PURPOSE
These Standards of Ethics and Business Conduct are intended to provide uniform rules and principles of professional conduct and ethics by which IPPA members will conduct themselves in discharging their professional duties and responsibilities.
COMPLIANCE – STANDARDS OF ETHICS AND BUSINESS CONDUCT; LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
Members will operate in an ethical manner, as outlined throughout these Standards, and in compliance with applicable legal requirements.
CLIENT SERVICES
Service Standards
Member’s customers will always be treated with courtesy and dignity and in a manner that is designed to ensure appropriate confidentiality, privacy, and security of all customer information. Members will provide an opportunity for resolution of customer complaints.
Confidentiality of Customer Information
In accordance with applicable legal requirements, members will ensure that their customer information, including payroll records, are kept confidential unless disclosure is requested by an authorized official of the customer or is required by law. Each IPPA member will take reasonable steps to prevent employees from accessing or using customer information other than as necessary to perform his
or her job.
Fiduciary Responsibility
The payroll business is one in which payroll service bureaus are granted access to different types of accounts. Members will, at all times, use reasonable efforts to accurately account for and safeguard customer funds so that such funds can be reconciled on behalf of the customer, in addition to balancing total customer assets to corresponding customer liabilities.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Conflict of interest exists if an outside interest or activity may influence, or appear to influence, an IPPA member’s objectivity or the member’s ability to meet functional responsibilities solely in the best interests of its customers. Members will take reasonable steps to ensure that their employees’ financial transactions or interests with outside entities and other private interests do not interfere, or
appear to interfere, with their job performance or obligation to serve either the member company or its customers.
MARKETING AND ADVERTISING
An IPPA member may use marketing and advertising to provide information to its market area, to increase awareness of its services, and to recruit prospective customers and employees. IPPA members will present only truthful, accurate, and non-deceptive information in marketing and advertising materials.
FINANCIAL REPORTING
Financial records serve as a basis for managing the member’s business and are important in meeting the member’s obligations to its customers, employees, suppliers, and others. They are also necessary for compliance with tax and financial reporting requirements. Officers, employees, and agents are obligated to assist with insuring that financial information reflects actual transactions and that it is
gathered and reported in accordance with member company policy and procedures. Members will maintain a system of internal controls to provide reasonable assurances that transactions are executed properly, and that accountability of the member’s and its customers’ assets under the member’s control is maintained.
ENFORCEMENT
Compliance with these Standards of Ethics and Business Conduct is the responsibility of the member, not the IPPA or its Board of Directors.