Our commitment to doing what’s right
Novartis is committed to ensuring our people are empowered to do what’s right. On September 01, 2020, we introduced a new Code of Ethics for Novartis. Created by our people, for our people, our Code sets out who we are, what we stand for, and the principles we hold ourselves accountable to. Put simply, it explains our commitment to doing what’s right, and helps us make good choices.
Our Code of Ethics was co-created with the inputs of thousands of Novartis employees. It is anchored in behavioral science, and underpinned by four clear ethical principles:
- Be Open-Minded
- Be Honest
- Be Bold
- Be Accountable
The Code of Ethics is a fundamental part of the terms of employment for all employees of Novartis Group companies. All employees receive the Code when they join the Novartis Group and are held accountable to its contents. It is available in 22 languages and has been adopted by local boards.
The Code contains our principles and expectations for ethical business conduct which help guide our people in making the right decisions when they encounter difficult situations or ethical challenges during the course of their work. In July 2024, we have rolled out an updated version of our Code reflecting feedback from our employees and regulatory developments.
Our Ethical Principles
The Code of Ethics focuses on our commitment to meet the expectations of our five key stakeholder groups: our patients, our people, business, society and environment and external partners. While our purpose - to reimagine medicine to improve and extend lives - drives our values of inspired, curious and unbossed, our ethical principles guide us in our everyday decision-making and ensure we act with integrity.
Decision Explorer
Because making difficult decisions isn’t always black and white, we’ve created an online, interactive decision-making tool to guide our people towards better decision making. It consists of a series of questions that have been carefully designed, tested, and aligned with our ethical principles to help employees and teams to think clearly and impartially about their ethical situation. It helps us to test our biases and to concretely reflect on the application of our ethical principles. The Decision Explorer does not replace conversation and consultation and it does not give a definitive answer about what one should do, instead it helps broaden perspectives and encourages better understanding and application of our ethical principles.
Novartis expects leaders to lead by example. This means that leaders must accommodate ethical considerations in business planning and decision-making, empowering employees to make responsible decisions, and creating a safe environment to speak up when ethical challenges arise.
We support our leaders and employees with tailored training, practical advice, risk-based processes and tools and a variety of real-life case studies designed to navigate ethical situations.