Greater Wellington Regional
Council
Code of Conduct
November 2015
I ……………………………. acknowledge that I have read and
understood the Code of Conduct and that I agree to abide by it.
Signed ……………………………... Date ………………………
Please return your acknowledgement slip to Human Resource at or prior to the commencement of your
employment.
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Greater Wellington Regional
Council
Code of Conduct
November 2015
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Introduction
This is your personal copy of Greater Wellington’s Code of Conduct.
This Code gives guidance on issues of particular importance to Greater Wellington. It is
designed to support and reinforce Greater Wellington’s values of focusing on ‘positive,
durable relationships’, ‘innovation’, and ‘delivering on our promises and commitments’.
Greater Wellington’s strength relies upon the professionalism and integrity of our
employees. For this reason, it is important that we define the standards of behaviour
expected of employees and ensure that you are aware of those standards. The way you
conduct yourself reflects on you, your colleagues and Greater Wellington as a whole.
As local government employees, our actions have the capacity to affect the lives of many
people. Therefore, we must carry out our functions in a transparent manner and be
accountable to our stakeholders, which include members of the public. We must be able
to withstand public scrutiny and be prudent in the way we manage our business.
It is important that everyone who works at Greater Wellington meets these standards of
behaviour when carrying out their duties at work. It is not my intention to expect
everyone to be perfect and not make the occasional mistake. Mistakes can help us
improve and develop. What is important is the manner in which we deal with mistakes. I
expect everybody to acknowledge a mistake, take responsibility and work to resolve the
mistake.
Please read this Code of Conduct carefully and continue to refer to it in your work.
Discuss it with your manager and colleagues – it may have specific implications for your
area of work.
Greg Campbell
Chief Executive
November 2015
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Greater Wellington’s expectations of all
employees
Greater Wellington employees are expected to exercise sound judgement when
determining their actions. It is important to be aware that our actions, internally and
externally, need to be able to withstand public scrutiny.
As an employee you are expected to:
1. Act with integrity in all aspects of your employment by:
Being fair, impartial, responsible and trustworthy.
2. Treat others with respect by:
Being courteous, sensitive to others’ needs and prepared to listen.
Not discriminating, harassing or intimidating colleagues or members of the
public.
Valuing equality and diversity by understanding our differences.
Respecting the cultural background of colleagues and members of the public.
Having proper regard for the safety of others.
Being open and honest in our communications.
3. Perform your duties to the best of your abilities by:
Being professional and responsive.
Showing commitment to producing high quality work and striving for
continuous improvement.
Demonstrating initiative and being creative in resolving problems. Seeking
improved solutions.
Making decisions appropriate to your role and being responsible for those
decisions and their outcomes.
Being supportive of your colleagues and accepting your responsibilities as a
team member.
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Ensuring that you are not in possession of, or under the influence of illegal
substances while performing work for Greater Wellington.
Avoiding behaviour that would impair your work performance. This includes
consuming alcohol at your place of work without the approval of your
Department/General manager. Social Club events are deemed to have this
approval. At all times you are expected to act in a socially acceptable and
mature manner.
Complying with the code of any professional body that you are affiliated with
where this impacts upon your work with Greater Wellington.
4. Uphold the reputation and standing of Greater Wellington by:
Being positive and proactive in your customer service (e.g. by ensuring that
customers get the information they need in the timeframes agreed).
Obtaining your manager’s approval before commencing any activity, business
interest or employment that has the potential to conflict with Greater
Wellington activities.
Maintaining the same standard of behaviour, as when you are at work, when
travelling on Greater Wellington business or in situations where you could be
perceived as a representative of Greater Wellington.
Complying with Greater Wellington’s media policy by ensuring all media
contacts are notified to General Managers and the Communications
Department.
Having a neat and tidy standard of dress appropriate to your duties.
Behaving in a manner that will not bring Greater Wellington into disrepute.
Complying with all Greater Wellington policies, processes, standards and
values.
5. Act in a politically neutral manner by:
Ensuring that advice given and actions taken are impartial and maintain public
confidence.
Ensuring your individual comments do not compromise Greater Wellington
(e.g. by stating or implying that your personal view on an issue is the view of
Greater Wellington or putting yourself in a situation where there is an actual
or potential conflict of interest).
Ensuring that your activities and contribution to any public debate or
discussion are consistent with the need for you to be politically neutral in your
work.
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Ensuring that you do not publicly criticise Greater Wellington in the
performance of its statutory responsibilities.
Ensuring your participation in political matters does not bring you into
conflict or the appearance of conflict with your duty to act in a politically
neutral manner.
Ensuring that you do not let your personal beliefs or commitments adversely
affect your ability to carry out your functions at Greater Wellington.
6. Use Greater Wellington information and property appropriately by:
Being responsible for the security of confidential information that you gain
during your employment with Greater Wellington. Using all information
gathered by Greater Wellington, and your knowledge of systems and
processes, to perform Greater Wellington’s business only.
Treating all Greater Wellington’s assets with care and respect.
7. Act within the law and all relevant legislation
Ensuring that you act in accordance with the law generally and all legislation
which impacts upon your work at Greater Wellington, in particular.
Additional expectations of managers
There are additional expectations of managers who lead teams.
As a manager you are expected to:
Guide employees in accordance with Greater Wellington policies, processes,
standards and systems that are in place to support you in your role as a
manager (e.g. training and development programmes, performance
management processes).
Lead by example. Model the standard of behaviour expected of all employees.
Represent Greater Wellington when interacting with your staff.
Take final responsibility for the quality of work performed and the decisions
made by your employees while performing work for your Department.
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Consequence of behaviour in breach of the Code of Conduct
Behaviour or actions that are investigated and found to be in breach of the Code of
Conduct may result in disciplinary action. The action taken will depend on the severity of
the breach. In all instances you will have an opportunity to provide an explanation of your
conduct and have the right to be represented by your Union or another representative.
Details of the disciplinary process and procedure can be found in the Collective
Employment Agreement and Individual Employment Agreements and any applicable
policies.
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