Values and Ethics
Values
Our approach to corporate responsibility is grounded in shared values. Our values have been a strength of the company for generations, though how we describe them has evolved. In 2007/8, under the stewardship of our Chairman, President and CEO, Murray Martin, we surveyed our employees and used their feedback to redefine our values in a clear, concise and current manner. They are:
Put Customers First
Collaborate
Be Passionate
Be Accountable
Act with Integrity
Employee responding to survey
Ethics
We all make ethical decisions every day. Our approach is to be clear with our employees about our expectations of them, and to provide the practical resources they can use to learn about their obligations and get guidance on how they can gear their actions both inside and outside the workplace to reflect the policy and legal guidelines that govern Pitney Bowes.
Code of Conduct. Our code of conduct, the Pitney Bowes Business Practices Guidelines, describes and illustrates ethical and compliance issues that impact our employees, our customers, our business partners and the communities in which we live. [link] To reinforce our commitment to ethical behavior and legal compliance, we have linked our standards on ethical behaviorto annual employee performance evaluation and compensation. As part of their annual performance evaluations, employees are rated on how well they demonstrate ethical leadership. Additionally, employees are given the opportunity to voice their opinions on the ethics demonstrated by their managers and senior management in our annual employee engagement survey.
Training. Each year, employees are required to take training on specific Company policy, practices and the law covering such topics as records retention, antitrust or anticorruption. Training will be offered through seminars, online and through webex, and through other channels for employees who do not have access toa computer.
Advice and reporting channels. We encourage employees to seek advice in dealing with ethical dilemmas and to report any suspected wrongdoing. Our Ethics Help Line, operated by a third party 24 hours a day, seven days a week, enables employees to report wrongdoing anonymously and in virtually anylanguage, without fear of retaliation. Employees also can contact the Global Ethics & Business Practices Department in person oranonymously through hard copy mail, telephone or email delivered to a special email address. All claims of potential violations of law or policy are reviewed and investigated as appropriate. In the event a complaint is verified, appropriate disciplinary action is taken.
Metrics. We are constantly monitoring and analyzing various measurements of the performance of our ethics and compliance efforts to improve the effectivenessof programs. Pitney Bowes has been a member in good standing in the FTSE4Good Index, the responsible investment index sponsored by the FTSE Group. FTSE’s review of eligible companies focuses primarily on anti-bribery/anti-corruption policies and practices.
- We focus on our customers’ success
- We respond to customers quickly
- We create solutions for tomorrow
Collaborate
- We work inclusively, treating employees with dignity and respect
- We work collaboratively with each other and our customers
- We embrace diverse viewpoints
- We support our local communities
Be Passionate
- We act with a sense of urgency
- We drive for results and celebrate success
- We accelerate innovation to deliver unique value
Be Accountable
- We deliver on our promises and commitments
- We set challenging goals, measure outcomes and reward success
Act with Integrity
- We care
- We do the right thing
- We consider the consequences of our actions.
We have been promoting our restated values through a variety of internal communications, including talks by senior management as well as print and online media. This will continue.
“Organizations that support and communicate company values have much higher employee engagement. We need this to meet all our other business goals. We want to provide employees with an easy, memorable filter for decision-making and standard-setting.”
Murray Martin
Employee responding to survey
Ethics
We all make ethical decisions every day. Our approach is to be clear with our employees about our expectations of them, and to provide the practical resources they can use to learn about their obligations and get guidance on how they can gear their actions both inside and outside the workplace to reflect the policy and legal guidelines that govern Pitney Bowes.
Code of Conduct. Our code of conduct, the Pitney Bowes Business Practices Guidelines, describes and illustrates ethical and compliance issues that impact our employees, our customers, our business partners and the communities in which we live. [link] To reinforce our commitment to ethical behavior and legal compliance, we have linked our standards on ethical behaviorto annual employee performance evaluation and compensation. As part of their annual performance evaluations, employees are rated on how well they demonstrate ethical leadership. Additionally, employees are given the opportunity to voice their opinions on the ethics demonstrated by their managers and senior management in our annual employee engagement survey.
Training. Each year, employees are required to take training on specific Company policy, practices and the law covering such topics as records retention, antitrust or anticorruption. Training will be offered through seminars, online and through webex, and through other channels for employees who do not have access toa computer.
Advice and reporting channels. We encourage employees to seek advice in dealing with ethical dilemmas and to report any suspected wrongdoing. Our Ethics Help Line, operated by a third party 24 hours a day, seven days a week, enables employees to report wrongdoing anonymously and in virtually anylanguage, without fear of retaliation. Employees also can contact the Global Ethics & Business Practices Department in person oranonymously through hard copy mail, telephone or email delivered to a special email address. All claims of potential violations of law or policy are reviewed and investigated as appropriate. In the event a complaint is verified, appropriate disciplinary action is taken.
Metrics. We are constantly monitoring and analyzing various measurements of the performance of our ethics and compliance efforts to improve the effectivenessof programs. Pitney Bowes has been a member in good standing in the FTSE4Good Index, the responsible investment index sponsored by the FTSE Group. FTSE’s review of eligible companies focuses primarily on anti-bribery/anti-corruption policies and practices.