The Economist Group's Guiding Principles
The Board wishes the Group to operate in a clear and ethical context and has therefore approved the following Guiding Principles:
- We aim to offer insight and analysis that are valued by our customers.
- Our ambition is to own and develop across the world intelligent media brands for the high-end audience that clients value. Underpinning our ability to fulfil this objective is our commitment to independence, integrity and delivering quality in everything we do. These values govern our relationships with readers, customers and clients, shareholders, staff, suppliers and the community at large.
- We believe in conducting business with common decency. We are opposed to bribery and do not engage in corrupt practices. We abide by strict guidelines governing the acceptance of gifts and the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest.
- As an international company, we conduct business in many different markets around the world. In the countries in which we operate, we abide by local laws and regulations. We make an active contribution to local charities by charitable giving. We encourage our people to participate in community activity. We permit them to take time off for this purpose and we track the extent to which they take advantage of this policy.
- We respect environmental standards and comply with the relevant local laws. We take environmental issues seriously and consider these when placing contracts with suppliers of goods and services.
- We value our colleagues and treat each other fairly. The Group is committed to equality of opportunity in all employment practices and policies. We do not discriminate against employees or job applicants based on the grounds of age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, religion, national origin or disability, and we provide equal opportunities training for our staff. We support staff who through disability or illness are unable to perform their duties, by adapting the work environment and hours of work to suit the employee where it is reasonable for the business.
We recognise that it is essential to keep employees informed of the progress of the Group. We regularly provide employees with information on the Group's activities and its financial performance through staff meetings and communication through our intranet. We have a strong consultative culture and we follow legal and regulatory requirements to consult with staff on major issues affecting the company.