Insperity’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”) is a guide to ethical decision-making. We are committed to honesty and integrity in all that we do, including how we relate to each other and others outside Insperity. The standards in the Code are based on laws to which we are all subject, as well as the values that define Insperity. This Code sets out basic principles to guide our directors, officers and employees in order to promote:
The standards in this Code may be further explained or implemented through policies, guidelines or changes to the Employee Handbook, which are available on our Intranet.
Each of us is personally responsible for making sure that our business decisions and actions comply with the letter and spirit of this Code. Given the pace of changes in our business, no set of standards should be considered the final word in all circumstances. This Code outlines the basic principles of legal and ethical conduct embraced by Insperity. Because it is not possible to include a complete list of legal or ethical questions you might face in the course of business, you must apply this Code using common sense and good judgment. When faced with difficult decisions, it may be helpful to keep these questions in mind:
When you have questions about the application of this Code to a situation, you should seek guidance from your immediate manager, your Management Team member or the General Counsel. If you are not comfortable approaching any of those individuals, then you should consider using the anonymous reporting tool described below in this Code under “Reporting Illegal or Unethical Behavior.”
In addition, all management personnel, officers and directors of Insperity have a responsibility to lead according to the standards in this Code, in both words and action. They are also expected to promote our open-door policy so that they are available to anyone with ethical concerns, questions or complaints.
This Code applies to all directors, officers and employees of Insperity. As a result, this Code not only sets expectations concerning how you should conduct yourself, it also sets expectations on how each of your colleagues at Insperity should conduct themselves. For this reason, each of us has a duty to report behavior on the part of others that appears to violate this Code or any of our other compliance policies. We will not retaliate against anyone who brings forth a matter in good faith or who participates in an investigation of any matter. We also provide a manner for you to report suspected violations anonymously. The details of this reporting process are set out below in this Code under “Reporting Illegal or Unethical Behavior.”
Insperity’s policy is to be a good corporate citizen. Wherever we do business, each of us is required to comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations. This means following the spirit of the law and doing the right, ethical thing even when the law is not specific. The standards in this Code must of course be interpreted in light of the law and practices of the cities and states where we operate, as well as good common sense. If a law conflicts with a policy in this Code, you must comply with the law; however, if a local custom or policy conflicts with this Code, you must comply with the Code. Reasons such as “everyone does it” or “it’s not illegal” are unacceptable as excuses for violating our Code. Questions about compliance should be addressed to the Legal Department.
A conflict of interest occurs whenever your private interests interfere, or might reasonably appear to interfere, with the interests of Insperity. In order for Insperity to carry out its business effectively, it must be assured of your loyalty. You must therefore endeavor to avoid situations or relationships that affect or might reasonably appear to affect your ability to make decisions objectively and in the best interest of Insperity. When faced with these situations, you should consider how your actions might be perceived and whether your colleagues or our management would be uncomfortable with that perception.
If you believe that you cannot avoid a conflict of interest in a given situation or you are reporting a potential conflict of interest of another individual, then you must bring this to the attention of and make full disclosure of the surrounding circumstances to your Management Team member, who must notify and consult with the General Counsel. If you are a director or an officer, then you must disclose the conflict of interest to the General Counsel. If you are the General Counsel, then you must disclose the conflict of interest to the Chief Executive Officer or the Chair of the Finance, Risk Management and Audit Committee of our Board of Directors.
If you are a director or Executive Officer of Insperity, then our Statement of Policy and Procedures with Respect to Related Party Transactions (our “Related Party Transaction Policy”) may apply to your situation. The term “Executive Officer” refers to any executive officer or other employee required to file reports under Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. To the extent that the Related Party Transaction Policy applies, your situation will be addressed pursuant to the Related Party Transaction Policy rather than pursuant to the Code.
There are many different ways in which conflicts of interest may arise. For example, personal financial interests, obligations to another organization or the desire to help a relative or friend are all factors that might divide our loyalties. To clarify what we mean, we have set out below some common examples of conflicts of interest.
You may not work for or receive compensation for services from any competitor, client, or vendor without the approval of your Management Team member, who must notify and consult with the General Counsel. In addition, without the appropriate level of approval as described under “Waivers and Approval Under the Code,” you may not accept a paid board of directors’ position for any organization, an unpaid board of directors’ position for any organization that is a competitor of or has business dealings with Insperity, or any board of directors’ position with a government agency.
