INTRODUCTION
The Singapore Productivity Association (hereafter referred to as “SGPA”) was established on 19 Feb 1973 as an affiliated body to the government statutory board, the National Productivity Board (NPB).
In 2013, the Association set up its subsidiary, the Singapore Productivity Centre (hereafter referred to as “SGPC”) to help enterprises in the food, retail and hotel sectors upgrade their capability, transform, grow and globalise.
In 2018, IE Singapore and SPRING Singapore (previously NPB and later PSB) merged to form enterprise development agency Enterprise Singapore. SGPA became an independent association following its dissociation from Enterprise Singapore.
Today, SGPA is an independent non-profit organisation championing productivity, digitalisation and innovation in Singapore through research, community engagement and partnerships.
The Constitution of the Association (hereafter referred to as “the Constitution”) outlines the objects and obligations of SGPA.
The Management Committee (MC) of SGPA (hereinafter referred to as “the Committee’, and individually as “Committee Member”), and staff of SGPA and SGPC (hereinafter collectively referred to as “Staff” and individually as “Employee”) are to adhere to the Constitution.
This Code of Conduct (hereinafter referred to as “the Code”) is guided by the Ethos of SGPA (hereinafter referred to as “the Ethos”), and sets out the expectations of the Committee and Staff with regard to their ethical behaviour and professional conduct as representatives of SGPA and its subsidiary SGPC.
In addition, Staff are expected to abide by the policies stated in the SGPA Employment Handbook (hereinafter referred to as “the Handbook”).
PART 1 – GENERAL PRINCIPLES
1. SCOPE:
a. Committee and Staff must observe the provisions of the Code whenever they:
i. conduct the business of SGPA and /or SGPC;
ii. act as a representative of SGPA and /or SGPC in their official capacity.
2. Committee and Staff must at all times comply, observe and act in accordance with the following principles:
a. INTEREST OF SGPA
i. Committee and Staff must act in good faith, and in the best interest of SGPA at all times, and exercise care and due diligence when performing their official duties.
b. HONESTY AND INTEGRITY
i. Committee and Staff should act with honesty and integrity at all times.
c. OBJECTIVITY
i. Committee and Staff should make decisions based on merit when filling appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards or benefits.
d. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
i. Committee and Staff should not use their position for personal gain or interest.
e. ACCOUNTABILITY
i. Committee and Staff are held accountable to the SGPA for their actions when carrying out their responsibilities. Committee and Staff should execute their duties by using resources prudently and in accordance with the law. They should not misappropriate SGPA resources.
f. TRANSPARENCY
i. Committee and Staff should be open and honest about their actions and opinions, and be able to explain them readily.
g. PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE
i. Committee and Staff should maintain professional knowledge and skills at a level required to perform their duties and responsibilities effectively. They should discharge their duties and obligations to the best of their abilities.
h. CONFIDENTIALITY
i. Committee and Staff should treat all information entrusted to them by SGPA in strict confidence except when disclosure is authorised by SGPA or required by law or regulations.
PART 2 – RULES AND GUIDELINES
1. GENERAL OBLIGATIONS
a. Committee and Staff must:
i. promote equality by not discriminating against any person;
ii. treat others with respect and common courtesy;
iii. not do anything which compromises or which is likely to compromise the impartiality of those who work for, or on behalf of SGPA;
iv. not disclose information given to them in confidence to anyone, or information acquired by them which can reasonably be construed to be of a confidential nature, without the consent of the disclosing party, unless they are required by law to do so; and
v. prevent any unauthorised person from gaining access to information to which that person is not entitled to.
b. An Employee / a Committee Member must not in his/her official capacity, or in any other circumstance, conduct herself/himself in a manner, which could reasonably be regarded as bringing SGPA into disrepute.
c. An Employee / a Committee Member:
i. must not in his/her official capacity, or in any other circumstance, use his/her position as an Employee / a Committee Member improperly to confer on or secure for himself/herself or any other person, an advantage or disadvantage; and
ii. must, when using or authorising the use by others of the resources of the SGPA :
1. act in accordance with the Code and Ethos;
2. ensure that such resources are not used for unlawful or political purposes.
d. An Employee / a Committee Member must, if he/she becomes aware of any conduct by another Employee / Committee Member which he/she reasonably believes involves a failure to comply with this Code, notify the Receiving Officer of SGPA in writing as soon as it is practicable for him/her to do so, in line with the SGPA Whistle Blower Policy.
