Code of Ethics

CODE OF ETHICAL AND BUSINESS PRACTICE STANDARDS FOR OUTSOURCING PROFESSIONALS

 

professional responsibility

Core Principle

To adhere to the highest standards of ethical business practices in all business dealings, especially those that involve business decisions on entering, maintaining, or discontinuing outsourcing relationships. To conduct oneself in a way that contributes to a positive image for the individuals and organizations that work in the field of outsourcing.

Intent

• Ensure that outsourcing relationships developed, implemented and managed by outsourcing professionals are based on well recognized and sustainable ethical and business practice standards
• To build respect, credibility, and ongoing value for the individuals and organizations that work in the field of outsourcing
• To directly contribute to the success of the organizations we work in and influence, and through them to the success of communities at large
• To encourage, through example, the highest professional standards among all those with whom we work

Guidelines

1. Understand and comply with all ethical and business practice standards of all of the organizations with which one works
2. Understand and comply with all laws
3. Promote decisions that support the best long-term interests of businesses, their customers, shareholders, and the communities in which they operate
4. Freely share and encourage discussion of this Code of Ethical and Business Practice Standards with others, both within and outside the field of outsourcing
5. Work with fellow professionals to identify and promote changes to this code intended to enhance the field’s professionalism

PROFESSIONAL REPRESENTATION

Core Principle

To represent ones skills, knowledge, and experiences with honesty and integrity enabling customers, employers, and other business partners to make fully informed hiring and contracting decisions.

Intent

• To make certain that outsourcing professionals and the organizations they work for and advise accurately represent their skills, knowledge, capabilities, and experiences
• To help ensure fully-informed decisions that lead to better outsourcing outcomes
• To enable professionals and organizations to effectively differentiate themselves based on the skills, knowledge, capabilities, and experiences they have invested in and developed

Guidelines

1. In all written and verbal communications to accurately represent ones skills, experiences, and capabilities in a format that facilitates effective comparisons
2. Engage only in activities for which the individual and the organization they represent have the requisite education and experience; freely sharing those qualifications whenever appropriate
3. When acting as an outsourcing customer, provider, or advisor to accurately represent information regarding current and future business operations and strategies, costs, pricing, resources, methods, requirements, risks, and assumptions
4. When acting as an outsourcing customer, provider, or advisor to accurately represent  the extent of executive support for an outsourcing relationship and the intended decision-making and management process
5. To disclose all existing and potential business relationships that may, or may be perceived to, influence or affect an individual or organizational business decision or commitment
6. When providing references to make every possible effort to ensure that they accurately reflect all of one’s relevant experiences and accomplishments
7. To not knowingly misrepresent or mislead when sharing information about other professionals or organizations 
8. Disclose all material facts known to them that, if not disclosed, may distort the decision making of their clients, prospects, employers, employees, or others.
9. To properly cite and credit the source of all information and ideas used, presented, and shared with others

ACCOUNTABILITY FOR OUTCOMES

Core Principle

To measure and share accomplishments in terms of the business outcomes actually achieved over time, using industry defined terms and thresholds where available, and in a way that can be objectively evaluated by others.

Intent

• To ensure that outsourcing and outsourcing professionals are focused on and evaluated based on actual outcomes achieved
• To enable the field and industry to better demonstrate its economic value in objective, standardized, and measurable terms

Guidelines

1. Establish objective and standardized measures of success for all outsourcing relationships that reflect the full range of business outcomes sought
2. Establish objective and standardized measures of risks for outsourcing relationships
3. Collect and report actual outcomes achieved over time in objective measurable terms
4. Whenever possible, use outcomes-based data as the basis for business recommendations to clients, employers, employees, and businesses and communities at large
5. Build and continuously seek to employ and enhance effective communications, change management, and dispute resolution processes for outsourcing relationships
6. Build and continuously seek to employ and enhance effective risk management and risk-reward sharing mechanisms for outsourcing relationships

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Core Principle

To continuously increase the economic value derived through outsourcing by building ones professional skills and knowledge through ongoing education, expanded experience, and a focus on innovation.

Intent

• To promote the fact that it is the skills of the professionals that design, implement and manage outsourcing relationships that ultimately produces economic value for organizations 
• To ensure continuous improvement in outsourcing outcomes by developing the skills and knowledge of the field’s professionals
• To continuously understand and mitigate current and emerging risks associated with outsourcing
• To minimize total outsourcing costs through a focus on learning and the promotion of best practices on an industry-wide basis

Guidelines

1. Invest on a regular basis in training and professional development activities to improve one’s skill and knowledge in the outsourcing field
2. Freely share, within recognized guidelines for the protection of proprietary intellectual properties, learnings and experiences with fellow professionals
3. Contribute directly, through training and knowledge sharing activities, to the education and professional development of professionals in the field
4. Proactively seek new ways of doing business that expand the economic value derived through outsourcing
5. Proactively seek relevant professional certifications

OUTSOURCING ADVOCACY 

Core Principle

To be an effective, proactive advocate for outsourcing as a management practice and as a profession.

Intent

• To ensure an ever-better educated business and public community on what outsourcing is, why organizations outsource, and its impact on businesses and communities
• To continually improve the overall business and public perception of outsourcing as a management practice, industry, and profession
• To ensure open discussion and debate of the impact of outsourcing on businesses and communities
• To attract top talent and resources to the field and industry of outsourcing

Guidelines

1. Proactively invest professional time and organizational resources in outreach and advocacy for outsourcing as a management practice, industry, and profession
2. Opening engage in dialogue and discussion with those outside the field to both promote outsourcing and better understand and shape business and public opinion
3. Strive to stay on top of the latest trends in outsourcing, which may include new industry, academic or government initiatives, in order to influence the outcome

ISSUE RESOLUTION

Core Principle

For these standards to fully benefit the field and profession, customers, employees, and others need a reliable method for reporting and resolving issues with the standards and how they are being applied.

Intent

• To ensure that these ethical and business practice standards are put into practice
• To provide a way for those both inside and outside the profession to resolve any concerns with the adherence of outsourcing professionals to these standards
• To create a forum for ongoing dialogue and understanding of the evolving nature of outsourcing in the global business community

Guidelines

1. Outsourcing professionals should provide a copy of these ethical and business practice standard to customers, employers, employees, and other business associates early in the development of their relationships.
2. IAOP encourages individuals and organizations to report cases where they feel an association member has not performed in a way consistent with these standards.  The complaint should be reported in writing to IAOP's Executive Director via mail at IAOP, 2600 South Road, Suite 44-240, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601 or email memberservices@iaop.org. 
3. The complaint should state the specific issue, when and how it occurred, along with any supporting material.
4. In the interest of fairness and completeness, IAOP provides the member an opportunity to fully review and respond to the issues raised.
5. Both the original complaint and any response from the member are then provided to both parties, kept on file and make available upon request to other members.