Preamble

The purpose of this Code of Ethics is to act as a guide for our team, and any contractors working on our behalf, to operate in a professional, ethical manner at The Benefit Consultants. It recognises our responsibilities to act intelligently, ethically, and sustainably within the organisation and provides a framework for how we connect with our clients, partners, friends, and the world at large.

The Purpose and Values of the Business

The Benefit Consultants believes that all stakeholders contribute to the success of any project and that communication and engagement should build a community around an organisation, its projects and its stakeholders, aligning them to a shared vision. We exist to collaborate with our clients to improve their positive impact and engage all their stakeholders around the mission and values of their projects. We value strong relationships based on respect and integrity, and we aim to work with clients who, like us, would like to leave the world better than we found it.

Our mission is to help purpose-led organisations build thriving and inclusive communities, by connecting their people, customers, suppliers and their extended networks to their mission and to each other. And to guide them towards improving, measuring and communicating their positive impact.

First Peoples Acknowledgement

The Benefit Consultants was founded and operates on the traditional lands of the Gamaragal, Cannalgal and Kayimai People and we recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. As a dispersed team working with clients across the country, we also acknowledge the traditional owners of Country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

Employees

Our team, whether in-house or collaboration partners, are at the heart of the work we deliver to our clients. We value their contribution, innovation and ideas that help us work with purpose-led clients who are changing the world. We aim to nurture the talent, health, happiness, education, and skills of our employees. In turn, we hope that employees will be respectful of each other and of clients, colleagues, and partners outside the firm.

We strive to honour the diversity of our staff and to promote their ideas, work, and aspirations. We seek to create a workplace in which the skills and talents of each employee are best used to help us achieve our overarching goals. All employees and contractors have access to a regularly updated employee handbook that provides details about benefits, travel, volunteering and other work-related information. Discrimination, of any kind, is not consistent with our mission and values, and it will not be tolerated.

Professional Conduct

The Benefit Consultants expects every employee, including delivery partners, to conduct themselves in a professional manner, observing all Local, State, Federal and International laws which they are responsible for understanding. In addition, our employees must understand and adhere to our clients’ Code of Ethics, which may have restrictions more limiting than our own.

Clients

Our clients exchange their financial and human resources for our services and products. In this way, they trust The Benefit Consultants to be honest and clear in our communications. Most importantly, they trust that the work that The Benefit Consultants delivers also matches or exceeds their requirements, and that we provide products and services on time and in a professional manner.

We expect that all employees will treat clients courteously and kindly. And, when issues do arise, we expect these to be addressed fairly and appropriately. We believe in fair pricing and in honouring agreements in good faith. We will do our best to send timely invoices and we expect to be paid by clients in a timely manner as well.

Stakeholders

As a privately held company with no outside source of funding, we hope that employees, partners and colleagues will treat our collective time, technology and financial resources with respect and with care.

We operate in the interests of all our stakeholders and consider them in all business decisions. Our aim is to deliver high quality work in a way that develops our people and cares for their well-being, adds measurable value to our clients, offers collaborative integrity to partners and suppliers within our network, builds and improves our community and respects our planet. As a stakeholder-led organisation, we remember these values when making decisions that impact the organisation and those we interact with.

Suppliers

We rely upon our vendors to provide the highest quality products and services available. These include, but are not limited to, website hosting, accounting, bookkeeping, printing, telephony, software, and connectivity. We believe in the prompt settlement of bills to The Benefit Consultants and a quick resolution to any disputes with suppliers. All things being equal, including quality of services provided and cost, we reserve the right to choose vendors, suppliers, and other partners that are owned by women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented groups. We will always prefer working with B Corporations as well as conscientious companies, social enterprises, mission-driven companies, and not-only-for-profit organisations.

Community

Our company does not act in a vacuum. Our existence is made possible by the quality and delivery of local, state, and federal services, including, but not limited to, government services like Medicare, courts of law, parliamentary democracy, and national defence. Our obligations to the natural world are countless as well; we receive and enjoy an abundance of clean water, air, and energy. In light of this, our obligation to the spirit and letter of the applicable laws of the land is paramount. We will protect and preserve our natural world and be involved in our local community.

We are also committed helping at-risk young people in our community to build positive connections and pathways to work through our commitment to working with Whitelion in an ambassador capacity.

Sustainability

Whenever possible, we will work with local suppliers to source products and services to fulfil our business needs. The Benefit Consultants will continue to assess and reduce its carbon footprint, recycle and reuse products, and source sustainably produced paper and other products. We aspire to keep sustainability a core feature of our practice, our work habits and workspaces, and our aspirations for ourselves, our clients, and our planet. While far from perfect, we aspire to do what’s right for the place we call home.

Review and Accessibility

We will review this code of ethics annually to ensure that it reflects our values, our communications and our actions. This code of ethics is posted publicly online with the hope that it might act as a model for other organisations.

Reporting

The only way to know if The Benefit Consultants is upholding this code of ethics, is if employees, clients, colleagues, partners, and others let us know. As a values-driven organisation striving to continually improve, we invite this feedback and accountability.