Prior to making a request for approval, seriously consider whether your involvement with the outside business will interfere with your role at Insperity or could adversely affect Insperity’s interests. Even if you are granted approval, you must take appropriate steps to separate Insperity and non-Insperity activities. Your manager, Management Team member, and/or the General Counsel can assist you in determining what steps are appropriate.
This section of the Code does not apply to directors of Insperity who are not also employees (“Outside Directors”). Issues related to outside employment and directorships of Outside Directors are addressed by Insperity’s Board of Directors with reference to Insperity’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, applicable law and other relevant considerations.
You owe a duty to Insperity to advance its legitimate interests when the opportunity to do so arises. You may not compete with Insperity or otherwise take for yourself, or for any other person or organization, the benefit of any business venture, opportunity or potential opportunity related to, or could reasonably be expected to advance, Insperity’s business without first obtaining the appropriate level of approval as described under “Waivers and Approval Under the Code.”
In the course of your duties, you may be exposed to information about Insperity or other companies that is not available to the general public. You are prohibited by law from trading in Insperity stock or other securities at any time that you are in possession of material, non-public information about Insperity. In addition, because Insperity is a trusted advisor to many businesses, you may also come into contact with material, non-public information about our clients or their partners. As a result, you would be similarly restricted in trading in any of their securities.
“Material” information is usually defined as any information that might influence a reasonable investor to buy, sell or hold securities of a company. Common examples of such information include financial results, significant changes in prices, significant threatened claims or litigation, financial forecasts, possible mergers, acquisitions or divestitures, significant product developments, and major changes in business direction. Federal law also prohibits you from using material, non-public information regarding Insperity or any other company to tip anyone else who might trade on the basis of that information.
Violation of the law may result in civil and criminal penalties, including fines or jail sentences. If you are uncertain about the legal rules governing purchases and sales of securities, please review Insperity’s Policy on Prevention of Insider Trading and, if your questions persist, consult the General Counsel before trading.
Information is a valuable corporate asset. All of us have a duty to safeguard confidential and proprietary information about Insperity and information that our clients, worksite employees and vendors have entrusted to us. Generally speaking, confidential and proprietary information is information that has not been disclosed to the general public that gives our business an advantage over our competitors or that could expose us, our clients, worksite employees or vendors to harm or liability if disclosed. Common examples include financial information, corporate strategy and other sensitive information about our clients, worksite employees and vendors, as well as trade secrets. More examples can be found in Insperity’s “Confidentiality Policy.” If you are unsure about whether information should be treated as confidential or proprietary, please consult with your manager, Management Team member, or the General Counsel. Your obligation to preserve confidential information continues even after your employment ends. For additional information regarding confidentiality, please refer to the “Confidentiality Policy” and the “Confidentiality of Sensitive Personal Information and IIRT Reporting Requirements” policy in our Employee Handbook.
Insperity is committed to dealing fairly and honestly with its clients, vendors, competitors and employees, and each of us should endeavor to deal fairly with each of them. No one should take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts, or any other unfair-dealing practice.
Federal and state laws govern the ways in which Insperity may compete. The purpose of these laws (sometimes known as “competition” or “antitrust” laws) is to prevent interference with a competitive market system. Under these laws, companies or individuals may not enter into formal or informal agreements with other companies or individuals or engage in certain other activities that unreasonably restrict competition. Illegal practices can include, among others, price fixing, allocating clients or territories or unlawfully abusing a dominant market position.
In contacts with competitors, you are generally prohibited from discussing competitively sensitive information, such as pricing policies, contract terms, costs, marketing and product plans, market surveys and other proprietary or confidential information. In addition to potentially being harmful to Insperity, such discussions or any collaboration with a competitor about competitively sensitive matters can be illegal. While discussions of some sensitive information may, under certain circumstances, be permissible, no such discussions with competitors should take place without prior approval of the General Counsel. You are required to report promptly to the General Counsel any instance in which a competitor has raised any of these topics or otherwise suggested collaboration with respect to any of them.
