City Lifestyle Code of Conduct
Our Mission Statement
Empowering people to use their God-given gifts.
Welcome
We welcome you as an independent franchisee of Lifestyle Publications, LLC (dba City Lifestyle). The success of our businesses is dependent on the trust and confidence we earn from our independent franchisees, local businesses, and your local magazine readers. We gain credibility by adhering to our commitments, displaying honesty and integrity, and reaching goals solely through honorable conduct. It is easy to say what we must do, but the proof is in our actions. Ultimately, we will be judged on what we do.
This Code of Conduct will provide you with information concerning your responsibilities as a franchisee of City Lifestyle. It provides guidelines and is not designed to provide specific practices or policies for every situation. Questions concerning specific practices and policies, or how the general rules apply, can be discussed with the national support department. Read this Code of Conduct carefully and keep it for future reference. The policies and information contained in this Code of Conduct may be changed or amended at any time, with or without notice. While we hope that your business relationship with us will be long-term, we remind you that you must comply with all the terms outlined in the Franchise Agreement and this Code of Conduct. Violation of this Code of Conduct may result in loss of license as outlined in the Franchise Agreement.
Harassment
You must comply with all laws. Sexually explicit, sexually suggestive, or otherwise inappropriate comments on appearance violate this Code of Conduct. In addition, any verbal, physical or visual conduct that has the purpose or effect of belittling or demeaning any individual or group based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex/gender, age, disability, citizenship status, veteran status or other similar characteristic is harassment, is against our values and this Code of Conduct.
Religious Tolerance
Glorifying God by being a faithful steward of the company entrusted to us is at the core of who we are, as exemplified in our Mission Statement. While we don’t expect all our team members and franchisees to subscribe to our same beliefs, we do expect tolerance of the Biblical principles we’ve built our company and culture around, just as we pledge to treat all with honor, dignity, and respect.
Professionalism
As a community-focused magazine, we must remain vigilant of how the City Lifestyle brand presents itself in and around the community. To that end, we expect all franchisees and their agents to routinely maintain a neat appearance through routine grooming and family-friendly attire. In addition, please use caution and do not use behavior-altering substances in a way that affects performance, causes improper behavior, endangers the safety of others, or breaks the law.
Indecent Behavior
Representation of the City Lifestyle brand requires an above-average level of personal accountability. Examples of indecent behavior that violate this expectation include, but are not limited to, fighting; spreading malicious gossip; engaging in vulgar, aggressive, or abusive language or conduct toward others; deception, fraud, lying, cheating, or theft; and concealing defective work.
Media Representation
City Lifestyle recognizes that the Internet provides unique opportunities to participate in interactive discussions and share information on particular topics using a wide variety of social media, including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and wikis. However, misuse of media outlets can pose risks to our confidential and proprietary information, the City Lifestyle reputation and brands, jeopardize our compliance with business rules and laws, and harm our employees, affiliated organizations, customers, business partners, suppliers, and vendors. As such, we expect all franchisees to never use media representation in a way that violates this Code of Conduct or franchisee obligations.
Share the Lifestyle
Help us continue to build a culture for our employees, franchisees, advertising clients, and readers that we can all be proud of. Please report behavior and incidents that you feel violate this Code of Conduct by contacting franchise support staff. Also, be open-minded and listen when given constructive feedback regarding others' perceptions of your conduct. Violation of the Code of Conduct could result in revocation of tier perks, loss of leadership positions, or termination of the franchise relationship.