2. COLLUSIVE PRACTICES AND OTHER ANTI-COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOUR
a. Committee and Staff must not engage in collusive trade practices and any form of anti-competitive behaviour, such as price fixing or controlling, or limiting or expanding production, or making the agreement of a contract subject to the taking on of additional obligations.
3. CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
a. Committee and Staff should act in the best interests of SGPA at all times. An Employee / a Committee Member is deemed not acting in the interest of SGPA if the Employee / Committee Member or his/her family member has the following personal interest which could influence a decision that might reasonably be regarded as unfairly benefiting him/her or his/her family member:
i. any employment or business carried out by the Employee / Committee Member or such persons in a firm, company or other entity with which SGPA proposes to enter into a contract with, including from whom a tender has been called from;
ii. any person who employs or has appointed the Employee / Committee Member or such persons, any firm in which they are a partner, or any company of which they are directors or other entity with which SGPA proposes to enter into a contract with, including from whom a tender has been called from; or
iii. any corporate body in which the Employee / Committee Member or such persons have a beneficial interest in a class of securities and with which SGPA proposes to enter into a contract with, including from whom a tender has been called from.
b. In the above paragraph, a ‘family member’ means a spouse, parent, parent-in-law, child, step-child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, or the spouse of any of the preceding persons.
4. DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
a. An Employee / a Committee Member with a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting at which the matter is considered must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that consideration, or when the interest becomes apparent.
b. An Employee / a Committee Member with a personal interest in any matter who has made or proposes to make an executive decision in relation to that matter must ensure that any written statement of that decision records the existence and nature of that interest.
c. An Employee / a Committee Member with a personal interest in any matter must:
i. withdraw from the meeting being held whenever it becomes apparent that the matter is being considered at that meeting;
ii. not exercise executive functions in relation to that matter; and
iii. not seek improperly to influence a decision about that matter.
5. DISCLOSURE OF FINANCIAL AND OTHER INTERESTS AND GIFTS
a. Upon acceptance of the letter of appointment, an Employee / a Committee Member must notify the SGPA Secretariat of his/her personal and financial interests by providing a written notification of any contract for goods, services or works made between the SGPA and himself/herself or a firm in which he/she is a partner, a company of which he/she is a remunerated director and likewise by any related person.
b. An Employee / a Committee Member must within seven (7) calendar days of becoming aware of any change to the interests as above stated, provide written notification to the SGPA Secretariat.
c. In the above paragraph, a ‘related person’ means a spouse, parent, parent-in-law, child, step-child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, or the spouse of any of the preceding persons.
d. An Employee / a Committee Member must within seven (7) calendar days of receiving any gift or hospitality over the value of S$200, provide written notification to the SGPA Secretariat of the existence and nature of that gift or hospitality. Any gift or hospitality of which the value is not known must also be declared to the SGPA Secretariat.
6. CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY
a. Committee and Staff are committed to keeping information on SGPA confidential, both ethically and lawfully, even after their term of appointment has expired. This includes not using the information for personal purposes.
7. USING SGPA FUNDS AND PROPERTY
a. Committee and Staff shall safeguard the effective and efficient use of SGPA’s funds at all times. This includes all forms of expense claims etc.
b. Committee and Staff shall not use, at any time, SGPA funds, property or other resources for personal gain. Any intention of fraud, abuse or misappropriation of funds is unacceptable, and the individual would face serious consequences, including legal action, if the evidence so warrants it.
c. The unauthorised use of SGPA property or services also refers to the unauthorised use of telephones, computers, etc. for private purposes. It also includes the inappropriate use of SGPA resources for personal or business gain.
8. LIMIT OF AUTHORITY
a. Committee and Staff may be entrusted to represent SGPA from time to time, with the approval of the designated approval parties in SGPA. However, Committee and Staff do not have the authority to commit SGPA to any course of action, whether financial or otherwise, except that which has been approved by designated approval parties in SGPA.
9. PUBLIC RELATIONS AND CORPORATE IMAGE
a. Committee and Staff should refrain from making public statements critical of SGPA or its subsidiary SGPC. An Employee / a Committee Member may be personally liable if he/she makes a fraudulent or negligent statement, which results in any form of loss to SGPA, the Committee or other Staff. An Employee who brings disrepute to SGPA may also potentially face disciplinary action in accordance with the Handbook.
b. For media interviews or queries on SGPA, Committee and Staff are to direct all such requests to the SGPA Secretariat for consideration. Unless approved by the SGPA Secretariat, Committee and Staff should refrain from responding to media interviews or queries on SGPA.