Insperity’s success requires a commitment on the part of each of us to properly protect, allocate and use the company’s assets. Theft, carelessness and waste have a direct impact on Insperity’s profitability. For these purposes, Insperity’s assets include equipment, supplies, real estate, tools, funds, computer systems and equipment, computer software, computer data, vehicles, records or reports, designs, databases, marketing and service information, non-public information, client information, worksite or corporate employee information, intellectual property or other sensitive information or materials and telephone, voice mail or e-mail communications, as well as Insperity’s funds. We have a duty to protect Insperity’s assets from loss, damage, misuse, theft or sabotage. We must also ensure the efficient use of Insperity’s assets. Insperity’s assets are to be used for conducting Insperity’s business. Any personal use of Insperity assets (such as equipment, computers, cell phones, materials, resources or proprietary information), must comply with company policy.
Federal law requires Insperity to make sure that its books and records accurately and fairly represent transactions and dispositions of our assets in reasonable detail. In all of our operations, it violates company policy, and is possibly illegal, for you to cause our books and records to be inaccurate in any way. You must never create or participate in the creation of records that are misleading or artificial or provide false or misleading supporting documentation, including documentation related to business expenses. Insperity will not condone any undisclosed liabilities or unrecorded bank accounts or assets established for any purpose. You are expected to cooperate fully with our internal and independent auditors. In particular, you must strictly respect the following requirements:
Insperity is publicly owned and its shares are listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange. As a result, Insperity is obligated to file reports with and furnish information to the Securities and Exchange Commission and to make various other disclosures to the public. Insperity is committed to compliance with all requirements applicable to its public disclosures. We have implemented disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in Insperity’s public filings is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods required and that its public disclosures are timely, compliant and otherwise full, fair, accurate and understandable in all material respects.
Each of us who has responsibility for, or otherwise participates in, the preparation of reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or other public disclosures should exercise diligence and care to do our part in helping make sure that the reports and other communications contain disclosure that is full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable in all material respects and in compliance with Insperity’s disclosure controls and procedures. This standard applies not only to regular participants in the process for preparing reports and public communications, but also to those from whom information is sought with respect to particular operations and activities. Even though the determination of what disclosures are necessary to satisfy legal and other requirements may be the responsibility of others, persons providing information in connection with the disclosure process should always do so accurately and candidly.
Our principal executive officer and senior financial officers are responsible for full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in the reports required to be filed by Insperity with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result, our principal executive officer and all of our senior financial officers are subject to the following specific provisions:
Insperity provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. Moreover, Insperity’s policy is to maintain a working environment which encourages mutual respect, promotes respectful and congenial relationships between employees and is free from all forms of harassment of any employee or applicant for employment by anyone, including supervisors, co-workers, vendors, or clients. Harassment in any manner or form is expressly prohibited and will not be tolerated by Insperity. Accordingly, management is committed to vigorously enforcing this policy against harassment, including but not limited to sexual harassment, at all levels within Insperity. For additional information, please refer to the “Equal Employment Opportunity Policy” and the “Anti-Harassment Policy” in our Employee Handbook.
Insperity strives to provide its employees with a safe and healthy work environment. We are all responsible for helping to achieve this goal by following safety and health rules, including the “Safety and Health” policy in our Employee Handbook. Employees must learn the safety procedures applicable to their jobs and abide by them.
Practices that are considered acceptable in the commercial business environment, such as providing meals, transportation, entertainment or other things of value, may violate certain local, state or federal laws when dealing with governmental agents. You must not give anything of value to governmental agents if this could be interpreted as an attempt to obtain favor on behalf of Insperity. Consult with the General Counsel if there is any uncertainty about permitted interactions with governmental agents.
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) generally prohibits giving money or anything of value to foreign government officials, foreign political parties or candidates for foreign political office for the purpose of influencing such persons or a foreign government. This includes making any payments through intermediaries, such as sales representatives or consultants. Before making any payment or giving anything of value to a foreign official, you should consult with the General Counsel. Violations of the FCPA can result in stiff civil and criminal penalties for both Insperity and the individuals involved.
Commercial bribery of any nature is a violation of Insperity policy and is illegal under state and federal law. Insperity strictly prohibits offering any form of bribe, kickback or illegal inducement to any person.
Insperity will appropriately respond to any governmental investigation. If you reasonably believe that a governmental investigation or inquiry may be threatened or under consideration with respect to any of our operations or practices, then you are encouraged to notify the General Counsel, but are not required to do so. Routine dealings with the government, such as our tax audits and environmental inspections, are not covered by this standard.
