5 Responses

1. beware rigidity
   Nicola
   I am an associate so I have paper copies of several codes of conduct from a number of organisations, which sadly I can’t share due to the wording of the code of conduct!

   I presume you are a supplier using associates to service your clients. Beware a CofC that is too rigid; eg sometime your clients will demand that your Associates are dressed in formal business attire and sometime someof your clients will demand a more casual approach to workwear.
   In my experience it is all about you understanding the client need and then ensuring the associate understands too.
   Generally speaking you are covered if you word your associate agreement with terms such as “appropriate”, “professional” and “ambassadorial”.

   Whilst I’m on my soapbox I’d ask you to remember that a CofC is not only pertinent to the associate but also to your behaviour as the principal. Such things as adequate briefing, cancellation and postponement notice and fees, expenses policy and timely payment of expenses and invoices are life critical to a non salaried associate.
   That probably doesn’t provide the quick answer you wanted but it may help
   Rus

2. Two way
   I agree with Rus,

   If you have a problem with your associates why not look at your recruitment techniques. A code may not be enforceable unless it becomes part of the contract but as Rus says it has to have flexibility built in. Why read the riot act because one associate had a complaint?

   Sometimes clients make unjustified complaints and the poor old associate is never in a position to defend themselves – since they are not a permanent employee they are immediately axed as an easily replaceable resource.
   If you are going to install a dress code you will also have to define it and spot when it differs from the end clients dress code/culture.
   This can become slegehammer to crack a nut, improve recruitment and monitor more fully and do look at the service you are providing the associates. Do you seek feedback from them about briefings, materials, invoice payment, timeliness of your staff, reaction/responses of end client etc. Process faults are often at play, invariably the employer is more interested in appeasing the client that addressing the client’s process fault with the associate stuck in the middle unable to influence anything.
   Good luck and do talk to your associates about what they want from you, often the professionalism sought from them is not matched by the employer organisation or the client they are delivering to impedes it.

3. Code of conduct
   Nicola
   You might want to look at an earlier thread at https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=163456
   To check out our code of ethics see http://www.nationalschool.gov.uk/about_us/jobs/associate_working/CodeOfEthics.pdf
   As to dress code that is a tricky one. It is hard to set out in detail what is or is not acceptable, and anyway that type of prescriptiveness doesn’t suit most non-uniform wearing organisations.
   I agree with the others that the recruitment of associates is important. If you select the right people you should have little problem. Also important is proper briefing. After that, if they cannot work out what is suitable to wear (or say, or how to behave) then they don’t deserve to be used by you again.
   I also agree with the others in that as an employer you have responsibilities too. In this type of situation, it is important that your employees comply with any code or agreement too.
   Hope that helps
   Graham

4. Get to Know Your Associates
   Hi Nicola
   I work as an associate for several different organisations. The best ones are where I am treated as an individual and have got to know the people in the business over a long period of time before even doing any paid work for them. By having a series of informal chats I understood more about their approach than a contract would achieve (although I did get copies of these from both organisations)
   I think sometimes I have not been given enough information about the client, I think sometimes it is assume I know this and I did have the experience of turning up in smart casual dress at a client who was ultra smart and so I do tend to ask this question now when being briefed. So you might find it useful to contrust a checklist for yourself to discuss with an associate when allocating a piece of work.
   Good associates will adapt their style to reflect your brand and identify but they can only do this if you provide them good information, brief them and treat them well in terms of things that others have already mentioned such as payment, invoicing and cancellation fees.
   Christine

5. Code of Conduct
   Hi Nicola,
   I work as a procurement trainer associate in both public and private sector and so far without any problems. If the client does not give me an associate CofC, I always ask to see the CofC for the staff. If they don`t have one for the staff they I use my own professional judgement as to what is suitable and what isn`t. For example, I would never wear jeans in any environment, I would never be late etc.

   In my opinion, the principles of any CofC are just good old fashioned common sense i.e treat people with respect, wear business attire, be punctual etc.

   Sorry to hear about your unfortunate episode, but it made me wonder if having a CofC with your individual would have made any difference, as their own commonsense should tell them what is acceptable and what is not.