UKCBC Staff Code of Conduct - Academic Year 2025-26
The college code of conduct establishes guidelines for the employees of UKCBC, who act on behalf of the college.
This document aims to communicate the college’s expectations of its employees to ensure a very high professional conduct, dignified and befitting behaviour that depicts the college’s values, commitment to students’ holistic development, institutional identity and academic ethos.
Purpose
The purpose of this code is to provide a clear framework of behaviours and standards within which the employees of UKCBC are expected to conduct themselves. The college strives to maintain a prudent work environment for its employess in which honesty, integrity and respect for other staff members, students and/or other customers/clients of the college are constantly reflected.
It is the responsibility of all employees to ensure that all individuals familiarise themselves and understand their obligation to comply with this code.
Scope
This document serves as a statement of principles and responsibilities of all the employees of UKCBC irrespective of whether they are on full or part-time contracts, visiting or consultancy appointments that include academic and non-academic staff.
Ethics
The college is a large organisation, with staff and students from diverse background. It is important to respect each other and value the diversity of one’s background. It is important to always be mindful that the actions and behaviour of employees have a significant impact on the students and their education, as well as on the local environment and the community. As such, it is expected that every employee ensures that his/her behaviour, approach to others and conduct of various responsibilities are ethical, transparent, and aimed to serve the common good of students and the organisation as a whole.
Each individual should be aware that breaches of the law and other professional guidelines could result in criminal or other disciplinary action being taken against them.
All staff members are expected to exercise ethical approach, sound judgement in the performance of their responsibilities and also to ensure that all resources of the college are used prudently, ethically and for their designated purposes.
Teamwork
Employees should understand that individual abilities and limitations as well as their personal circumstances have a bearing on their performance of various tasks. Mutual respect and dignity of every employee plays an important role for effective teamwork.
Teamwork does not mean lack of responsibility of individuals or subduing ones efforts or contributions. An understanding of one another’s virtues,
strengths and collectively working for achievement of Institutional goals should be the focus of every employee.
Treating Others with Respect and Dignity
It is important to recognise that each employee has been appointed to UKCBC recognising their key strengths and possible avenues of contribution towards the growth of the Institution. Ill-treatment, disrespect, wilful negligence, or avoidance etc should strictly be avoided.
An employee’s individual style of working, preferences, mannerisms, gestures, language & tone should in no way be disrespectful to any other member of staff or students of the College. Such behaviour is considered to be highly unprofessional and detrimental to the development of the Institution.
The following key aspects of behaviour towards other staff, students and various internal and external stakeholders is expected of each and every member of the academic and non-academic members of the staff:
- Being courteous and considerate to others
- Treat others with respect and dignity
- Ensure to maintain a good communication, language, and tone
- Ensure decency and politeness in your conversations
- Treat others as you want to be treated by them
- Commitment to the development of the Institution and every student
- Integrity in performing your responsibilities
- Objectivity in your decisions and inputs
- Transparency and Accountability
- Dependability
- Trustworthiness
- Honesty
Time Management and Absence Notification
College operating times are Monday to Saturday, 09.00 am to 09.00 pm, your specific working hours are as agreed in your contract. You should maintain the flexibility to adjust working hours to accommodate peaks in workload and/or in emergencies, and also to work across the other campuses whenever required.
Each employee is expected to maintain the following during their tenure with UKCBC:
Maintain the biometric record of daily attendance and the break times.
- While visiting or on deputation to other campuses, log-in and log-out accordingly at each campus.
- You must be at the work desk during the students break time in order to assist them with any concern if required.
- You are entitled to have a one hour break in a working day which can be either split in to two or three breaks (if three, it will be for two tea/coffee breaks and the lunch break) which need to be recorded. Your break time will be allocated by the Line Manager.
- Use the HR Online software to request for a day off or holidays.
- If you are affected by sickness or accident that makes you absent from work, or any other reason that makes you away from the work place without prior notice, you are required to inform your Line Manager or immediate superior thereof by the fastest available means.
- Unauthorised and unexplained absence shall render a staff liable to disciplinary action.
- Any staff wishing to take annual leave shall address the request to the Line Manager/Department Head via HR online software, and the latter authorises it after consultation with the Human Resource Department.
Diligence and Efficiency
- Each employee must be a reasonably prudent person who would exercise the assigned activities with utmost honesty and integrity by recognising the reputation of the college at all circumstances.
- Each individuals are expected to maintain high standards of performance, focusing on client’s satisfaction (clients can be students, teachers, or any other staff members).
- Employees with responsibilities related to any aspect of the college’s mission and other core operations must exercise the activities with utmost care, diligence, and skill.
- The newly recruited employees will be in probation for a period of six months from the job resuming date and their performance will be monitored twice during this period or on a monthly basis if required.
- Apart from the assigned work area, no staff members are not allowed to be in any other department(s) during the working hours for any reason unless official or as per the instruction by your Line Manager.
- The concerns with reference to your work or any other aspects during your tenure with UKCBC can be raised to the Line Manager via email or in person. If the concerns are not resolved, the employees can contact the HR Department.
- It has to be always remembered that you are being paid to work, so the idle chit-chat and other things that may take your attention away from what you have been employed to do, has to be kept to the minimum.
- Be prepared to change when the job changes (for example, introduction of new accessories for the betterment of job/tasks)
Conflicts of Interest
Employees are required to declare any conflicts of interest so that they are not involved in decisions which may be viewed as biased. Each employee has the responsibility to identify and declare any conflict of interest which can be in the form of administrative, financial, personal, political or any other that might impede or be seen to impede the validity and integrity of the work in question.
