Ethical Standards

Ethics and Values

All Horace Mann employees and the Board of Directors are expected to own their role in building an ethical culture and are responsible for helping to ensure compliance with our Code of Conduct.

The Code of Conduct outlines our expectations of fairness and transparency in how employees deal with our educator customers, other employees, shareholders, and suppliers. It expounds upon our values of fairness, integrity, and inclusion by outlining our commitment to:

• Apply equal opportunity principles in recruiting, hiring, advancement, training, compensation and retention
• Treat employees and job applicants fairly and equitably
• Have a zero tolerance policy for harassment and discrimination; and evaluate people based on their qualifications, demonstrated skills and achievements rather than their race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or social origin, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, marital status, military status or veteran status

Our employees and Board of Directors are required to acknowledge their understanding of and compliance with the Code of Conduct annually. In addition, all employees, including part-time employees and new hires, are required to complete annual ethical standards training.

Horace Mann’s Enterprise Compliance & Ethics department is responsible for administering and reporting on the compliance program. This includes the administration and maintenance of the Code, as well as the annual training and verification process. The department reports to the Board of Directors, senior leadership and externally as applicable on compliance and ethics matters. These reports include results of the annual process; performance of key compliance and ethics indicators; and ongoing compliance activities. Under the program, compliance and ethics matters are reviewed to help ensure the company’s continued commitment to stakeholders.

Horace Mann’s Internal Audit department conducts an annual independent and objective review of the annual Code of Conduct training, verification and reporting of activities. This provides assurance to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors that employees are well-versed in the ethical standards Horace Mann has set, and that any violations are appropriately reported and addressed.

Compliance and Ethics Hotline

Should employees have any ethical concerns, Horace Mann has a Compliance and Ethics Hotline, administered by third-party provider NAVEX Global, that enables employees and other stakeholders to report their concerns online or by phone while maintaining anonymity and confidentiality. Web-based reports are made through a secure internet portal that does not trace or show user screen names, neither does this type of tracing occur if a concern is reported by phone.

Horace Mann’s Enterprise Compliance & Ethics department is responsible for reviewing each reported case and deciding if an investigation is warranted. The department will engage investigation resources, such as a Human Resources Employee Relations Consultant or Legal Counsel. The General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, as well as other senior leaders and key stakeholders, are informed of reported cases and kept abreast of the status and outcomes of the investigation process as appropriate. For concerns that are substantiated, disciplinary actions may be taken, up to and including termination.

The department reports hotline activity to the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer periodically. Hotline activity is reported to the Board of Directors at least annually.

Compliance and Ethics Hotline History

*Administration of Compliance & Ethics Hotline transitioned to a third-party provider in June 2021.

Ensuring a Fair, Safe and Equitable Workplace

At Horace Mann, our regard for human rights is fundamental to how we manage all aspects of our business. We have established workplace practices, policies and procedures that help us achieve our goal of providing an inclusive, diverse, safe, healthy and secure workplace for our employees. As reflected in our Equal Opportunity Employer Statement, this includes providing a workplace where discrimination and harassment are not tolerated. We strive to create a workplace that fosters open communication. Retaliation of any kind is inconsistent with our values and is prohibited. Our Code of Conduct reinforces the importance of diversity and inclusion at Horace Mann.

We are committed to maintaining a workplace that is free from violence, intimidation and other unsafe or disruptive conditions arising from internal or external threats – and we have implemented security measures that are intended to keep our employees safe. We comply with all applicable health and safety laws and regulations, prohibit the use of all forms of forced labor, and adhere to all applicable child labor laws.

While we recognize that each vendor or partner will have its own policies and practices related to human rights, Horace Mann strives to contract with those whose approach to human rights is similar to our own. As part of our vendor evaluation process, we review labor practices and screen for human rights violations, as detailed in Horace Mann’s Vendor Code of Conduct.

Encouraging Supplier Diversity

Our Supplier Diversity Policy promotes inclusion of diverse businesses in our procurement process and commits to evaluating our spending for additional opportunities to enhance supplier diversity. This includes businesses that are owned by women, minorities, veterans, people with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ+ community. We evaluate these and any other supplier on the basis of price, quality, service, delivery and other business requirements. Our policy also encourages employees to be inclusive in their daily business decisions when selecting the best supplier to meet Horace Mann’s business needs.