Our Values
CenterPoint Energy’s core values of Safety, Integrity, Accountability, Initiative and Respect provide the foundation for our business practices and standards. We work consistently to develop and enhance a culture based on our values through our Ethics and Compliance policies, workforce and supplier diversity programs, environmental and energy conservation initiatives, and our community relations activities.
Our Ethics and Compliance Code forms the foundation for who we are and how we conduct business. Values-based conduct, in addition to being the right way, is simply good business.
Ethics & Values
Our reputation, our relationships and our future depend on a commitment to ethics, values and compliance.
Our Ethics and Compliance Code forms the foundation for who we are and how we conduct business. Values-based conduct, in addition to being the right way, is simply good business.
The Ethics and Compliance Code, which was refreshed in 2021, serves as a roadmap that incorporates our values into the decisions we make every day. The Ethics and Compliance Code provides an overview of the laws, regulations and policies applicable to all directors, officers and employees.
Training
By investing in and empowering our greatest assets – our employees, living our values and maintaining the highest ethical standards, we help ensure our company’s future success.
Annually, our officers, Board members and employees complete Ethics and Compliance training, which includes anti-corruption and anti-trust policies and procedures, among other subjects.
All active employees and Board members received Ethics and Compliance training in 2021. Each year, all employees are required to complete an ethics refresher training and acknowledge their responsibility to comply with CenterPoint Energy’s Ethics and Compliance policies. All new employees are required to complete ethics and compliance training within their first 30 calendar days of employment. Our Board members receive in-person Ethics and Compliance training annually.
CenterPoint Energy’s Ethics and Compliance Code provides that all directors, officers and employees should avoid actual conflicts of interest, as well as the appearance of a conflict of interest. According to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Governance, Environmental and Sustainability Committee Charter, and Related-Party Transaction Approval Policy, the Board has delegated to the Governance, Environmental and Sustainability Committee the responsibility for reviewing and resolving any issues with respect to related-party transactions and conflicts of interest involving executive officers, directors of the company or other related individuals under the applicable disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Governance and Oversight
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors is responsible for assisting the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibility for compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and our systems of disclosure and internal controls.
Our Executive Vice President and General Counsel is the highest-level executive who maintains responsibility for the company’s Ethics and Compliance program, including the company’s initiatives related to anti-bribery and anti-corruption. She is supported by our Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer and the other members of the Ethics and Compliance Department, including both legal counsel and other compliance professionals.
Audits and Risk Assessments
CenterPoint Energy requires periodic external assessments of its Ethics and Compliance Department and Program. Our Ethics and Compliance Program and Ethics and Compliance Concerns Helpline metrics are benchmarked regularly with other utilities and industries to remain vigilant on trends and best practices, and we participate in various organizations and events to keep our program current.
Our Enterprise Risk Management function assists leaders in making risk-based decisions and links key corporate risks with long-term strategic objectives. The department conducts regular corporate, business unit and project risk assessments. In 2021, the function worked with a consultant to review CenterPoint Energy’s approach to Enterprise Risk Management, develop a roadmap to align our program with industry best practices and expectations of our stakeholders, and introduce new risk assessment tools.
CenterPoint Energy’s Code of Ethics for our Chief Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers obligates our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, Treasurer and Controller to address actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships in an ethical manner.
Our Ethics and Compliance Code of Conduct for Consultants, Contractors, Suppliers and Vendors describes expectations for our suppliers to embody CenterPoint Energy’s values by promoting and maintaining a safe environment free from discrimination; complying with all applicable labor, employment and human rights laws; and upholding a zero-tolerance policy for workplace violence, among other things.
Safety
We Provide a Safe and Healthy Work Environment
We remain committed to safety. We strive to instill a culture of safety excellence at all levels of our company. We will perform our duties safely or we won’t do them.
Integrity
We Act with Integrity and Lead by Example
We do what is right for our customers, our communities, our shareholders, our business partners and each other. Without fail, we follow our values, our rules and policies, and the law.
Accountability
We Protect Company Assets and Preserve Resources
We are straightforward in our actions and truthful in our relationships. When we say we will do something, we follow through and keep our commitments. We accept personal responsibility for our decisions. We are all accountable for making sure our own conduct reflects and supports our values-based culture.
Initiative
We Honor our Community and Make a Difference
We are not afraid to take bold and innovative action. We make hard decisions and tackle tough choices. We speak up. We use our resources and assets wisely.
Respect
We Value Everyone and Promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
We show respect to everyone. How we treat our fellow employees and customers is just as important as the results that we achieve. We are considerate and show appreciation for diverse thinking. Every individual with whom we work deserves our best efforts. We are responsible to our stakeholders and work to earn their trust every day.
Ethics and Compliance
CenterPoint Energy expects every employee to act with personal and professional integrity, follow all applicable laws and regulations, and adhere to any additional policies and procedures that may apply to an employee’s role. Detailed policies and procedures on topics throughout the Ethics and Compliance Code are available to all employees through CenterPoint Energy’s Policy Center on our intranet site.
We promote diversity, equity and inclusion and strive to maintain a culture where all employees are free from discrimination. We respect our employees by following all labor, employment, and human rights laws applicable to our business.
Our Code provides an overview of the laws, regulations and policies applicable to all directors, officers and employees.
Training
Annually, our officers, Board members and employees complete Ethics and Compliance training, which includes anti-corruption and anti-trust policies and procedures, among other subjects.
100% of active employees and Board members received training on our Code in 2021.
Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption
Integrity is one of our core values – we strive to do what is right for our customers, our communities, our shareholders, our business partners, and each other. Our Board and Executive Committee support our values and emphasize the importance of ethics, compliance, and integrity in everything we do.
A key aspect of our focus on integrity is anti-bribery and anti-corruption. Our Ethics and Compliance Code addresses our expectations of employees about these risks, and we cover them each year in our required training.
Similarly, our Ethics and Compliance Code of Conduct for Consultants, Contractors, Suppliers and Vendors addresses our expectations of our vendors about these risks, and our Vendor Risk Management Program includes a review of bribery and corruption risks presented by our third parties. We have further matured our third-party risk management governance structure to bring greater transparency, monitoring and controls to this area. As a component of our ongoing third-party risk management efforts, we annually distribute a letter to all vendors reminding them of our Ethics and Compliance Code and the limitations on our employees about giving and receiving gifts.
In response to recent reports of bribery issues in the utility industry, we conducted anti-bribery training sessions, including case studies, and provided leadership with toolkit resources. Leaders used the materials for discussions with employees to drive awareness of these risks and promote individual and corporate integrity. Additionally, our Independent Chairman of the Board recorded a video for all employees about the importance of ethics and compliance in general and about this risk in particular.
In addition to the targeted training and awareness efforts, as detailed in our Ethics and Compliance Code, CenterPoint Energy does not allow offer, give or accept gifts or entertainment where such exchange could potentially create a conflict of interest. Certain employees receive an annual survey about conflicts of interest wherein we ask direct questions about any potentially improper payments or political contributions, outside business interests and relationships, or other actions taken that may be improper or illegal.
Reporting or Raising Concerns
Ethics and Compliance Concerns Helpline 888-888-3155
Employees are encouraged to talk with their supervisors openly about business ethics and compliance concerns and grievances, and confidential and anonymous resources are also available via the Ethics and Compliance Concerns Helpline. Employees, customers, contractors and vendors can reach the Helpline at 888-888-3155 or online at https://centerpointenergy.com/ethics.