MC Code of Ethics and Employee Conduct Handbook

Introduction

By nurturing a culture of respect and fairness, Montgomery College is committed to investing our best work in serving students, our community, and each other. The Montgomery College Code of Ethics and Employee Standards of Conduct is a guide to the new policy approved by the Board of Trustees in June 2017 (Policy 31000 (PDF, ) ). Nurturing a culture of honesty, civility, and accountability will enable the College to accomplish its mission most successfully. This handbook—the work of many thoughtful discussions and deliberations across the College community and external partners—is a roadmap (PDF, ) for building a foundation based on these values.

Because the work of the College can be complex, even the most diligent among us can be unsure about how to navigate competing demands in our roles. Having an independent source with clear guidance about responsibility and stewardship, can help us in important decision-making. By employing a shared set of expectations about what is fair, inclusive, and responsible, we strengthen our professional relationships and make our work more productive.

With a mission as important as ours, the College is eager to invest in tools that support our employees and help our entire institution thrive. This new handbook is such a tool, with guidance for anyone who works at the College. We are certain that it will serve as a valuable resource, increasing civility and fairness in the process. By building professional practices based on integrity, we can more effectively advance our mission.

Background

The draft Employee Code of Conduct was developed by the Employee Code of Conduct Committee, which was an ad-hoc committee created by the Employee Services Council in Spring 2014. The committee was formed in response to a constituent concern raised about the lack of a code of conduct for employees at Montgomery College. The idea of an Employee Code of Conduct emerged from discussion within the Common Employee Experience Workgroup which occurred in Spring 2013. Since that time, two annual reports from the Ombuds Office also have recommended the development of an Employee Code of Conduct. All of these calls to action spurred on the work of the Employee Code of Conduct Committee, which produced the draft Employee Code of Conduct.

FALL 2016 - PRESENT

On September 27, 2016, the College Council unanimously approved the draft Employee Code of Conduct and moved it forward to the President. After some discussion with the President's Executive Council (PEC), a draft policy and procedure was written using the ethical standards set forth in the draft Employee Code of Conduct. The policy is entitled Code of Ethics and Employee Conduct. The new policy was adopted by the Board of Trustees on June 19, 2017. As established in the policy, the Employee Code of Conduct document developed through governance will now be referred to as the Employee Standards of Conduct Handbook and will serve as the basis for training and awareness of ethical standards for all employees.