Driving professional excellence: a revised IWFM Code of conduct

News

IWFM membership represents a commitment to professional excellence, whatever stage you’re at in your career. It’s something that defines us as an Institute, and it’s something that we work hard to embed and to promote, through our Professional Standards, our status as an awarding organisation, our mentoring programme, and through our Code of Conduct.

That Code of Conduct has now been updated, along with our Complaints and Disciplinary and Whistleblowing policies. The update brings the code in line with the latest guidance from the Institute of Business Ethics, who reviewed and approved its content.

The revised Code sets out the professional values, ethical behaviours, and cultural principles that we believe all IWFM members should embody in their professional lives. Upholding this Code is central to our identity as a professional Institute and to our commitment to deliver value to people, organisations, and society. Professional competence is firmly in the spotlight as the profile of our sector is gaining in status, and a shared set of standards for WFM practitioners is a clear statement of intent.

In particular, the Code describes the process we follow if someone were found to be misrepresenting themselves, either by falsely claiming to have valid IWFM credentials, by continuing to use credentials if they are no longer a member, or by wilfully undermining the professional status of another IWFM member.

If you’re familiar with the IWFM Code of Conduct and our other policy documents, you’ll notice a shift in tone: they are now firmly values-led, emphasising professional judgement, accountability, and learning rather than relying on detailed rules alone.

The Code of Conduct will, I hope, resonate with the real-world professional lives of our members, but it has a particular purpose for the dedicated community of volunteers who are the lifeblood of IWFM. So if you play any formal role within the Institute, perhaps within one of our Regional groups, our Special Interest Groups or our communities, these are the standards we expect you to abide by and I’d ask that you treat them as seriously as you would your contract of employment.

Joining IWFM sends a clear signal to the world that you value professionalism, that you are committed to your career, and that you share our ethical standards and our values of inclusivity, respect, and equal access to all who interact with IWFM.

So we hope that you take the Code to heart, and that it provides a set of values and expectations that aligns with your professional conduct every day.

Thank you for being a member of the Institute

Linda Hausmanis 
Chief Executive