Code of Conduct Policy Template for Indian Companies

A code of conduct sets out how everyone at your company is expected to behave with colleagues, customers, vendors and the public. It is the umbrella document that the POSH, anti-bribery, confidentiality and disciplinary policies hang from. Founders, HR managers and plant heads use it to put basic standards in writing, so that any warning or dismissal later rests on a rule the employee was told about.

When to use it: Issue it at joining along with the appointment letter and ask every employee to sign an acknowledgement. Reissue it after each major revision. HR drafts it, a senior adviser or lawyer reviews it, and the managing director or board approves it. Plant and branch heads should display a short version on the notice board in the language most workers read.

Code of conduct template

Copy the text below and replace everything in square brackets with your company details.

1. Purpose

This Code of Conduct describes the standards of behaviour that [Company Name] expects from every person who works for it. It exists so that employees know what is expected of them, customers and vendors can trust how we deal with them, and managers judge everyone by the same yardstick.

2. Scope

The Code applies to all employees of [Company Name] at the head office, branches, plants, warehouses and client sites, whether permanent, on probation, fixed-term, part-time, trainee or intern. It covers conduct during working hours, on official travel, at company events and in any online space where the employee is identified with the Company. Consultants and contract staff placed with us are bound by it through their contracts.

3. Policy: standards of conduct

Honesty: record attendance, expenses, sales and production figures truthfully. Falsifying a record, including punching attendance for a colleague, is a serious breach.
Respect: treat colleagues, customers and visitors with courtesy regardless of gender, religion, caste, region, language, age, disability or any other personal characteristic.
Punctuality: report on time for your shift, follow the attendance and leave policies, and inform your manager before an absence wherever possible.
Company property: use equipment, vehicles, materials and systems for work, keep them safe and return them when asked or when you leave.
Information: do not share customer, pricing, salary, product or employee information with anyone who does not need it for their work.
Conflicts of interest: declare any personal, family or financial interest that could influence a work decision.
Gifts and bribes: never offer or accept a bribe, and follow the Gifts and Hospitality Policy for any gift.
Safety: follow safety rules, wear the protective equipment issued for your job and report hazards and accidents at once.
Substances: do not report for work, drive a company vehicle or operate machinery under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Harassment: sexual harassment, bullying and abuse are prohibited and are dealt with under the POSH Policy and the Anti-harassment Policy.
Public statements: do not speak for the Company to the media or on social media unless you are authorised to do so.

4. Reporting a breach

An employee who sees or suspects a breach of this Code should tell their reporting manager, their HR partner or [Ethics Contact Name, Designation] at [Email Address]. Concerns about fraud or serious wrongdoing may also be raised under the Whistleblower Policy. No employee will face adverse action for raising a concern honestly.

5. Procedure after a breach is reported

HR records the concern and decides, with the manager concerned, whether it needs a fact-finding review.
The employee concerned is told what is alleged and given a fair chance to explain before any decision is taken.
A minor first breach may be closed with counselling or a written caution. Serious or repeated breaches are handled under the Disciplinary Action Policy.
HR records the outcome in the employee's personal file.

6. Responsibilities

Employees: read the Code, sign the acknowledgement, follow it and ask HR when unsure.
Managers: set the example, explain the Code to new team members and act on breaches they notice.
HR: issue the Code at joining, run a refresher session every [12] months and keep signed acknowledgements.
Management: approve the Code and apply it to senior staff in exactly the same way as to others.

7. Exceptions

No manager may waive any part of this Code for an individual. A genuine conflict between this Code and a local law, a certified standing order or a client contract must be referred in writing to [HR Head Designation], whose written decision will be kept on record.

8. Review

[HR Head Designation] owns this Code and will review it every [24] months, or earlier when a new law, a serious incident or a change in the business calls for it. A revised version takes effect from the date announced, and each employee will be asked to acknowledge it again.

Acknowledgement: I have read and understood the [Company Name] Code of Conduct and agree to follow it.
Name: [Employee Name] Employee ID: [Employee ID]
Signature: [Signature] Date: [Date]

What to include

Concrete behaviour, not slogans

Write each standard as behaviour someone can see: punching for a colleague, sharing a price list with a competitor, arriving drunk for a night shift. A line such as act with integrity cannot support a warning later.

Pointers to the detailed policies

Keep the Code short and refer to the POSH, anti-bribery, confidentiality, gifts and disciplinary policies for detail. Copying those policies into the Code creates two versions that drift apart after the first revision.

Signed acknowledgement

Collect a signed or recorded acknowledgement from every employee at joining and after each revision. When a dismissal is challenged, the first question asked is whether the employee knew the rule.

More than one reporting route

Name the manager, the HR partner and an ethics contact, so an employee whose own manager is the problem still has somewhere to go.

Fair process before any penalty

State that the employee will hear the allegation and get a chance to explain before action is taken. This protects the decision if it is tested before a labour authority or court.

Local language copies

Factory, warehouse and site workers may not read English comfortably. Provide the Code in Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil or whichever language your workforce uses, and explain it during induction.

Common mistakes to avoid

Copying a multinational's global code that refers to laws, committees and hotlines your company does not have.
Keeping the code in English only when most of the workforce reads Hindi or a regional language.
Applying the code strictly to junior staff while overlooking the same breach by a senior manager or a relative of the owner.
Collecting no acknowledgement, so the employee can later claim they were never told about the rule.
Fixing a penalty for each breach so rigidly that the manager cannot weigh the facts and the employee's past record.

Run it in ZeniaHR

Publish the Code on the Company Wall as an announcement that requires acknowledgement, with the whole company or chosen branches and departments as the audience. The who-acknowledged report shows who is still pending, so HR can follow up before the deadline. Store signed paper acknowledgements from factory staff in each person's Employee Documents. Every employee has a reporting manager and an HR partner in the org chart, which tells them whom to approach with a concern.

Policy settings Employee documents

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Frequently asked questions

What is a code of conduct for employees?

A code of conduct is a written set of rules on how employees must behave at work: honesty in records, respect for colleagues, care of company property, confidentiality, safety and avoiding conflicts of interest. It applies to everyone from trainees to directors, and it is the reference point for counselling, warnings and disciplinary action when behaviour falls short.

Can an employee be dismissed for breaking the code of conduct?

Yes, a serious or repeated breach can lead to dismissal, but only after a fair process: a written charge, a chance to reply, an inquiry where facts are disputed, and a penalty that fits the breach. Where standing orders apply, follow the misconduct list and procedure in them. Record every step, because the process is examined as closely as the breach.

How often should a code of conduct be updated?

Review it every one to two years and after any event that exposes a gap, such as a fraud, a harassment complaint or a new line of business. Announce each revision, brief managers on what changed and collect fresh acknowledgements, because an employee can only be held to the version they were told about.