Conflicts of interest should be satisfactorily addressed through declarations where possible before the activity commences. UKCBC expects high standards in all aspects of the college life and thus the decisions must be made in a fair and balanced way, without hindering the work efficiency of each employee.
Relationships
Personal relationship between staff members and students or other clients related to the college activities are strictly discouraged and immediate action will be taken against that particular staff member if any such incident or act is revealed. The instances where such a relationship develops or seems likely to develop, the member of staff is advised to discuss the matter with the Line Manager.
Mutual respect between the staff members are essential to have an ethical way of working, but close personal relationship between the members can damage this respect because of which the personal relationships are strictly discouraged. It has to be noted that one must not use his/her position to encourage a personal relationship to develop in return for personal favours.
Appropriate boundaries should be made clear to each other within the department or with the staff members in other departments and should always practice it while in the working hours, otherwise alternative working arrangements will be put in place by the management to ensure compliance with this code.
Dress Code
You are required to be in formal wears during the working days. All components of your clothing need to be clean and pressed each day when you arrive to work. Male staff members are required to wear a tie and the shirt should remain tucked in throughout the day to create a clean, professional appearance. You also need to style your hair in a neat manner to avoid an unkempt appearance.
Dress code: Don’ts
- Stained and wrinkled clothing
- Clothing such as jeans, sweatpants, exercise pants, bermuda shorts, short shorts, shorts, bib overalls, leggings, midriff-baring tops, skorts, neon- coloured wears, any spandex or other form-fitting pants such as people wear for exercise or biking
- Flaunt tattoos, mohawks, fearsome facial hair with vikings and hobos, flip-flops, hoodies, spaghetti straps, hats
- Colour-shimmering clothing materials used for parties or other socio-cultural events
- T-shirts (apart from UKCBC-branded t-shirts), animal-print wears, graphic tees
- Female members of the staff are expected to be formally dressed with adequate decency befitting an academic institutional environment. The dress code should indicate good professional standards to demand high respect, dignity and esteem owing to the diverse socio cultural environment of the institution.
Exemptions
- Beards and head covers that are required for religious purposes or to honor cultural traditions are allowed
- Reasonable adjustments are permissible to accommodate medical or other genuine limitations
Use of College Property
Each employee must be honest to their assigned job, must do the tasks with reasonable care and skill, and look after the employer’s property while using it. The college resources should be utilised economically and must avoid wastage.
All employees have access to internet whilst at work and are required to comply with the IT regulations and acceptable usage of email and other social media. The college assets and facilities, including stationery, telephones, computers, photocopiers, offices, car parks etc. may only be used for official purposes and not for personal use unless permission for their private use is obtained from the Line Manager.
Employees at all times should teat company property with respect and care, staff should report any damages, faulty machinery immediately to procurement/ Health and Safety to be dealt with. Staff should not use company property for any other purpose other than for the purpose of company business without the approval of management.
Reporting Suspected Violations
The employees should report any suspected violations of applicable laws, policies, regulations/requirements, or this code. The reporting should normally be made through the reporting channels, by making the incident or act obvious to the Line Manager.
Verbal or Physical Abuse
UKCBC will not tolerate, condone, or ignore threatening or violent behaviour or any kind of abuse against any staff members or the students within the college or within the immediate external premises of the college, all the campuses, any sponsored events, or off-campus sites.
Employees must ensure that the language, tone, purpose, and content of the language used in various communications should be decent and professional. Abuse of any nature either verbal or physical are strictly not tolerated.
Academic Integrity
Being a part of a reputed academic institution, it is the key responsibility of every member of staff to ensure that they always maintain high levels of ethics and academic integrity in their conduct and performing various duties and responsibilities assigned to them.
Sexual Misconduct and Safeguarding
UKCBC takes its responsibility to prevent sexual misconduct and address concerns raised by students and staff seriously.
The Office for Students defines sexual misconduct as all unwanted conduct of a sexual nature. This may be from other students or staff or visitors to the College.
The perpetrator may be a stranger, or someone they know. The misconduct can occur through any medium (including online) and in any setting.
The UKCBC staff code of conduct outlines the expectations the College has related to sexual misconduct:
- Not to engage in acts of violence and abuse (which can involve control, coercion or threats) or stalking
- Students should be respected and live without fear of unwanted conduct of a sexual nature
- Not to victimise someone for supporting an individual who has made a complaint as a result of unwanted conduct of a sexual nature
Furthermore the College defines sexual misconduct to include any conduct of a sexual nature which occurred physically, verbally, in writing or online an includes but is not limited to the following:
- Engaging, or attempting to engage, in a sexual act with another without their consent
- Sexually touching another person without their consent
- Conduct of a sexual nature which creates (or could create) an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for others including making unwanted remarks of a sexual nature
- Inappropriately showing sexual organs to another person
- Repeatedly following another person without good reason
- Recording and/or sharing intimate images or recordings of another person without their consent
- Arranging or participating in events aimed at degrading those who have experienced sexual violence, for example inappropriately themed social events or initiations; and
- Spreading rumours about a person’s sex life.
Breaches of this Code
This code of conduct has been drawn up to provide a source of guidance to the UKCBC’s employees. It is not a contractual document and can be amended at any time by the College.
All staff must comply with both the provisions of this code and UKCBC’s policies and procedures, breaches of which will be taken seriously and may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
