Ethics and compliance

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Ethics and compliance

How we behave matters

High standards of ethics and compliance are fundamental

Our Code

We have a Global Code of Conduct (Our Code) that applies to all employees of Rolls-Royce, its subsidiaries and controlled joint ventures, wherever they are located.

Our Code is fully digital available as a dedicated website (using the link on the right) or an app available for Android and Apple devices in the relevant App stores.
It sets out the principles that underpin our values and the way we do business. It also provides guidance on how to apply these principles in everything we do. Breaches are not acceptable and will result in the company taking action. This may include disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

OUR CODE

Our TRUST model

Our TRUST model is there to help employees when faced with a dilemma.

T

R

U

S

T

T

THINK

about the dilemma

What is the dilemma?

Do we know all the relevant facts?

Who does it affect?

What is the dilemma?

Do we know all the relevant facts?

Who does it affect?

R

READ

The relevant policy or procedure

Is there a principle in our Code to guide us?

What are the relevant policies, procedures and/or laws?

Is there a principle in our Code to guide us?

What are the relevant policies, procedures and/or laws?

U

UNDERSTAND

the implication of your decision

What is the potential risk to us, our business or other stakeholders?

What is the likely impact on the business?

What is the potential risk to us, our business or other stakeholders?

What is the likely impact on the business?

S

SPEAK

to others for guidance

Talk to our colleagues, manager, or subject matter experts as necessary.

or

Contact a Local Ethics Adviser or the Rolls-Royce Ethics Line for additional advice.

Talk to our colleagues, manager, or subject matter experts as necessary.

or

Contact a Local Ethics Adviser or the Rolls-Royce Ethics Line for additional advice.

T

TAKE ACTION

to solve the dilemma

Make an informed decision – this may be a simple choice between a ‘right’ and a ‘wrong’ alternative, or a more difficult judgement between two ‘rights.’

Evaluate the results of our decision. What was the outcome, and what did we learn from the situation?

Make an informed decision – this may be a simple choice between a ‘right’ and a ‘wrong’ alternative, or a more difficult judgement between two ‘rights.’

Evaluate the results of our decision. What was the outcome, and what did we learn from the situation?

Our ethics and compliance improvement programme

We have made fundamental changes in recent years to place ethics and compliance at the heart of everything we do.

Select Tabs

We have recruited a team of industry leading experts in ethics and compliance. These changes include the appointment of a Head of Ethics and Compliance, as well as dedicated specialist legal, monitoring and employee training support.

We have over 100 Local Ethics Adviser positions globally and Ethics and Compliance Officers within our businesses to promote the tackling of ethical issues locally and within our businesses. We have also strengthened our Global Export Control Team.

We have revised our Global Code of Conduct, which sets out the ethical principles that underpin our statement of values and the way in which we conduct our business. It provides guidance on how to apply these principles in everything we do. We have introduced new compliance policies, bringing them into line with industry best practice and ensuring they are easy to understand and use. These include policies on Anti-Bribery and Corruption, Confidential Information, Gifts and Hospitality, Business Partners, Lobbying and Political Support.

We have introduced new mandatory ethics training for all our employees around the world and offer a combination of online and face to face training. Our managers are encouraged to make conversations about ethics and compliance a regular event in their team meetings and are supported with training materials such as example dilemmas that they can discuss using the techniques they have learned. Mandatory training is carried out annually.

We encourage all employees and stakeholders not to hesitate in raising ethical questions or concerns. We have four main channels for employees to raise questions:

Line Managers:
We encourage our employees that their first point of contact should be their manager

Subject Matter Experts (SME):
Employees can get advice from a Subject Matter Expert on a specific topic, for example, Legal, HR, TU/ Works Council Reps.

Local Ethics Advisers (LEA):
Is a local point of contact at our main sites around the world, who can provide guidance to help employees find an answer to their question or help resolve an ethical concern.

