Code of Ethics & Conduct

Code of Ethics & Conduct

Presentation


The Talanoa Institute is a Brazilian non-partisan and independent think and do tank, which aims to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and effectiveness of Brazilian public policies. Based in Rio de Janeiro, the Institute is dedicated to analyzing and proposing public policies, mainly in the field of climate change and the environment.

This Code of Conduct applies to all employees, permanent and temporary, third parties and trainees, trainees, suppliers, leaders, directors, associates, attorneys and counselors of the Talanoa Institute.

The practices of Instituto Talanoa's suppliers, agents, intermediaries and partners must also be aligned with the guidelines described in this document.

Leadership
Understanding leaders as people who occupy positions in the management structure, whether administrative or operational, the following attitudes are recommended for leaders:

  • In the interaction between work teams, managers and leaders are instructed to encourage the professional development of all hierarchical levels, aiming for excellence in activities and clarity of objectives;
 
  • Providing guidelines and guidance on appropriate behavior for teams, seeking commitment and encouraging good practices and ethical attitudes;
 
  • Ensuring compliance with and dissemination of this code, the institution's policies, standards and procedures;
 
  • Alert management whenever they notice anything that is not in line with the institution's rules, especially in relation to this Code of Conduct;
 
  • Act with respect, transparency and trust, in the ways described in this Code of Conduct;
 
  • Make decisions based on the highest ethical standards.
Failure to comply with the guidelines set out in this Code or in other Talanoa Institute policies can have serious consequences for the people involved and for the Institute.

Disciplinary actions such as verbal or written warnings, dismissal with or without cause and termination of current contracts will be applied to employees who commit ethical and conduct violations. Some violations may have consequences for the Institute's employees/service providers in the labor, civil or even criminal spheres.
The Talanoa Institute respects and values ethnic-racial, class, income and sexual orientation diversity and promotes and encourages gender equality. Everyone should be treated with respect and dignity, avoiding any form of embarrassment. We must encourage mutual respect in order to create a healthy, harmonious and collaborative working environment, thus encouraging our employees to take a leading role. Professional criticism and challenges to opinions will be encouraged and should not be confused with discrimination [1].

Disrespectful and/or offensive comments, as well as uncomfortable situations, should be reported to the organization's Board of Directors.

Abusive behavior that could be characterized as bullying, sexual harassment or discrimination will not be tolerated. Physical or verbal expressions that humiliate someone or interfere with their work performance are not acceptable.


[1] Discrimination is defined as "any distinction, exclusion or restriction of preference based on any ground such as culture, ethnic origin, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, disability or other characteristic.

The Institute's Relationship with Employees

Behavior and Clothing

The Talanoa Institute values a variety of styles and understands that clothes and accessories are manifestations of preferences and personalities. We believe that it is possible to maintain a work environment that harmoniously reflects this diversity of styles and, at the same time, respects the rites of the professional sphere.

Employees are expected to wear appropriate clothing for the work environment* and corporate events, which inspires professionalism and respect for colleagues, managers and partners, positively influencing the performance of activities. Avoid exaggeration so that your clothes don't overpower your performance.


* We consider any of the Institute's official premises to be a working environment and we stress that, in the case of virtual meetings on behalf of the Institute, the same care should be taken with clothing and posture in front of the cameras, which should remain open and preferably fixed to prevent the image from shaking, which causes discomfort to the interlocutor.

Healthy behaviors

The Talanoa Institute values the balance of its employees, be it physical, emotional, intellectual or social, and encourages the adoption and maintenance of healthy habits for the well-being and safety of its teams. Here are a few points to help you understand.

  • RELATIONSHIPS: In order to avoid conflicts of interest and/or potential interpersonal conflicts in the work sphere, cases involving romantic/sexual relationships between Institute employees/collaborators/suppliers must be communicated transparently to the Institute's Board of Directors, and the signing of a specific agreement on conflicts of interest and/or changes to the organizational structure may be recommended. The rule will be followed that superiors and/or immediate family members of the same team (project/sprint/directorate) may not have an amorous/sexual relationship; in cases of this nature, one of those involved must be removed or changed teams.