Any request for a waiver of or approval in accordance with any standard in this Code, including but not limited to the conflicts of interest standards, may be granted only by an employee’s Management Team member, who must notify and consult in advance with the General Counsel, or (when applicable) the Finance, Risk Management and Audit Committee. If a transaction is approved with respect to the conflicts of interest standards with conditions that are designed to avoid the private interests of the individual from interfering with Insperity’s interests, then that approval will not be deemed a waiver of the Code. If you are an Executive Officer or director, then approval of the Finance, Risk Management and Audit Committee is required. All personnel should be aware that Insperity generally will not grant waivers to the Code and will do so only when good cause is shown. All waivers granted to Executive Officers and directors will be disclosed to Insperity’s shareholders if required by applicable law. Our Board of Directors shall be provided notice of any waiver or approval granted to Insperity’s Executive Officers or directors.
You should promptly report any suspected or actual violations of this Code, any applicable law, rule or regulation, our contractual undertakings or any other unethical behavior to your immediate manager, your Management Team member, the General Counsel, the Finance, Risk Management and Audit Committee, or to Ethicspoint. Insperity has entered into an agreement with Ethicspoint so that employees can report any such suspected or actual violations anonymously and confidentially at www.ethicspoint.com or by calling the Ethicspoint toll-free hotline at 1-866-384-4277. If you want to make an anonymous report, you can do so by not identifying yourself. When you file a report via Ethicspoint, a copy of the report is automatically provided to the Chair of the Finance, Risk Management and Audit Committee of our Board of Directors and the Office of the General Counsel. Ethicspoint also allows us to follow-up with any questions via Ethicspoint, allowing you to maintain your anonymity if you choose to do so.
Nothing in this Code or any other Insperity policy restricts you from reporting any suspected violation of federal law or regulation to any governmental agency or entity, including but not limited to the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. Congress, and any agency Inspector General, or making other disclosures that are protected under the whistleblower provisions of federal law or regulation.
All reports made in good faith will be taken seriously and addressed promptly and professionally. All persons responding to concerns or reports should maintain anonymity and confidentiality to the extent reasonably possible.
Insperity will not retaliate against any employee for asking any questions or reporting suspected violations of laws, regulations or Insperity policies. This means that Insperity will not terminate, demote, transfer to an undesirable assignment, or otherwise discriminate against an employee for calling attention to acts that an employee reasonably suspected were illegal or unethical. This protection extends to anyone giving information in relation to an investigation. However, Insperity reserves the right to discipline anyone who knowingly makes a false accusation, provides false information to us or has acted improperly.
The Finance, Risk Management and Audit Committee has created a method for you to transmit complaints, including on a confidential and anonymous basis, to the committee about questionable accounting, internal controls or auditing matters. If you wish to raise a question or concern or report a suspected violation to the Finance, Risk Management and Audit Committee, you should go to www.ethicspoint.com or call the Ethicspoint toll-free hotline at 1-866-384-4277.
Allegations of potential wrongdoing will be investigated by the proper corporate official and, upon the advice of the General Counsel, will be reported to our Board of Directors (or the Finance, Risk Management and Audit Committee of our Board of Directors) and if appropriate, to the relevant authorities. Each of us is required to cooperate fully with any internal or external investigation. You must also maintain the confidentiality of any investigation conducted by us.
Anyone who violates these standards of conduct will be subject to prompt disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Appropriate disciplinary action for violations of this Code may include counseling, reprimand, warning, suspension with or without pay, demotion, compensation reduction, termination and restitution. Disciplinary action may also extend to a violator’s manager insofar as Insperity determines that the violation involved the participation of the manager or reflected the manager’s lack of diligence in causing compliance with this Code. Any person who takes any action whatsoever in retaliation against any employee who has in good faith raised any question or concern about compliance with this Code will be subject to disciplinary action, which may include termination.
Employees are reminded that Insperity’s document retention policies strictly prohibit the destruction or alteration of documentation undertaken with the intent to obstruct any pending or threatened investigation or proceeding of any nature or in contemplation of a proceeding.
Employees who have questions about this Code of Business Conduct and Ethics should turn to their immediate managers in the first instance and then to their Management Team member or the General Counsel. Insperity’s open-door policy gives employees the freedom to approach any member of management with ethical questions or concerns without fear of retaliation.
Date Last Reviewed: March 18, 2022
Date Last Modified: March 18, 2022
Copyright © 2024 Insperity. All rights reserved.