appears to break the standards contained in this code
7.2. I will not intentionally make malicious or false accusations in relation to this code
7.3. I will ensure that all information about breaches of this code are handled with the utmost discretion.