This copy of the City of Ottawa s Code of Conduct belongs to:

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2 This copy of the City of Ottawa s Code of Conduct beongs to: SEPTEMBER 2016

3 A message from the City Manager What makes this organization great, is its empoyees. Empoyees at the City of Ottawa demonstrate pride, exceence and commitment in everything they do, each and every day. This Code of Conduct forms a key piece in the foundation of our organization by outining the core vaues we use to inform our decisions and interactions. Our residents count on us. The principes set out in the Code of Conduct foster a cuture of respect, accountabiity and transparency that our residents can expect each time they interact with the City. It is buit on the understanding that we can and shoud demonstrate to our residents that we are working to standards that are designed to strengthen their trust and confidence. It is a great honour to ead and support empoyees in serving the residents of Ottawa. I am energized by the commitment to preserving our residents trust that I see demonstrated by each and every one of you. Thank you for the ongoing dedication and enthusiasm you bring to the important work that we do. Steve Kaneakos 1

4 Integrity This is the foundation of pubic service. Pubic service is a pubic trust. A pubic service that does not have integrity wi never gain the pubic trust. This Code of Conduct refects the shared vaues that we hod as pubic servants for the City of Ottawa: the vaues that preserve the integrity of our municipa government. If you have integrity, nothing ese matters. If you don t have integrity, nothing ese matters. - Aan Simpson 2

5 Our Shared Vaues Integrity is the foundation of pubic service and our shared vaues are the piars that support it. As City empoyees, we are proud to perform our work with: Transparency Impartiaity Respect Accountabiity Without a of these, there can be no integrity. Why is it important to have a Code of Conduct? A Code of Conduct sets out the core vaues we appy to our everyday experiences. When we demonstrate these vaues, we buid a City with integrity that has the trust and confidence of the pubic. City empoyees have, and shoud be seen to have, the highest standards of ethica behaviour anything ess undermines our integrity, our effectiveness, and utimatey our reputation. Nothing in this Code is meant to confict with the City s obigations to its empoyees under its various coective agreements or empoyment contracts. Simiary, some empoyees (incuding doctors, nurses, engineers, awyers and accountants) may have professiona obigations and shoud seek carification from both their manager and their professiona associations in the case of a perceived confict. As empoyees of the City of Ottawa, this is our Code. 3

6 This Code of Conduct does not answer every question that is going to come up. Rather, it is designed to promote ethica decision-making and behaviour, to make us think about how ethics guide us in doing our jobs and to reinforce the expectations of us. It is about making ethics and integrity part of the way we think about doing our jobs. Ethica behaviour is not about finding a the right answers it is about asking a of the right questions, ike: Am I putting my own interests before the City s? Woud I make the same decision if my managers, the pubic or the media were watching me? Wi I owe someone a favour if I do this? Woud I be offered this if I weren t an empoyee of the City? If you have a question or if you re ooking for guidance, ask your manager or ask the City Soicitor. Ask unti you get an answer. 4

7 Transparency Why is transparency important? Whenever you do a thing, act as if a the word were watching. - Thomas Jefferson As pubic servants we are accountabe for what we do and our accountabiity is ensured by transparency. We must be open and honest in deaing with our managers, the pubic and City Counci. We owe it to the pubic to not just do our jobs we, but to be open and honest about what we do. What we do Where there might be a confict between our persona interests and those of the City, we discose that fact immediatey, in writing, and seek guidance from our managers. We abide by the aws and City poicies that appy to such things as keeping records of our important decisions, the retention of records and freedom of information. We provide fu written discosure when offering information. We understand that, over time, circumstances can change and we may need to discose again: the obigation to discose is a continuing one. When we are obbied, we advise the Lobbyist to ensure that the activity is propery recorded in the City's Lobbyist Registry. Reated Poicies Disposa of Feet Vehices and Equipment Purchasing By-aw Lobbyist Registry 5

