Wyndham Worldwide Earns World's Most Ethical Company Distinction

PARSIPPANY, N.J., March 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With a commitment to acting with integrity, a focus on ethical and responsible business practices, and a dedication to welcoming people to experience travel the way they want, Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE:WYN) has been recognized as a 2017 World's Most Ethical Company^® by the Ethisphere Institute. This is the third consecutive year and fifth time overall that the Company has received the designation by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.

"Wyndham Worldwide's culture of service encourages all levels of associates to do what's right, beyond what's expected," said Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and chief executive officer, Wyndham Worldwide. "This distinction recognizes a shared focus and collaborative effort by individuals and teams across our company, from our Board of Directors to each of our associates."

This year marks the eleventh anniversary of Ethisphere and the World's Most Ethical Companies designation which recognizes those companies who align principle with action, work tirelessly to make trust part of their corporate DNA, and in doing so, shape future industry standards by introducing tomorrow's best practices today.

"Ethical behavior is the lens through which we make decisions and anchor our commitment to each other, our partners, our customers, and our communities," said Scott McLester, executive vice president and general counsel, Wyndham Worldwide. "From attracting global talent, to upholding the Count On Me! commitment and ethical business principles, we ensure our global network is comprised of good corporate citizens." 

Rooted in its Count On Me! service philosophy, integrity and accountability are embedded in the Company's culture. Maintaining a strong focus on ethical practices is part of its robust corporate social responsibility commitment. Some of the Company's activities and accomplishments include:  

• Establishing a global network of Compliance Champions to provide guidance for associates on acceptable standards of business conduct, in addition to providing leadership development programs to weave compliant and ethical decision making into everyday business.
• Providing the gift of representation through pro bono legal work to help children, young adults, and non-profits. Wyndham Worldwide's Legal Department was awarded the Pro Bono Services Award by the New Jersey Law Journal for its work in partnership with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), New Jersey Law Education and Empowerment Project (NJ LEEP) and the Pro Bono Partnership.
• Protecting human rights by providing Wyndham Worldwide owners and franchisees the tools to identify human trafficking through training and awareness campaigns in partnership with the Polaris Project and ECPAT-USA.
• Creating a diverse and inclusive place to work and do business, being recognized among the DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity four years in a row, and also among the Top 10 for supplier diversity.
• Supporting the local communities through donations of time and funds. Each year, thousands of Wyndham Worldwide associates volunteer for recognized charitable organizations during a paid day off, which resulted in more than 3,500 associates participating in nearly 37,000 volunteer hours in 2016.
• Reflecting Wyndham Worldwide's culture of giving and service, Wyndham Rewards members last year donated over 8.4 million loyalty points to charities and Wyndham timeshare owners donated over 200,000 units of food to community food banks.

"At Wyndham Worldwide, we have an open door policy and engage our associates on maintaining ethical standards and embodying our Company culture," added Korin Neff, senior vice president and chief compliance officer. "Ethics are embedded in our core values, which are the foundation of the distinctive culture that drives our growth and inspires the great experiences we create for associates and the people we serve."

The World's Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute's Ethics Quotient^® (EQ) framework which offers a quantitative way to assess a company's performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies, rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics. Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20%), culture of ethics (20%), governance (15%) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10%) and provided to all companies who participate in the process.

About the Ethisphere Institute

The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World's Most Ethical Companies® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with the publication of Ethisphere Magazine and The World's Most Ethical Companies Executive Briefing. Ethisphere is also the leading provider of independent verification of corporate ethics and compliance programs. More information about Ethisphere can be found at http://ethisphere.com

About Wyndham Worldwide:
Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN) is one of the largest global hospitality companies, providing travelers with access to a collection of trusted hospitality brands in hotels, vacation ownership, and unique accommodations including vacation exchange, holiday parks, and managed home rentals. With a collective inventory of nearly 130,000 places to stay across more than 110 countries on six continents, Wyndham Worldwide and its 38,000 associates welcomes people to experience travel the way they want. This is enhanced by Wyndham Rewards^®, the Company's re-imagined guest loyalty program across its businesses, which is making it simpler for members to earn more rewards and redeem their points faster. For more information, please visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

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SOURCE Wyndham Worldwide