Corporate hospitality given

Corporate hospitality means hospitality of any kind provided by the Company or its employees in connection with the lawful business of the Company. All corporate hospitality expenses which are likely to be above the sum of £ 200 (inclusive of VAT) must be approved in advance by a director of the Company. In addition, your manager must agree in advance to the level of any corporate hospitality expenses, before the commitments are made, taking into account what is reasonable and proportionate in all the circumstances.

All corporate hospitality will be closely monitored by the Company. This is because it may amount to bribery, which is a criminal offence, where the person offering the hospitality intended the recipient to be influenced to act improperly. This is most likely to be the case where the hospitality is lavish, extraordinary or excessive.

Corporate hospitality received

Corporate hospitality may also be received by an employee from another company, for example if you are invited to a client’s event in connection with your employment. Whilst the Company does not wish to prohibit your attendance at genuine corporate hospitality events, it does not believe that it is appropriate for you to attend lavish, extraordinary or excessive events held by customers, clients, suppliers, contractors or by any other person or organisation with which the Company has, or might have, business connections.

With the exception of “routine” corporate hospitality, you are under an obligation to report a corporate hospitality invitation that you would wish to accept, including the nature of the event and the identity of the person or organisation offering it, to your manager as soon as you receive the invitation, by completing a corporate hospitality report form. Failure to report the invitation, and then to attend the event without permission, constitutes a disciplinary offence and will be dealt with in accordance with the Company’s disciplinary procedure. Depending on the gravity of the offence, this may be treated as gross misconduct and could render you liable to summary dismissal.

If the Company determines that the corporate hospitality proposed is lavish, extraordinary or excessive, you will be required to send a letter declining the invitation.

In cases where the Company determines that the hospitality is genuine, proportionate and reasonable, you may, at your line manager’s discretion, be permitted to attend the event (subject to any agreement relating to time off work where the event is taking place during your normal working hours).

You do not normally need to report “routine” corporate hospitality to your manager and a corporate hospitality report form does not need to be completed. For these purposes, “routine” corporate hospitality includes standard fare business breakfasts, lunches or dinners, lunchtime drinks and after work drinks (whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic).