Niina Ratsula founded Code of Conduct Company in 2018 after serving as the head of the Ethics and Compliance function at an internationally listed company. The establishment of Code of Conduct Company was fueled by a genuine desire to promote ethical work environments and responsible business practices, not only in Finland but also on an international scale. To date, we have supported hundreds of Finnish listed companies, SMEs, and public administration entities in advancing ethical and responsible business conduct, along with fostering principles of good governance.
We believe that genuine corporate responsibility starts with value-based management and ethically sustainable decision-making. In addition to ethical guidelines and responsibility reports, we need genuine individual commitment to ethical and compliant activities and an understanding of what responsible and ethically sustainable decision-making and activities mean in our everyday lives.
That is why our mission is to create a culture of doing the right thing in working life.
Our values and ethical principles
In addition to feeling that we are doing truly meaningful work, we pay special attention to how we achieve our goals. We help our customers to develop responsible practices and corporate culture on a daily basis. In order to serve our mission of building a culture of doing the right thing in Finnish working life, we must also commit to ethically sustainable ways of working.
For us, an ethically sustainable corporate culture means an open culture of discussion, jointly agreed rules and goals, and consideration for everyone affected by our operations.
Our values
Our common values set the guidelines for both our work and our efforts to pave the way for a culture of doing the right thing.
Transparently
For us, transparency means that we have no secrets from each other or our clients and that we live up to our words. We always tell everything we can as openly as possible, without violating confidentiality commitments. For us, open and safe interaction with our clients is the essence of our work.
Bravely
We are boldly paving the way for a culture of doing the right thing. We speak our minds boldly, but respectfully. It is our duty to question, to make mistakes, and to learn from them. We want to do what is right in everything we do – we remember this also, and especially in the face of the most painful decisions.
Humanely
Humanity combines responsibility and passion. It is important to us that our work is meaningful to both us and our customers. We don’t strive for perfection, but always the next thing to learn from. We are allowed to come to work as we are, and we believe that people are at their best when they can be their own, whole, authentic selves.
Our ethical principles
Values form the basis for our thinking, actions and decision-making. To facilitate their application, we have written down ethical principles that help us live values in our everyday lives and act in a way that promotes an ethically sustainable working life.
We take care of ourselves
Our work is flexible and a lot of it is done remotely. Remote work offers us a lot, but it also brings challenges in terms of exhaustion, loneliness, safety, and (brain) ergonomics. We are aware that our own well-being and mental well-being are vital for us to provide high-quality service to our customers.
This is how we nurture a healthy corporate culture and well-being:
- We aim to start Mondays with a face-to-face team meeting so that the threshold for starting the week is as low as possible and we can immediately contact our teammates. We are delighted when someone suggests a walking meeting.
- We are allowed to use one hour of working time each week to promote our own well-being or that of others. Volunteering, sports, naps and sometimes even some Friday bubbles serve our well-being at work.
- We are not available 24/7, and we take care of recovery. We plan our use of time so that everyone can work at a time that suits them best, while taking into account that no one has to work overtime.
- If necessary, we have a duty to worry and ask about the well-being of our team members.
Diversity is our asset
We want to promote an inclusive and diverse working life. In addition to nurturing these in our team, we also take into account the diversity of our customers and strive to always work with the customer’s unique needs in mind. We feel that our customers appreciate our diverse expertise, which consists of different life stories and perspectives. That is why we do not have a mold to fit into.
This is how we promote an inclusive working life:
- We try to listen before we say our own opinion
- In particular, we want to understand those who disagree with us
- We are thirsty for feedback on our actions, which helps us see our own thinking biases and blind spots.
We are trustworthy
Our customers trust us with their data on a daily basis, and we have agreed rules and processes for how we redeem that trust through our day-to-day operations. We take good care of the information and other property entrusted to us by our customers and partners. We respect the right to privacy by processing personal data and other sensitive information confidentially and appropriately.
Here’s how we show confidence:
- We keep our promises and tell you immediately if changes to previously agreed matters are needed for one reason or another.
- Our appropriate cooperation agreements protect our rights, information and property and those of our customers.
- We take good care of our customers’ data and property and comply with our information security policy in information security matters.
We pay attention to others around us
We recognize that we are not alone here. Our operations have both harmful and positive impacts on the environment and people. We continuously strive to see the impacts of our operations as part of value chains and make decisions that would have as positive a net impact as possible. We are committed to challenging ourselves and assessing and learning more abo
Here’s how we pay attention to others around us:
- We make environmentally conscious choices, whether it is a question of commuting or purchasing.
- We expect our partners to treat people fairly.
- We also treat our competitors fairly and are committed to fair competition.
We foster a culture of doing the right thing
We know that, despite good values and intentions, we too are only human. It is possible that we also sometimes make choices that are not the best.
Here’s how we contribute to doing the right thing:
- We recuse ourselves from decisions that involve a potential conflict of interest
- We do not accept or offer benefits that could jeopardize our integrity
- We dare to bring up difficult topics with a colleague, customer or partner
Contact Us
info@codeofconduct.fi
tel. +358 50 486 9821