 

  • ALCOHOL AND DRUGS: It is forbidden to enter and/or remain in the work environment or in any other activity related to the Talanoa Institute under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs/ narcotics. Alcohol consumption is restricted to corporate or recreational events, always in moderation.

 

  • VIOLENCE: Any kind of violence, whether physical, verbal or psychological, is unacceptable.

Heritage Protection and Use

The use of Instituto Talanoa's assets and resources must be done in a responsible and conscientious manner, intended exclusively for corporate use. The use of any asset, whether tangible (physical goods, equipment) or intangible (intellectual property, projects, software), for purposes other than the execution of work, must be agreed in advance with the Institute's board of directors. In the case of equipment provided by the Institute to an employee/collaborator that is damaged, the responsible user must take responsibility for its repair/preservation/replacement.

All employees who use Institute equipment must sign a receipt form. This form must be kept for as long as the equipment is used. Users are responsible for the conservation and conscientious use of materials, protecting the institution's property and assets from damage, loss, theft, misuse, misappropriation or destruction. If any irregularities are identified, they must be reported to the Board of Directors. In the event of theft or robbery, the user must file a police report and notify the Institute's Directorate.

Use of technological tools

The Talanoa Institute makes technological and information resources available to its employees, the use of which should help to increase the flow of knowledge, productivity and the quality of services delivered to internal and external stakeholders.

It is hoped that the use of the technologies made available will be compatible with needs in order to avoid activities that constitute misuse.

Data and Information Security

In the course of their professional activities, employees have access to a large amount of information, which can be strategic or confidential.

In view of this, it is the duty of employees who work with or know information of a strategic or confidential nature to follow the ethical principle of confidentiality, making use of such information only for the ultimate purpose of the Talanoa Institute. Under no circumstances may they use it for their own benefit, even after the institutional relationship has ended. To this end, in addition to common sense, it is necessary to prioritize good conduct for Information Security:

  • Protect passwords or other codes and never share them with colleagues or others. The ownership of these codes and passwords is personal and non-transferable and the responsibility for their use lies with the employee;

 

  • Always lock the computer to prevent access to its contents;

 

  • When using e-mail, make sure you have the correct recipients, copy only those concerned and make sure you have read the entire content;

 

  • Take care when printing, copying and circulating documents. Even at your desk, you must ensure the confidentiality of these documents by storing them properly;

 

  • Do not disclose information about algorithms or codes used in the data tools developed by the institution;

 

  • Do not publish articles, posts, editorials, papers and others using data and information obtained through work at the institution without prior consent;

 

  • In the external environment, avoid conversations involving confidential or strategic matters.



Failure to comply with the good practices mentioned above will result in a warning and even dismissal in serious cases.

Relations with Partners, Suppliers and Third Parties

All members involved in contracting partners and third parties who will carry out activities related to the organization's socio-environmental purpose are responsible for faithfully complying with the provisions of this code and must ensure that the counterparties chosen have a good reputation in the market and also respect the guidelines of this Code of Conduct.

We are committed to ethical relations. The factors that directly define the contracting process at the Institute are: quality of the product/service, technical capacity of the service provider and delivery time.

We repudiate all forms of piracy, tax evasion, the use of child labor, slave labor, smuggling, the adulteration of products or brands, the falsification of products in order to obtain commercial advantages, throughout the entire production chain.

We also condemn all forms of administrative improbity [1]The use of bribery, the receipt of bribes, active and passive corruption and the use of any illegal practice to obtain commercial, institutional and personal advantages.


[1] Administrative improbity refers to acts carried out by a public official that are contrary to the principles of public administration, namely legality, impersonality, morality, publicity and efficiency.

Relations with Public Agents, Society in General and Talanoa's Stakeholders

Corruption and money laundering can happen in both public and private environments. The Talanoa Institute supports an environment of integrity in all spheres of society.

