Human Rights and a High Standard of Professional Ethics
Promoting respect for human rights is a core focus of HTC. We support the objectives disclosed in international human rights conventions such as the
“Universal Declaration of Human Rights”
, the
“ILO Declaration”
, the
“Responsible Business Alliance”
, and other international standards and guidelines to ensure human rights protection.
In HTC's commitment, special attention is paid to interested parties in vulnerable groups, such as children, women, indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups. We promise not to participate in any form of human rights violations, including forced labor, child labor, discrimination, harassment, and infringement of the right to freedom of association and assembly. We also regularly review and update our policy to ensure effective implementation, including identifying and addressing potential human rights issues through due diligence by applying early warning principles.
We promise to integrate policies into daily economic activities and business relations, striving to protect and respect human rights, for example, we require all suppliers to fulfill their corporate responsibilities to the same standard, and publicly announce compliance with the latest version of the
“Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement”
together with suppliers to demonstrate protection of labor rights. We believe that through our commitments and actions, we can make positive contributions to global human rights and sustainable development.
HTC Code of Conduct
We place great importance on employee integrity and uphold high ethical standards. The company has established the
“HTC Code of Conduct”
as the prime directive that directs all our employees in the performance of their work. Every person in our employment, in any of our branches and subsidiaries, no matter their position, level and location, must comply with these ethical standards. In countries where HTC has a manufacturing presence, this Code is higher than any local regulations unless a provision is inconsistent with a legal order issued by the local government. In any case of conflict with the laws in force in places where HTC operates, the local HTC HR team shall submit the context of the laws at issue to HTC HQ for review. Except for a case such as the above, any violation of the “HTC Code of Conduct” can lead to serious disciplinary action, including the termination of employment.
New employees undergo an orientation training session on the same day they report for duty. They learn about the HTC corporate policy, the Employees Code of Conduct, ESH policy and ESG, and also including anti-corruption, sexual harassment and human right Topics such as Prevent illegal violations of duties courses. An e-learning program for new employees is also provided that explains the HTC corporate principles using exemplary cases. Any bribery, embezzlement, cheating and other improper behaviors are strictly prohibited.
No Child Labor
HTC strictly prohibits all operating sites and global suppliers from employing children. We require that an age certificate be provided when hiring employees, and that students in cooperative education meet the age threshold of 16 or above as stipulated by local laws to ensure that the welfare of children and adolescents is fully protected. We also ensure that all operating sites comply with the requirements of local labor laws to safeguard the labor rights of workers.
Our Supplier Code of Conduct for manufacturing suppliers restricts any form of unfair labor practices and clearly articulates our expectation that all factory workers are of the legal working age. In addition, we regularly conduct labor audits and communicate our expectations on fair labor practices to our manufacturing suppliers.
Working Hours
Providing a balanced work schedule consistent with local labor practices is our commitment to our employees. We comply with all local labor laws and follow standards established by the
Responsible Business Alliance
to limit excessive overtime. Suppliers are required to follow our Supplier Code of Conduct and implement at least 24 consecutive hours of rest in every seven-day period. All overtime work is voluntary and our employees are appropriately compensated.