8 Impartiaity Why is impartiaity important? Live so that when your chidren think of fairness and integrity, they think of you. - H. Jackson Brown, Junior As pubic servants, we have to do our jobs with the City of Ottawa s best interests in mind, not our own. We have to do our jobs without bias, without favour and without aowing outside interests to confict with work decisions. What we do We make work decisions without consideration of our persona interests or those of our famiy and friends. When buying goods or services, we compy with the City s procurement by-aws and poicies. We ensure that our outside activities do not confict with our jobs. We do not Participate in decisions that benefit ourseves or our friends and famiy. Supervise members of our famiy or make decisions that affect their empoyment. Accept gifts, hospitaity or entertainment from peope who do, or want to do, business with the City. Reated Poicies Concurrent Empoyment Gifts and Entertainment Hiring and Empoyment of Famiy Members 6

9 A NOTE ON FAMILY The City of Ottawa recognizes how important our famiies are to us, and the importance of cose famiy reationships. We need to be aware that, in this Code of Conduct, the interests of our famiies are aso our own interests. What is important is making sure that we do not use our positions as City empoyees to give preferentia treatment, whether it is to ourseves, our famiies or our friends. The City takes a broad approach to the term famiy and it may incude reatives beyond what might generay be considered immediate famiy, such as cousins, in-aws, etc. If in doubt about something, ask your manager. 7

10 Impartiaity - Avoiding conficts of interest Why is this important? Avoiding conficts of interest is one of the fundamenta principes of ethica behaviour. Pubic confidence in the City can exist ony if empoyees are known to be acting in the pubic interest, rather than pursuing their own interests. If faced with a situation where you coud directy benefit from a decision you make, you need to discose your interest, in writing, to your manager and remove yoursef from the decision-making process. The need for discosure and withdrawa from the decisionmaking process appies not ony to financia interests, but incudes any persona benefit, or any benefit to your famiy and friends. You aso have to be mindfu that there are situations where it might ook to someone ese that you have conficting interests. Ask yoursef this question: Woud someone who knew a of the detais of the situation think I might have a confict of interest? If the answer is yes, then discose the situation to your manager. After you have discosed an actua or potentia confict of interest, you need to avoid any invovement in the matter. That is why discosure is important: so that others know not to invove you as we. 8

11 Impartiaity - Empoyment matters Why is this important? We encourage pubic confidence by ensuring that City business is conducted fairy and free from nepotism. This eads to a shared expectation that a hiring, promotions, performance appraisas and discipine wi be undertaken in an impartia manner. Impartiaity in empoyment matters aso heps to ensure that the City respects its coective agreement obigations. The City does not aow famiy members to be: Supervised by or subordinate to one another Given preferentia treatment in being recruited or seected for vacancies Appointed to positions where job responsibiities are incompatibe with positions occupied by other famiy members If you find yoursef in a situation ike those described above, or in any other situation that coud raise a concern with nepotism, you shoud discose it to your manager. 9

12 Impartiaity - Outside activities Why is it important? The City of Ottawa encourages empoyees to become invoved in their community, incuding participation in such things as community organizations, advocacy groups or charitabe associations. However, it is aso possibe that some outside activities can interfere with our abiity to do our jobs or may undermine the neutraity of the City. It is our shared responsibiity to prevent situations where the perception of confict of interest exists. What we do We remove ourseves from decisions that might affect, or might be seen to affect, the interests of other groups or organizations that we participate in. We seek a eave of absence if we want to run for eected office, even if it is outside the City or with another eve of government, board or committee. We do not Take on other work that, Conficts with our City hours of work Interferes with the efficient performance of our duties Competes with City services Creates a rea or perceived confict of interest with our City duties 10

13 Impartiaity - The duty of oyaty Why is oyaty important? Ottawa City Counci is the eected voice of the citizens of the City of Ottawa. Its members have been eected to set the poicy direction of the municipaity. The pubic has an interest in ensuring that City of Ottawa empoyees are committed to carrying out the wi and decisions of City Counci, and that pubic servants are, and are perceived to be, impartia in carrying out their duties. Given the pubic interest in an impartia pubic service, empoyees must exercise restraint in any criticism of City of Ottawa poicy and consider how their pubic comments may affect the pubic perception of the City. What we do We recognize that City Counci is the eected voice of the citizens of the City of Ottawa and we respect the decisions of City Counci. We distinguish between our persona comments or opinions and our jobs with the City. We do not Make comments that disparage or harm the reputation of the City, Counci or our co-workers. Caim to speak on behaf of the City uness we have been authorized to do so. Make persona comments using City etterhead, our City e-mai address or anything ese that impies a connection between our persona comments or opinions and the City. 11

