University of New South Wales - Human Resources - Code of Conduct, Human Resources, UNSW

Approving Authority:	Council
Date of Approval:	19 December 1994
Last Amended:
Contact Officer:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic)

This Code of Conduct is intended to guide UNSW staff to identify and resolve issues of ethical conduct that may arise in their employment. It is designed to guide staff in their dealings with colleagues, students, the University, and the national and international community. The Code is written as a set of general principles rather than detailed prescriptions. The Code stands beside but does not of course exclude or replace the rights and obligations of staff under common law.

The University is a complex organisation comprising a diversity of populations which have different relationships to one another. These may be relations of power and/or of status. It is essential in such a community that all members recognise and respect not only their own rights and responsibilities but also the rights and responsibilities of other members of the community and those of the University itself.

The University recognises that many of its academic and other professional staff are also bound by codes of conduct or ethics defined by learned or professional societies or groups. Academic staff in particular have multiple allegiances: to their disciplines or profession at national and interna-tional levels (the invisible colleges), to the academic profession; to the community at large; and to the University. It is recognised that these allegiances are not always in harmony. It is an obligation of a staff member to weigh the importance of these allegiances in each particular set of circumstances and notify an appropriate officer of the University where such conflict does or may arise.

The University recognises and protects the concept and practice of academic freedom as essential to the proper conduct of teaching, research and scholarship within the University. While academic freedom is a right, it carries with it the duty of academics to use the freedom in a manner consistent with a responsible and honest search for and dissemination of knowledge and truth. Within the ambit of academic freedom lies the traditional role of academics in making informed comment on societal mores and practice and in challenging held beliefs, policies and structures. Where such comments are offered by academics as members of the University it is expected that those commentaries will lie within their expertise. That expectation is not intended to restrict the right of any academic to freely express their opinions in their private capacity as an individual member of society.

Every member of staff of UNSW has three primary obligations:

a duty of care to observe standards of equity and justice in dealing with every member of the University community;
an obligation to the University in terms of responsible stewardship of its resources and protection of its reputation in the wider community;
an obligation to act appropriately when a conflict arises between a staff member's own self interest and duty to the University. Where such conflict does or may arise, the issue should be disclosed to an appropriate officer of the University and wherever feasible the staff member play no role in decision-making that might be associated with that issue.

When a staff member, whose position or role entails supervisory or management duties, is notified or becomes aware of a conflict or potential conflict of interest, his or her duty is to:

inform the staff member involved of the provisions of the Code of Conduct as a basis for deciding on an appropriate way to handle the issue;
where appropriate, notify the matter to a more senior colleague for further attention.

With respect to their duty of care, members of staff should:

treat students and other staff with respect;
not allow personal relationships to affect professional relationships;
refrain from all forms of harassment;
give due credit to the contributions of other members of staff or students;
refrain from acting in any way that would unfairly harm the reputation and career prospects of other staff or students;
consider the desirability of intervening constructively where a colleague's behaviour is clearly in breach of this code, and be prepared to report any suspected fraud, corrupt, criminal or unethical conduct to an appropriate officer of the University;
consider the impact of decisions on the well-being of others;
respect individuals' rights to privacy and under-take to keep personal information in confidence, including information gained through case records from outside the University.

With respect to their obligation to the University, members of staff should:

refrain from representing themselves as spokes-persons for the University unless authorised to do so;
refrain from representing themselves as acting for, or on behalf of, the University when undertaking any outside work;
refrain from engaging in any outside workthat would compromise their integrity and independence;
avoid improper use of the resources of the University for private gain or the gain of a third party;
foster collegiality among members of the University community.

With respect to conflicts of interest, staff members:

should take suitable measures to avoid, or appropriately deal with, any situation in which they may have, or be seen to have, a conflict of interest arising out of their relationship with another staff member or student. In particular, staff should avoid situations which may require them to supervise or assess a student with whom they have, or have had, a personal, commercial, familial or other significant relationship. Similar considerations generally apply to the supervision of other staff. Where both a supervisory role and significant relationship between staff members co-exist, supervision must be openly seen to be of the highest professional standard and neither unfairly
advantaging nor disadvantaging the supervisee;
must take care that their financial and other interests and actions do not conflict or seem to conflict with the obligations and requirements of their University position.

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