Conflict of Interest Policy

A conflict of interest policy is a document used by an employer to describe the situations in which its employees may be faced with a conflict of interest. Usually, these documents also describe how employees can report a potential conflict of interest.

These types of policies are usually very short and concise. In fact, they are often included in other employment documents. In other words, a conflict of interest policy may be included in an employee handbook or may be attached to other employment documents and policies, such as an employment contract.

Conflict of interest involve situations where the employee may be motivated by something other than his or her work for the employer.

All employers, even small businesses, should consider having a comprehensive conflict of interest policy for their employees.

How to use this document?

This document is fairly short and simple. It asks only the name of the employer followed by a few basic questions about what constitutes a conflict of interest.

The completed policy describes exactly how a conflict of interest is defined by the employer and how employees can report potential conflicts of interest.

Employees should also sign the acknowledgement at the end of the document confirming they read and understand the Conflict of Interest Policy. The employer should then add a copy of the signed Policy to each employee's file.

Applicable Law

There are no specific laws regarding a conflict of interest policy, but in general, the document should give employees as much information as possible about the employer's specific guidelines so that they do not contradict the policy.

In Canada, it has been judicially recognized that in order for an employer's policy to be valid, it must be:

• in accordance with the collective agreement, if applicable;
• clear and unambiguous;
• reasonable;
• brought to the attention of the employees.

How to modify the template?

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.