Vodafone's success is underpinned by our commitment to ethical conduct in the way we do business and interact with key stakeholders.
Business principles
Our Business Principles define how we intend to conduct our business and our relationships with key stakeholders. They require employees to act with honesty, integrity and fairness.
The principles cover ethical issues including:
- Bribery and corruption
- Conflicts of interest
- Data protection
- Environment
- Health and safety
- Human rights
- Political contributions and lobbying
- Transparency.
The Business Principles set a policy of zero tolerance on bribery and corruption. Our Anti-corruption Compliance Guidelines help ensure employees comply with all applicable anti-corruption laws and regulations. We have also introduced an anti-bribery online training course.
Awareness
Embedding the Business Principles across the Group is vital to ensure they are effectively applied. Individual operating company Chief Executives are responsible for ensuring application of our Business Principles in their companies. This is part of the process of embedding CR within Vodafone.
Our Duty to Report policy ensures all employees are aware of their obligation to report any suspected incidents of dishonesty, financial malpractice, illegal activity or breaches of Vodafone's Business Principles or policies.
The Business Principles and Duty to Report policy are included in induction material, online training and team briefings. We are working to ensure our suppliers also comply with the Business Principles through our Code of Ethical Purchasing and supplier assessments.
Reporting violations
Employees can report any potential violations of the Business Principles to their line manager or local human resources manager in the first instance. Alternatively, they can raise concerns anonymously to our Group Audit Director or our Group Human Resources Director via an online whistle-blowing system. For more information on violations reported in 2007/08, see our performance.
Our Duty to Report policy applies to suppliers and contractors as well as employees. Concerns can be reported either by contacting Vodafone's Group Fraud Risk & Security Department directly, or via a third party confidential telephone hotline service. The line is available 24 hours a day. All calls are taken by an independent organisation with staff trained to handle calls of this nature.
Vodafone is committed to completing a timely investigation, follow-up and resolution of all issues reported. Any cases of fraud reported relating to more than €20,000, or affecting two or more operating companies are referred to Group Fraud, Risk and Security. Operating companies deal with smaller cases locally.
