Code of Ethics

At HTC, the potential is weighed more heavily than experience and therefore, we believe in sharing knowledge and nurturing talent wherever we see it. We also recognise the impact of collaborative action and team building, and hence, we encourage our team and the consultants we work with to present and defend their views with spirit.

Furthermore, we value work-life balance in the true sense and only take on as much as we can effectively deliver. This policy enables each team member to enjoy life our clients receive dedicated attention and focus. If we ever do say ‘no’, it is only in the best interest of our clients.

The Code of Ethics (CoE) listed and described below is HTC’s management tool for establishing and articulating the Firm’s values, responsibilities, obligations, and ethical ambitions and how HTC functions. The CoE also guides the team in handling situations that force a choice between suitable alternate courses of action or when faced with the pressure to weigh/consider right and wrong.

The following ethics and principles guide and direct all work conducted at HTC:

  1. First and foremost, HTC is a Shariah Compliant organisation and hence abides by the Laws of Islam and those of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan;

    • Founded on the fundamental values and beliefs of Islam, HTC will never compromise or sacrifice these values;

    • As a Shariah Compliant organisation, HTC does not indulge in any underhand dealings, graft, bribery or any other forms of corrupt practices. In this regard, HTC will never work with organisations known to engage in or prosecuted for such illegal practices. HTC will never work with any organisation, national or international, that does not subscribe to international best practices on sound and transparent governance;

    • Professional, ethical grounds and established systems, policies, and procedures must guide all actions and decisions relating to the matters of the Firm;

    • We will never pay bribes for securing contracts with client organisations or oblige them in an unethical way. We should meet contract terms and procedures; otherwise, we have the option to take legal action or withdraw from the contract or both. We will invoke Conflict Management Procedures to make the process entirely transparent for the senior-most or most relevant official in the client’s organisation.

  2. HTC will always strive to maintain a work-life balance. In terms of employment, HTC remains gender-neutral and will always endeavour to be an equal opportunity employer;

  3. At HTC, we believe in the concept of integrated development and subscribe to all national and international development treaties and conventions;

  4. HTC will always serve the best interest of the clients before ours. We will, at all times, ensure honest and impartial advice to our clients irrespective of their size and domain. To ensure that our clients receive high-quality outputs from our team, we shall abide by the following fundamental principles:

    • Always be transparent in contracting procedures; Ensure that we do not undertake work that we are not qualified for and cannot develop a competent team for the delivery of such work;

    • Always be truthful about our professional experience, capabilities and expertise;

    • Ensure timely delivery and inform the client about any potential delays in advance with proper justification;

    • Communicate responsibly and keep the client informed about their work regularly, in writing; Always keep verbal communication and never make any commitments verbally or off-the-cuff.

    • Only agree to as much work as can be delivered efficiently and effectively;

    • Make ourselves available to the client as and when required; Get back as soon as possible if we are unavailable at certain times;

    • All work must remain free of any bias – remain impartial at all times;

    • Always review outputs with scrutiny before submission to the client and ensure that they meet all requirements agreed in the contract or Terms of Reference; Always be open and welcoming to make an honest effort if the submission falls short on any terms of the agreement;

    • Ensure confidentiality of all information relating to the client.

  5. We will always strive to base our advice and work on facts and data, not mere assumptions. We will emphasise systems and integration, and therefore, our solutions should be futuristic and holistic;

  6. At HTC, all firm members must respect one another as individuals without any discrimination of any sort, especially concerning the following points:

    • All supervisors must be respectful towards their subordinates;

    • All subordinate workers must be respectful towards their supervisors;

    • All peers must be respectful towards each other;

    • Team members should make no derogatory remarks based on cast, race, background, religion, gender, age, personality, character etc. at any time;

    • Any personal relationship(s) should not interfere with or negatively influence our work;

    • Any sort of emotional, psychological, verbal or physical abuse is not acceptable at any level, irrespective of seniority;

    • Any illegal or unethical use of the Firm’s resources is not acceptable.

  7. The company profile includes our ethical values so that all who interact or benefit from our services may know our vision, values and code of conduct.

    • All partners, employees and team members must follow the HTC CoE;

    • All partners, employees and team members will ensure that all company internal (and external) training programmes and orientation training must introduce the HTC CoE;

    • Managers will be periodically required to sign off on the CoE. Partners will establish and ensure an annual review of the CoE. The Principal Consultant will carry out duties as the Ethics Code Master;

    • HTC will publish all updates to its CoE and send the code to all employees, suppliers and clients.

    • The CoE will also be posted on the Firm’s Web Site for all to see