Conflicts of Interest – Outside Employment -- Copyright Ownership
The Company expects all employees to conduct business according to high ethical standards of conduct. Employees are expected to devote their best efforts for the Company without conflict of interests. Business dealings that appear to create a conflict between the interests of the Company and an employee are unacceptable. The Company recognizes the right of employees to engage in activities outside of their employment which are of a private nature and unrelated to our business. However, the employee must disclose any possible conflicts so that the Company may assess and prevent potential conflicts of interest from arising. A potential or actual conflict of interest occurs whenever an employee is in a position to influence a decision that may result in a personal gain for the employee or an immediate family member (i.e., spouse or significant other, children, parents, siblings) as a result of the Company’s business dealings.
It is impossible to write a policy statement that will cover every conceivable conflict of interest. In general, employees are expected to avoid placing themselves in a position where others may seek to take advantage of their employment relationship with the Company to obtain information or preferential treatment in their business dealings with the Company.
Specifically, it is a conflict of interest:
For an employee to have any other interest in or relationship with an outside organization or individual having business dealings with the Company if this interest or relationship might tend to impair the ability of the employee to serve the best interests of the Company;
For an employee to do business with a relative, or a company with which a relative is associated, on behalf of the Company unless the facts are disclosed and an Officer of the Company approves the business dealings;
For an employee to accept a loan, gift or favor from a source having a business relationship with the Company, except for gifts or favors of nominal value that meets the standards of ethical business conduct; or
For an employee to be involved in organizations that are doing or seek to do business with the Company, including actual or potential vendors or customers.
No employee may engage in any other business or employment during the employee’s working hours with the Company. An employee may engage in outside employment during non-working hours, including other home care and home health agencies, if: (a) the employee’s efficiency and job performance with the Company is maintained; (b) the employee does not perform any outside employment activities whatsoever while on duty with the Company; (c) the employee does not arrive late, leave early or cancel scheduled assignments for outside employment; (d) the employee does not wear any clothing or badges that identify the Company while performing services for another employer; and (e) the employee maintains the confidentiality of the Company’s client information and the Company’s confidential information at all times in compliance with applicable policies and laws regarding the same. The employee is not permitted to use Company supplies for outside employment.
All employees must be aware that the Company retains legal ownership of the product of their work. No work product created while employed by the Company can be claimed, construed or presented as property of the individual, even after employment with the Company has been terminated or the relevant project completed. This includes written and electronic documents, audio and video recordings, system code and also any concepts, ideas or other intellectual property developed for the Company, regardless of whether the intellectual property is actually used by the Company. Although it is acceptable for an employee to display and/or discuss a portion or the whole of certain work product as an example in certain situations (e.g., on a resume, in a freelancer's meeting with a prospective client), one must bear in mind that information classified as confidential must remain so even after the end of employment, and that supplying certain other entities with certain types of information may constitute a conflict of interest. In any event, it must always be made clear that work product is the sole and exclusive property of the Company. Freelancers and temporary employees must be particularly careful in the course of any work they discuss doing, or actually do, for a competitor of the Company.