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We speak up about concerns knowing Accenture never tolerates retaliation.
SPEAK UP ABOUT DISRESPECTFUL, INAPPROPRIATE, FRAUDULENT,
UNETHICAL OR ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR
If you have a good faith concern about disrespectful, inappropriate, fraudulent, unethical or illegal behavior of any kind, Accenture wants you to speak up. You can always escalate your concern without fear of retaliation if you do not receive an acceptable response from your first point of contact. We take seriously all concerns raised, including allegations of retaliation.
The way we handle a concern will depend on its nature and severity. We may have discussions with relevant work colleagues, Accenture Leaders or Human Resources, or conduct formal investigations. Regardless of how you raise a concern, we always seek to ensure it is handled by the most appropriate people within Accenture—confidentially and with sensitivity.
TAKE ACTION
Take action or reach out for guidance when approached about a concern involving disrespectful, inappropriate, fraudulent, unethical or illegal behavior. No matter the career level, we take concerns seriously and take action or otherwise raise them via the appropriate channel.
WE HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR RETALIATION
Accenture has zero tolerance for retaliation against anyone who speaks up in good faith. Retaliation means any kind of unfair treatment, whether subtle or overt. There are serious consequences for retaliation, up to and including dismissal.
We treat each other with respect.
TREAT EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT
Disrespectful behavior or harassment of any kind are not tolerated by Accenture. It does not always matter whether the disrespectful behavior or harassment is intentional—what does matter is how the behavior is received by the impacted individual. If it is reasonably perceived as disrespectful, it is prohibited by Accenture.
Disrespectful behavior and harassment take many forms. They consist of behaviors that interfere with work performance, or any other treatment of a person that creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
Disrespectful behavior and harassment can occur in many contexts including, but not limited to:
Something someone says or does (or does not say or do), whether in person or remotely
An email, letter or document
A posting on the internet or intranet (for example, on Facebook or Twitter or on a blog)
A message sent by instant messenger applications (for example, on Skype, Microsoft Teams or WhatsApp)
A physical gesture
Examples of disrespectful behavior or harassment include, but are not limited to:
Repeated shouting at employees in public or private or excessive use of profanity/swearing directed towards an individual and/or an individual's work product
Targeted vulgarity and rudeness, personal insults or name-calling or public or private humiliation and/or intimidation
Uncontrollable and threatening anger directed towards an individual
Repeated, blatant disregard by an individual for another person's personal time
Spreading rumors with a deliberate intention to cause harm to an individual or persistent, unjustified and/or unnecessary negative attacks on a person's personal or professional life
Deliberate and blatant disrespect to cultural differences
Deliberate exclusion or continued isolation from work social activities
Displays of offensive material or offensive jokes
Unwanted physical contact
Abuse of authority (including use of intimidation, threats, blackmail, coercion or requiring an individual to perform purely personal errands or tasks)
Threats of dismissal, loss of promotion, depriving someone of work opportunities or other negative consequences, which are not consistent with our principle of meritocracy
Bullying, “mobbing” or abusive behavior (in each case, by one or more individuals); “bullying” means behavior, directed against someone, that is intimidating, offensive or malicious and that undermines the confidence and self-esteem of that person
Threatened or actual violence whether or not directed at an individual
Sexual harassment involve unwanted conduct of a sexual nature and includes, but is not limited to, the examples above or:
Sending, taking or displaying sexually suggestive, lewd and/or indecent pictures or other materials
Sexually suggestive, lewd or indecent comments or jokes (directed at a particular person or made more generally)
Repeated unwelcome requests for meeting up socially
Unwanted displays of affection
Repeated unwanted attention, such as phone calls, texts or messages to an individual without a work-related reason for the contact
Unwanted physical contact of a sexual nature
When a person in a position of power makes unwanted sexual advances or implies that employment decisions may be affected by acceptance or rejection of sexual advances
Examples of behaviors that are not disrespectful, include:
Minor, one-off instances of impatience or frustration
Vigorous and impassioned sharing of ideas or debates over tough issues
Factual and constructive feedback addressing an employee’s performance
We expect all our people, regardless of career level or role, to treat each other, and others we interact with in work-related situations—whether in person or online—with respect and professional courtesy. This includes client and supplier personnel, advisors to our clients and hotel, restaurant and airline staff.
WE ENSURE A WORKPLACE FREE OF DISRESPECTFUL BEHAVIOR OR HARASSMENT
Harassment on the basis of a person’s characteristics—known as protected characteristics—is illegal in many jurisdictions. Disrespectful behavior is also potentially illegal or legally actionable in many jurisdictions. Accenture’s ethical values go beyond what the law requires. We want a workplace that is free from any form of disrespectful behavior or harassment, whether it is covered by law or not.
We are proud to be ambassadors of Accenture, and we act accordingly.
WE CONDUCT OURSELVES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE HIGHEST
STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR
Whether at work, travelling on business, communicating online or attending training or social events with colleagues or clients, we are always “ambassadors of Accenture,” demonstrating the Accenture Way. Our behavior reflects both on ourselves and on Accenture. We conduct ourselves in accordance with the highest standards of professional behavior. Good professional conduct is especially important because our individual behaviors impact our colleagues, our clients, our communities and ultimately, the success of our company.
We apply our principle of meritocracy when we make decisions about our people
WE APPLY OUR PRINCIPLE OF MERITOCRACY WHEN WE MAKE
DECISIONS ABOUT OUR PEOPLE
Meritocracy means that all employment decisions must be based only on an individual's demonstrated contributions and capabilities within the context of meeting Accenture's business needs. This applies to any decision about recruitment, hiring, compensation, promotions, performance and work assignments.
WE VALUE DIVERSITY AND DO NOT DISCRIMINATE
Accenture is a global company. We value different cultures, strive to have a diverse and inclusive workforce and meet legal hiring mandates where required.
Many local laws around the world prohibit discrimination against people on the basis of certain characteristics. We expect our people to comply with such laws against discrimination, but Accenture's ethical values go beyond legal requirements: we each have a responsibility to support and promote our principle of meritocracy to maintain a fair, positive and inclusive work environment.
We ensure our personal interests and relationships don't create conflicts for
Accenture.
IDENTIFY PERSONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Consistent with our core value of Stewardship, we owe a duty to Accenture to advance its business interests. A personal conflict of interest is a situation where your own personal interests (or those of a family member or close friend) can affect your ability to act in Accenture's best interests, or interfere with your personal objectivity and obligations to Accenture.
Acting in Accenture’s best interests means:
We do not compete with Accenture
We do not use Accenture’s property or information, or our position, for our own personal gain (or that of family members or close friends)
We do not take opportunities for ourselves (or family members or close friends) that we discover through the use of Accenture’s property, information or otherwise through our position at Accenture
Our business is built on trust based relationships–conflicts of interest risk undermining that trust. A failure to avoid, or properly deal with, a personal conflict can have very serious consequences—both for Accenture and for you personally.
A personal conflict can arise in many different situations. Each of us is best qualified to identify when there is a personal conflict. Therefore, it is important to use good judgment to identify actual, potential or perceived personal conflicts of interest.
DISCLOSE PERSONAL CONFLICTS OF INTERESTS, GET REQUIRED APPROVALS AND FOLLOW ANY RESTRICTIONS
We understand that personal conflicts occasionally arise in the ordinary course of business. When faced with a personal conflict of interest, the most important thing is to tell us about it as soon as you can, obtain any required approvals and follow any restrictions. A personal conflict of interest is often easy to resolve when it is disclosed early enough.