Industry Code of Conduct

Industry Code of Conduct Guidelines

The industry code of conduct is a critical component of CVCA’s overall diversity and inclusion mandate.

The Best Practices for an Inclusive Workplace sub-committee, a fundamental component of CVCA’s diversity and inclusion strategy, worked to recommend a Code of Conduct over a similar time horizon as Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA)’s Code of Conduct guidelines. The sub-committee’s research overwhelmingly supported adopting the ILPA guidelines.

In September 2018, ILPA published several resources including Guidelines for developing Codes of Conduct for use by general partners, limited partners and fund portfolio companies.

In addition, ILPA expanded its industry standard Due Diligence Questionnaire to include questions about diversity, inclusion and codes of conduct. The DDQ was designed to facilitate dialogue between GPs and LPs in the ecosystem.

ILPA’s work was completed over the course of 2018 by a cross section of ILPA members representing a global perspective.

The Code of Conduct guidelines identify the components that should be included for organizations seeking to improve the definition, reporting, investigation and disciplining of harassment, discrimination and violence in the workplace.

Learn Why More Organizations Are Developing Codes of Conduct to Guide Their Values and Activities.

To help develop a more diverse and inclusive environment, more organizations are developing codes of conduct to guide their values and activities. These new policies not only aim to prevent future incidents, but also set up a system to address potential complaints.

ILPA’s Code of Conduct Guidelines

The CVCA believes diversity and inclusion is a strength that all industry stakeholders should embrace and promote.

ILPA’s Code of Conduct Guidelines and Due Diligence Questionnaire represent an opportunity for LPs and GPs to have conversations about important issues in the spirit of a building a strong and ever-improving industry.

The Code of Conduct guidelines identify the components that should be included for organizations seeking to improve the definition, reporting, investigation and disciplining of harassment, discrimination and violence in the workplace.

An organizational Code of Conduct that encompasses provisions on harassment, discrimination and workplace violence should clearly outline both rights and expectations of individuals who interact with the organization and demonstrate a commitment to a workplace that is safe, respectful and free from harmful behavior.