Baidu Conducts Professional Ethics Red Line Training for All Outsourcing Employees
Time：2022-12-30
In November 2022, Baidus Professional Ethics Department(PED) held a special training event on "Sunshine Workplace - Professional Ethics Red Line" for all outsourcing employees of Baidu.
The training content includes:
*Provide a detailed explanation of the six professional ethics red lines of "fraud, seeking personal gain, soliciting and accepting bribes, leaking information, conflicts of interest, and interfering with investigations" around Baidus professional ethics-related regulations;
*Introduce the composition of Baidu’s anti-fraud supervision agency and the specific responsibilities of the executive department (Professional Ethics Construction Department). This allows employees to better judge professional ethics issues and consult the responsible department for help when necessary;
*Introduce past Baidu internal and external professional ethics cases. Explain to outsourcing employees the key points of professional ethics red lines and other regulations, as well as behavioral matters that need to be paid attention to in specific work, so as to avoid incidents that violate company rules;
*Introduce Baidus reporting channels for professional ethics violations, as well as whistleblower protection and incentive policies.
Baidu strengthens the anti-bribery vigilance of internal and external personnel and employees through long-term and continuous company anti-bribery-related system training and achieves a virtuous cycle of internal and external anti-fraud within the company. In 2022, Baidu has provided 21 professional ethics training sessions for all employees (including regular employees, part-time employees, contract workers, outsourced employees, and interns).
Baidu always adheres to the management philosophy of "clean and righteous", and strives to create a fair, just, harmonious, and ly workplace for employees, in to serve society and partners in a better way.
*Rules and Regulations: The Baidu Professional Ethics and Code of Conduct (the Code of Conduct) is a basic specification for Baidu to control corruption and is also a set of fundamental rules for Baidu to operate. The documents include the Baidu Professional Ethics Regulations on “Red Line” Management, the Baidu Avoiding Conflicts of Interest Policy, the Baidu Management Regulation of Construction of Professional Ethics, the Baidu Management Rules on Undisclosed Information and Prohibition of Insider Trading, the Rules for Awarding and Punishing Employees, and Baidu Professional Ethics Reporting Management Regulations.
*Management Structure: To ensure the effective implementation of relevant regulations, Baidu’s anti-corruption organization consists of three levels of management, including the Board of Directors, the Committee of Professional Ethics, and the Professional Ethics Department. Among them, the Board of Directors has the highest authority and undertakes the responsibility for corporate governance. The professional ethics committee is responsible for the instruction, decision, supervision, and inspection of the company’s professional ethics, code of conduct, and business ethics, and reports to the Board of Directors. The Professional Ethics Department is the executive body of the Professional Ethics Committee and is responsible for its daily operation.
*Awareness Enhancement: Every employee at Baidu is required to uphold business ethics. The employees of the Company, all subsidiaries, and type A and B1 ecological companies are required to sign the Business Ethics and Code of Conduct Commitment Letter. We provide regular business ethics training for all employees, including position responsibility specific training to deepen their understanding of Baidus requirements on business ethics. As for suppliers, we have requested our business partners to obey the relevant code of integrity in their business relationships with Baidu and sign the Honesty and Integrity Agreement that regulates ethics in transactions along with the business contracts with Baidu since 2014. Afterward, in the semi-annual meeting on supplier management, we circulated and promoted our requirements and systems on anti-corruption repetitively. We also include anti-corruption content in the evaluation and review of suppliers.
*Implementation Measures: Baidu reports the results of handling cases involving corruption and serious violations of discipline to all employees of the company on a quarterly basis.
At the end of 2019, the company formulated the Baidu Professional Ethics Reporting Management Regulations ("Regulations") to encourage, regulate and support employees and outsiders to report suspected violations of discipline, law, and professional ethics of Baidu employees. We have set up four reporting methods: email, in-person reporting, professional ethics mailbox, and letter. For each reporting channel, the responsible person is required to handle it within 24 hours after receiving the report. Baidu will circulate notice of criticism of people who are involved in corruption cases and serious violations of disciplines.
*Audit and Certification: Baidu conducts key reviews on professional ethics-related content every year during internal and external audits covering all businesses. For violations of the Baidu Professional Ethics Regulations on "Red Line" Management and serious violations of company rules and regulations, labor discipline, and professional ethics, Baidu adopts zero- tolerance policies and has the right to terminate employment contracts. In addition, Baidu obtained third-party authoritative certification for the ISO37001 anti-corruption management system in 2021 and conducted reviews every year thereafter to maintain its effectiveness.
For more policies related to professional ethics, please refer to：https://esg.baidu.com/en_Institutional_documents.html
For Baidu Special Report on Healthy Workplace Action 2020, please refer to:
https://esg.baidu.com/Uploads/File/2023/12/15/Baidu%20Special%20Report%20on%20Healthy%20Workplace%20Action%202020.20231215161043.pdf