14 Respect What does it mean at the City of Ottawa? Find out what it means to me. - Aretha Frankin We are guardians of pubic funds and responsibe for deivering a wide range of important pubic services, which are supported by members of the pubic through their taxes. We owe the pubic nothing ess than our fu commitment to doing the best job we can. Our own actions refect on our co-workers and define our workpace. We have an obigation to hep buid pride in our City, to respect the dignity and diversity of our coeagues and to treat them as we woud ike to be treated ourseves. Whie it takes hard work to gain the respect of others, even sma apses can erode confidence in the City. To ensure that our conduct does not diminish respect for ourseves, our co-workers and for the City, we maintain and exempify the highest standards of behaviour. Reated Poicies Corporate Vehice and Equipment Iding Equity and Diversity Hospitaity (Interna) for City Empoyees Persona Use of City Vehices Petty Cash Funds and Change Foats Responsibe Computing Vioence in the Workpace Workpace Harassment 12

15 Things we do to show respect We devote ourseves fuy to our jobs during our working hours and do not aow our persona activities (e.g. reading a magazine, surfing the internet, etc.) to interfere with our work. We ensure that a property (incuding cash, cheques, documents, inventories and equipment) in our care as part of our job is propery secured and protected at a times. We hande sensitive and confidentia information with care and discose ony in accordance with the Municipa Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act ( MFIPPA ). We keep records of our important decisions. We are honest, poite and courteous when we dea with peope, whether they are members of the pubic, City Counci or our co-workers. We recognize that we are the pubic face of the City, so we dress appropriatey. We foster an atmosphere of coegiaity and support our coworkers in their work. We provide exceent customer service every day. 13

16 We do not Harass or intimidate others. The City has absoutey no toerance for this kind of behaviour. Downoad or insta persona software without prior written consent from management. Manipuate, fasify, ater or amend documents, information or records for frauduent purposes. Access, distribute or dispay inappropriate materia (incuding sexuay expicit, discriminatory, abusive, defamatory or obscene materia) using City property, incuding the City s computer network. Pubicy disparage the City, our co-workers or City Counci. Reated poicies Access to Empoyee Fies Procedures Re-empoyment 14

17 Accountabiity The ancient Romans had a tradition: whenever one of their engineers constructed an arch, as the capstone was hoisted into pace, the engineer assumed accountabiity for his work in the most profound way possibe: he stood under the arch. - Michae Armstrong Why is accountabiity important? This Code of Conduct sets out a vision of City of Ottawa empoyees as transparent, respectfu and impartia. We are proud to ive these principes in our work every day and we encourage accountabiity in this regard. We know that breaches of the vaues set out in this Code can ony erode our reputation and, utimatey, our integrity. We owe it to the taxpayer and to ourseves to be accountabe for our actions. What we do We know the Code and compy with its principes. We discose breaches of the Code immediatey, whether they are committed by ourseves or a co-worker. We fuy cooperate with investigations into aeged wrongdoing. We understand that breaches of the Code sha be subject to discipinary action, up to and incuding termination. We seek interpretation of the Code from the City Cerk and Soicitor s office. We make observance of the Code part of our daiy work and review the Code as part of our annua performance panning cyce. 15

18 We do not Retaiate against anyone who has come forward with a compaint, or any witnesses to compaints. Assume that vioations of the vaues in this Code are someone ese s probem. Reporting and Whistebower Protection If you become aware of a vioation of the Code of Conduct or another City poicy, you shoud report the matter to your manager, the City Soicitor, the City Manager or the Auditor Genera. No empoyee wi be discipined for making a report in good faith about a vioation of this Code of Conduct or another City poicy, nor wi the City toerate any retaiation against an empoyee who has made such a compaint or participated in an investigation. However, an empoyee making fase accusations wi be discipined. Reated Poicies Discipine Corporate Poicy Fraud and Other Simiar Irreguarities 16