We strive to treat all our stakeholders fairly and honestly, and we prioritize transparency and truthfulness in the information we provide at all times in our internal and external spheres of activity, as well as the confidentiality of information when required.

Employees, partners and suppliers are prohibited from promising, offering or giving, directly or indirectly, any payment or other undue advantage to individuals and/or legal entities in order to obtain any favor or expectation of benefit.
Employees are allowed to receive gifts, presents and invitations to trips (hospitality) and shows offered by partners, suppliers, entities and other companies, provided that such invitations and gifts are in line with and correspond to best practices in terms of integrity.

To ensure the best understanding of this issue, it is forbidden for such gifts, presents and trips (hospitalities) to be the result of illicit procedures or offered in return for administrative services, competition, operation, editorial production or activities of any other nature, characterizing bribery or corruption. The following rules must therefore be observed:

Gifts and presents of a patrimonial nature (electronics, furniture, etc.) become part of the organization's assets.

Gifts and presents become part of the organization's fund/account.

If a Collaborator or Partner is financially compensated for a lecture/exhibition that takes place in response to an invitation made to the Talanoa Institute, any financial contribution will become part of the organization's fund/account. Any travel expenses for face-to-face events will be reimbursed.

The Institute's collaborators must make the issues described above clear to the offeror, so that no expectation is created on the part of the offeror of obtaining any kind of advantage or impact on the Institute's decisions.

Any travel proposal that reaches the organization, even if the intermediation is personalized, must be understood as being of institutional interest and must be communicated to the management of the sector or unit. Acceptance, as well as the definition of the employee who will travel, is the sole responsibility of management.

Hospitality, such as meals and possibly transport and accommodation, can be accepted or offered as long as it is within socially acceptable parameters and is for the purpose of carrying out technical visits, courses or the healthy development of activities related to the organization's socio-environmental purpose.

Travel, lodging, tickets and hospitality granted in a transparent manner and as part of the list of counterparts provided for in a contract between the parties, even if they are public entities, are not considered to be benefits or courtesies.

The same principle applies to the offer of gifts, presents and hospitality to our stakeholders and suppliers.
Only selected employees are authorized to speak to the press on behalf of the Talanoa Institute. Please contact the communications department if you receive contact from media representatives, as it is forbidden to contact journalists or government representatives without prior authorization from the Institute.

You can give interviews to the press on any subject on your own behalf, as long as you do not show that your opinion represents the Institute's position. You may not divulge confidential information or express opinions on behalf of the organization on social networks, blogs or any other media outlet.

When publishing various comments about the Institute or its projects, be careful not to negatively affect the reputation, image and brand of the Talanoa Institute.
Interaction with various applications, electronic devices and social networks must respect certain standards when related to work or the Talanoa Institute.

Those who participate in LinkedIn are recommended to identify themselves as an employee/collaborator/service provider of the Institute.

For those who use other external social media, we recommend:

  • not using the Institute's professional contact information, such as corporate telephone and e-mail;
 
  • disassociate their personal opinion from the Organization.


Points to understand here:

 
  • Each person is legally responsible for their comments and the content they post, and it is expressly forbidden to link the Institute in any way by disclosing its name, brand, funders, partners, etc;
 
  • The Institute does not tolerate comments and content that are threatening, violent, obscene, intimidating, offensive, discriminatory, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, sexist, in any way prejudiced or that could contribute to a hostile working environment based on race, gender, disabilities, religion, sexual orientation or any other condition;
 
  • Any conflicts with colleagues/work partners should be resolved directly with the support of your leadership/directorate, when necessary, and avoid posting on social networks;
 
  • Any infractions committed on social media, identifying yourself as a collaborator or partner of the Institute, can directly impact your contractual relationship and the appropriate legal measures.

Political contributions and demonstrations

The Talanoa Institute supports the full exercise of citizenship by its employees and is firmly in favor of individual political engagement, which is essential to strengthening the country's democratic culture. The Institute believes that party affiliation and/or positioning should be practiced respectfully in the face of the ideological plurality of the different audiences with which it relates, both internal and external.