Integrity In Action
Trust ● Integrity ● Accountability
Building Trust Through Integrity
No matter how you report your concern, retaliation is unacceptable. If you believe you have been retaliated against for reporting a concern, or have been threatened with retaliation, contact a member of the Human Resources or Integrity and Compliance department.
Building Trust in the Workplace
Making rude jokes or comments to or about someone in the workplace is not acceptable. What may seem acceptable, amusing, or a common stereotype to one person may be unwelcome, abusive, or offensive to another.
You may choose to speak respectfully to your co-worker about this inappropriate behavior in a non-confrontational manner. A positive approach may be to say, “I know you would not offend someone intentionally, but your jokes may offend others.” If you are too uncomfortable to have the discussion with your co-worker, speak to your manager, or report the matter consistent with our speak up process. You may also use the speak up process to raise a concern if you feel the matter has not been addressed appropriately.
Yes, protecting health, safety, and the environment is something for which we are all responsible. You should report the issue right away before someone gets hurt.
Yes, you must seek company review of this situation through the Conflicts of Interest process. Sometimes, serving on the Board of another company presents conflicts. If the company approves the role, there may be certain conditions associated with the approval.
Yes, the obligation to protect confidential information continues. When your Alcon employment ends, you must not use, retain, or disclose confidential or proprietary information you obtained or learned of while working at Alcon, even if you created it.
Building Trust in the Marketplace
No, you should never skip any step in a manufacturing process no matter how tight the deadline. Manufacturing process requirements, including those that pertain to safety, should never be compromised. It is important to follow all company processes on which you have been trained and report any deviations. You are also welcome to speak to your manager about options for future process improvement.
You should report the situation promptly to the company as outlined in the “speak up” section of this Code. If the customer does return the products, both the customer and sales personnel may have received unjust financial benefits in the form of volume-based sales rebates or commissions, which could be considered fraudulent. This would also result in a misstatement of revenue and receivables in Alcon financial statements filed with securities authorities, which if material, could lead to government fines or penalties for Alcon.
You should not respond to any information published or posted publicly unless you are an authorized company spokesperson. It is important, however, to inform Corporate Affairs at [email protected], so that appropriate follow up action may be considered.
We must always follow import and export legal requirements because breaking these laws could expose us to serious risk, including possible fines and penalties. Check with Global Trade Compliance staff to determine the most efficient way to handle this situation.
If this information is not already publicly known, it is not okay to respond to your friend’s question. If you are not sure if it is public, check with a company lawyer.
Building Trust in Society
No, you must not use company funds, facilities, or other resources to provide any personal support for a political party or candidate. If the company wants to arrange an event for business purposes, this may be done only if it is permitted under local law and is authorized in advance and in writing by a company lawyer.
Yes, these requirements apply equally to all Alcon associates.