Rolls-Royce Speak Up Line :
Is an independently managed, confidential online and telephone service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in multiple languages, which employees can use to ask a question or raise a concern.

Raising ethical concerns

We encourage all employees and stakeholders not to hesitate in raising ethical questions or concerns.

2023-Annual Speak Up Report

Raising ethical concerns

We encourage all employees and stakeholders not to hesitate in raising ethical questions or concerns.

We have four main channels for employees to raise questions; speaking to their line manager; speaking to a subject matter expert; speaking to their Local Ethics Advisor; or raising a question via our Speak Up Line.

The Rolls-Royce Speak Up Line is an independently managed, confidential online and telephone service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in multiple languages, which employees can use to ask a question or raise a concern.

This service is also available for use by third parties, such as our customers, suppliers and members of the community. All questions and concerns are registered by the independent organisation, thenpassed to the Rolls-Royce Ethics and Compliance team for a response, and if appropriate, an investigation.

The Rolls-Royce Speak Up Line

An independently managed, confidential online and telephone service available 24/7, which employees, customers, suppliers or other stakeholders can use to ask a question or raise a concern in their local language. All questions and concerns are registered by the independent organisation, then passed to Rolls-Royce for a response, and if appropriate, an investigation.

Anti-bribery and corruption compliance

Our digital Code includes clear statements regarding our zero tolerance approach to bribery and corruption.

This is supported by our Global Anti-Bribery and Corruption policies, which can also be found within the digital Code. The policies provide a framework for our anti-bribery and corruption programme.

The policies apply to all employees and directors of Rolls-Royce, its subsidiaries and controlled joint ventures. Breaches of these policies may result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.



Group policies

Everyone at their best

Who we are and how we behave matters to our people and the many stakeholders that have an interest in our business. This helps ensure we're a company people want to work with and for.

Everyone at their best

Who we are and how we behave matters to our people and the many stakeholders that have an interest in our business. This helps ensure we're a company people want to work with and for.

Long term relationships are key for our business and for these relationships to be successful they must be built on trust. This means doing what we say we'll do and doing it right. Trust affects who wants to engage with us as suppliers, buyers and who wants to work and stay working for us. So we ensure we do not just focus on what we are doing but place equal importance on doing it the right way.

Our values, Code and associated Group policies support our employees in doing the right thing.

96%

employees completed annual mandatory learning in 2023

449

Speak Up cases in 2023

100%

of managers certified to Our Code in 2023

126

Local Ethics Advisers at the start of 2024

Export control compliance

Our Global Code of Conduct outlines our approach and is supported by a suite of export control policies, processes and employee training.

All employees need to ensure that they comply with applicable export and import laws and regulations when transferring goods, services, software or technology within their country or across national borders.

We maintain a series of policy statements which give a more comprehensive appreciation of the issues involved. Where appropriate they set out roles and responsibilities, whether at individual, business or functional, or corporate level. More detailed guidance in the form of Work Instructions and Local Operating Procedures are available to employees to support these policies where necessary.

Strategic export controls policy 
pdf – 220KB
Download
Export control supply chain policy 
pdf – 181KB
Download
Screening of parties policy 
pdf – 175KB
Download
Export of goods policy 
pdf – 300KB
Download
Export of technology policy 
pdf – 129KB
Download
Export authorisations policy 
pdf – 222KB
Download
Export control training policy 
pdf – 177KB
Download
Export control record keeping policy 
pdf – 173KB
Download
Export control audit policy 
pdf – 175KB
Download
Export control voluntary disclosure policy 
pdf – 175KB
Download
Destination specific policies 
pdf – 98KB
Download
Product and technology classification policy 
pdf – 182KB
Download
Electronic transfers of technology (including access abroad) policy 
pdf – 297KB
Download

Sustainability data

We measure and report about the impacts of our business operations and activities. This reporting is informed by our materiality assessment and the needs and expectations of our external stakeholders.

View our performance data charts

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