GUTcert Code of Conduct
Mandatory rules for constructive and positive interaction
This Code of Conduct sets out our stance and our understanding of responsible conduct and provides the framework for all of GUTcert’s strategies, policies and guidelines.
Guidelines for individual stakeholders set out our expectations in concrete terms and serve as a guide for value-based collaboration in our day-to-day work. They are not intended to lead to ‘working to rule’, but rather to provide reassurance, facilitate decision-making and make our approach visible both internally and externally.
Working in accordance with these guidelines is a shared responsibility of all managers, staff and business partners at GUTcert. It is on this basis that we wish to work together.
Who we are
GUTcert (GC) is a certification, testing and training organisation whose business model is built on sustainability.
We act with integrity, independence and impartiality. We work in partnership with our clients whilst responsibly fulfilling our role as an objective inspection and certification body. We stand for uncompromising quality, transparent decision-making and mutual respect.
Trust – the foundation of our actions
We place our trust in the integrity, sense of responsibility, ability to learn and commitment of our staff and managers. Openness, dialogue and mutual respect characterise our collaboration. Discrimination, harassment and any form of demeaning behaviour are contrary to our values and will not be tolerated.
We trust that all staff, managers, auditors, environmental verifiers, speakers and all our business partners make decisions to the best of their knowledge and belief. We assume that people are responsible, capable of learning and committed. We regard rules and guidelines as guidance and support – they are no substitute for independent thought or personal integrity.
We foster dialogue with our stakeholders. Their feedback helps us to further develop our organisations. Mistakes and critical questions are part of learning and improvement. For us, taking responsibility also means addressing uncertainties and seeking help. Our employees and managers are expected to help shape the future of our companies and to continuously improve our performance, processes and collaboration both amongst ourselves and with our customers.
Our understanding of sustainability
For us, sustainability means considering environmental, social and economic aspects together and maintaining a balance between them:
- being socially responsible both internally and externally,
- environmentally and climate-conscious in our own actions and in our services,
- economically sound and focused on the long term.
Our mission, ‘to keep getting better’, encapsulates this aspiration: sustainability is a journey with no end point.
We take any failure to comply with the guidelines we have drawn up, or with the associated policies and procedures, very seriously: depending on the nature and severity of the breach, this may result in consequences under employment, contract or civil law, up to and including the termination of the employment or contractual relationship.