Our Code of Ethics & Business Conduct

Philosophy’s commitment to integrity begins with complying with laws, rules and regulations where we do business. Further, each of us must have an understanding of the company policies, laws, rules and regulations that apply to our specific roles. If we are unsure of whether a contemplated action is permitted by law or Philosophy Consulting Ltd policy, we should seek advice from the resource expert. We are responsible for preventing violations of the law and for speaking up if we see possible violations. 

We are dedicated to ethical, fair and vigorous competition. We will sell Philosophy Consulting Ltd products and services based on their merit, superior quality, functionality and competitive pricing. We will make independent pricing and marketing decisions and will not improperly cooperate or coordinate our activities with our competitors. We will not offer or solicit improper payments or gratuities in connection with the purchase of goods or services for Philosophy Consulting Ltd or the sales of its products or services, nor will we engage or assist in unlawful boycotts of particular customers. 

We will not selectively disclose (whether in one-on-one or small discussions, meetings, presentations, proposals or otherwise) any material non-public information concerning Philosophy, business operations, plans, financial condition, results of operations or any development plan. We should be particularly vigilant when making presentations or proposals to customers to ensure that our presentations do not contain material non-public information.

The most important overriding principle behind our Code of Conduct is our collective desire for the work that we do to create a more positive social, economic or environmental impact on the world. We strive to consider the potential impacts of the work that we do, and pledge our commitment to helping clients and partners to define, demonstrate and articulate an improved social or environmental impact on every project we work on.

There is no dress code at Philosophy – we want everyone who represents us to feel comfortable, included and themselves. We do expect you to be alert, and bring a positive demeanour with you to your work. We’d love people to wear and present themselves in a way that makes them productive and positive.

We believe that everyone’s time is equally precious, and that mutual respect for each other’s time is at the heart of all positive professional relationships. So we expect our team to arrive promptly to all meetings, well-prepared and alert. This extends to our clients from whom we expect to be extended the same courtesy. If you find that a client or partner you are working with consistently abuses this element of mutual respect we’d like you to tell Sophie, so it can be addressed it with them.

Integral to Philosophy’s business success is our protection of confidential company information, as well as nonpublic information entrusted to us by employees, customers and other business partners. Confidential and proprietary information includes such things as pricing and financial data, customer names/addresses or nonpublic information about other companies, including current or potential suppliers and vendors. We will not disclose confidential and nonpublic information without a valid business purpose and proper authorization.

Prior to starting any new client project, we always sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to accepting any shared confidential corporate information. This gives both parties the confidence we can share information in a safe and secure manner.

Likewise, all members of the Philosophy extended team are expected to sign an NDA prior to starting work on any client business, and we ask that the terms of that agreement are honoured not only throughout the duration of a particular project but in perpetuity unless that information becomes public domain.

All data and information which is shared with you as a member of the Philosophy team is to be treated as confidential information, unless specified as being public domain information.

In addition all sub-contractors or freelancers are required to hold up to date, appropriate professional liability and public liability insurance. This will be checked with you as part of our appointment and on-boarding process. The advice we offer clients is our crown jewels and we don’t expect to encounter any issues with it but it is imperative that we are all protected appropriately in relation to this professional advice.

In order to maintain the highest standards of data security, we have chosen to use the Microsoft Teams environment for team collaboration, as this allows us to share and edit documents in a fully secure way. All content relating to a particular client project will be held in place on the Teams folder for the duration of the project, and for a period of time after the project has been completed up to one year, or as mutually agreed with the client. Please refer to our Data Collection and Security Policy and our Privacy Policy for more detail on this.

Philosophy ensures that we maintain the integrity of the data we collect and keep in relation to client projects by holding it in the cloud where it is continuously backed up. We commit to installing software and security updates on the laptops and other devices we use for accessing our email, Teams and documents as soon as they become available.

Philosophy ensures that all social media using the Philosophy Consulting Ltd trademark or corporate ID is strictly controlled by one of our Directors. All social media posts will be strictly professional in nature and will not reference the names of corporate identities of our clients without their prior consent.

If you are experiencing a conflict of interest, it means your personal goals are no longer aligned with your responsibilities towards us or our clients. For example, working with a competitor of one of our current clients without first discussing and clearing it with us is a conflict of interest.  

Here are some other ways in which conflicts of interest could arise:

• Being employed (you or a close family member) by, or acting as a consultant to, a competitor or potential competitor, supplier or contractor, regardless of the nature of the employment, while you are employed with Philosophy.
• Hiring or supervising family members or closely related persons.
• Owning or having a substantial interest in a competitor, supplier or contractor.
• Having a personal interest, financial interest or potential gain in any Philosophy Consulting Ltd transaction.
• Accepting gifts, discounts, favors or services from a customer/potential customer, competitor or supplier, unless equally available to all Philosophy Consulting Ltd employees.

If you are not sure whether a situation presents a conflict of interest, we would ask you in the first instance to raise the issue with Sophie or Phil.

