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Thailand has previously had a bad reputation for regulating labour laws, especially following the 1997 financial crisis when a massive deregulation occurred. However, neither the government nor business wants to go back to an environment of extreme and stifling regulation, where corporate legal services in Thailand are required for every small business decision.

Corporate codes of conduct may be the answer - we look at these codes, and what they could mean for Thailand laws and Thailand lawyers advice to businesses.
Basically, a corporate code of conduct is a voluntary statement that defines a company’s ethical standards and the morals it considers when doing business. These are not enforceable by Thailand law - but business legal services in Thailand advise managers every day that if your company has a code of conduct, it would be wise to stick to it.

Corporate codes of conduct, not having any set format by Thailand law, can take any form and address almost any issue. They are often concerned with workers rights and other workplace issues. These documents may be authored by the company’s founder, board of directors, upper management, or CEO, and of course, by the Thailand business legal services of the company or their Thailand lawyers.

There are three recognized formats of codes of conduct which Thailand lawyers can help draft. These are compliance codes, which are directive statements that prohibit certain types of conduct; corporate credos, which are broad statements of commitments to values; and management philosophy statements, which are formal statements of the way that the company or CEO does business.

Since corporate codes of conduct are not enforced by Thailand law, the degree that they are taken seriously depends not only on a particular company’s credibility, but on how seriously they are taken in general. If corporate legal services in Thailand are to help Thailand businesses to be less imposed upon by Thailand law, corporate codes of conduct must be taken seriously.

This credibility is established with industry, unions, consumers, and also with governments. Enlisting the help of business legal services in Thailand with writing and adhering to a corporate code of conduct will assist in this aim.

While corporate codes of conduct may help ensure that Thailand laws do not become too overwhelming, many labor activists do not take them seriously. This is because enforcement is voluntary, not by Thailand law, and is usually monitored internally.

While all of this sounds quite negative, in actuality it is a positive for Thai businesses and Thai business legal services. It is an opportunity to make a real difference, and to give Thai workers hope for the future, without requiring the intervention of the government, only the help of Thai lawyers.