We strive to be as diverse and inclusive as possible in both the creation of our own teams as well as in addressing audiences on behalf of our clients. Our goal is to build a more diverse team at Philosophy Consulting Ltd as time goes on and we are able to grow.

All our communications, whether to our clients, to other service providers or stakeholders with whom we interact on projects, or to one another on the team, should be as culturally respectful, respectful of gender, ethnicity, and other forms of protected characteristics and as inclusive as possible.

We are supportive of our sub-contractors and freelancers publishing their preferred pronouns, if they are comfortable to do so and this information can be added to your Philosophy email address signature.

The Philosophy team should always aim to reflect in a fair and balanced way the views and opinions of as wide a range of inputs as possible when presenting ideas and concepts to clients, proposing strategies and making recommendations.

We expected Philosophy personnel and those representing the consultancy to be ruthlessly accurate and to take full responsibility for checking the accuracy and integrity of the data and other information we collate for our work before sharing or presenting it to our clients. 

Philosophy Consulting Ltd is committed to competing solely on the merit of our products and services. We should avoid any actions that create a perception that favourable treatment of outside entities by Philosophy Consulting Ltd was sought, received or given in exchange for personal business courtesies. Business courtesies include gifts, gratuities, meals, refreshments, entertainment or other benefits from persons or companies with whom Philosophy Consulting Ltd does or may do business. We will neither give nor accept business courtesies that constitute, or could reasonably be perceived as constituting, unfair business inducements that would violate the law, regulations or the policies of Philosophy Consulting Ltd or its customers, or that would cause embarrassment or harm Philosophy’s reputation. If you have any doubt, either politely decline such a courtesy or discuss it with your manager.

We may accept occasional meals, gifts or entertainment and similar business courtesies that are shared with the person who has offered to pay for the meal or entertainment, provided that:

• They are not inappropriately lavish or excessive.
• The courtesies are not frequent and do not reflect a pattern of frequent acceptance of courtesies from the same person or entity.
• The courtesy does not create the appearance of an attempt to influence business decisions, such as accepting courtesies or entertainment from a supplier whose contract is expiring in the near future.
• The employee accepting the business courtesy would not feel uncomfortable discussing the courtesy with his or her manager or co-worker or having the courtesies known by the public.

Employees with questions about accepting business courtesies should talk to their managers.

We will make certain that all disclosures made in financial reports and public documents are full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable. This obligation applies to all employees, including all financial executives, with any responsibility for the preparation of such reports, including drafting, reviewing and signing or certifying the information contained therein. No business goal of any kind is ever an excuse for misrepresenting facts or falsifying records.

Employees should inform Executive Management or the Whistleblowing service if they learn that information in any filing or public communication was untrue or misleading at the time it was made or if subsequent information would affect a similar future filing or public communication.

We create, retain and dispose of our company records as part of our normal course of business in compliance with all Philosophy Consulting Ltd policies and guidelines, as well as all regulatory and legal requirements.

All corporate records must be true, accurate and complete, and company data must be promptly and accurately entered into our books in accordance with Philosophy’s and other applicable accounting principles.

We must not improperly influence, manipulate or mislead any unauthorized audit, nor interfere with any auditor engaged to perform an internal independent audit of Philosophy Consulting Ltd books, records, processes or internal controls.

Each of us is responsible for knowing and adhering to the values and standards set forth in this Code and for raising questions if we are uncertain about company policy. If we are concerned whether the standards are being met or are aware of violations of the Code, you must contact your manager.

Philosophy Consulting Ltd takes seriously the standards set forth in the Code, and violations are cause for disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

Company resources including, time, material, equipment and information, are provided for company business use. Nonetheless, occasional personal use is permissible as long as it does not affect job performance or cause a disruption to the workplace.

Employees and those who represent Philosophy Consulting Ltd are trusted to behave responsibly and use good judgment to conserve company resources. Managers are responsible for the resources assigned to their departments and are empowered to resolve issues concerning their proper use.

Generally, we will not use company equipment such as computers, copiers and email in the conduct of an outside business or support of any religious, political or other outside daily activity, except for company-requested support to nonprofit organisations. We will not solicit contributions nor distribute non-work related materials during work hours unless otherwise approved by your manager.

In order to protect the interests of the Philosophy Consulting Ltd network and our fellow employees, Philosophy Consulting Ltd reserves the right to monitor or review all data and information contained on an employee’s company-issued computer or electronic device, the use of the Internet or Philosophy’s intranet, internal systems and email. We will not tolerate the use of company resources to create, access, store, print, solicit or send any materials that are harassing, threatening, abusive, sexually explicit or otherwise offensive or inappropriate.

In the case of a material breach of our Code of Ethics Policy, the following actions will be taken:

• Breaches, including case details, may be reported publicly
• Reported breaches will be investigated promptly via an independent party
• Employees will be dismissed or disciplined if found in breach
• Contracts with business partners in breach will be terminated
• We will make improvements to our anti-corruption program based on reported cases