In this and subsequent posts, we will look at ethics and compliance programs and how their structure and implementation is imperative to companies that not only aspire to abiding by the laws governing their industry, but also want to build a culture of integrity and accountability. The U.S. Department
How does a company create a sense of connection to its purpose and values with new employees who have never met any of their colleagues in person? Can misconduct investigations be effectively conducted solely through video interviews? Are there unique risks that need to be addressed when a company has a large remote workforce or supply chain? These questions drive to the core of ethics and compliance and represent some of the challenges faced when a company decides to either move to, or expand an already existing remote working environment (RWE) program.
Expectations regarding the role of the corporation in society are shifting. As a consequence, many investors and companies are reexamining and adjusting the way they do business. For decades, the nearly unquestioned wisdom, at least in the United States, has been that, as economist Milton Friedman famously declared in 1970, 'the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits' in the service of shareholders. 1 That foundational premise has started to crack. Many business leaders, investors, legal practitioners, and scholars are now calling into question the "shareholder primacy" business model. Instead, they say, a corporation must jointly serve the interests of many stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, employees, local communities, and shareholders, and should no longer focus narrowly on "maximizing shareholder value." 2. One manifestation of these sentiments is the emergence of non-financial corporate performance metrics, often referred to as "environmental, social, and governance," or just "ESG."
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Ethics and Compliance can benefit from identifying and leveraging key influencers in the business. An Ethics Liaison is typically an employee or leader that is identified in the business to serve as an advocate for ethical values and compliance with laws and regulations. Whether referred to as Ethics Ambassadors, Compliance
Each year ECI conducts the Global Business Ethics Survey (GBES) to better understand the state of ethics in the workplace from the perspective of employees. With the 2019 GBES, ECI built upon its existing research by further exploring the presence of shared organizational values and ethical leadership in organizations around the world. This report examines the link between organizational commitment (to organizational values and ethical leadership) and the following two key ethics outcomes: 1) Observed Misconduct Rates 2) Reporting of Observed Misconduct The 2019 GBES findings discussed in this report are based on employee responses from 18 countries. The results are discussed by five global regions, composed of the following countries: Africa & Middle East: South Africa, United Arab Emirates Asia Pacific: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea Europe: France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom North America: Mexico, United States South America: Argentina, Brazil
In 2019, ECI expanded upon its existing Global Business Ethics Survey (GBES) research in organizational culture through several new lines of inquiry. Supervisor Behavior Around the Globe ECI examined and measured supervisor behavior across two dimensions: 1. Supervisor Values Employees: The extent to which employees feel valued by their supervisor. 2. Supervisor Feedback and Professional Development: The extent to which employees feel that supervisors provide valuable feedback and encourage professional development. Workplace Behaviors Around the Globe ECI explored employee expectations related to behaviors they may see or experience in the workplace specifically with regard to the reporting of misconduct and accountability. Employees were also asked whether or not two behaviors: "publicly reprimanding" and "gender discrimination" would be acceptable within their organizations. The findings in this report reinforce the critical role that supervisors play in influencing the ethics cultures within organizations. In almost all cases, strong supervisor leadership was associated with better ethics outcomes. Employees who worked with supervisors who exhibited strong leadership qualities across the two dimensions explored in this report were: 1. More likely to trust their organization with regard to the reporting of misconduct and accountability. 2. Less likely to say that publicly reprimanding and gender discrimination were acceptable behaviors within their organization. The findings in this report are based on employee responses from 18 countries. Global percentages consist of the median from all 18 countries. The results are provided by five global regions, composed of the following countries: Africa & Middle East: South Africa, United Arab Emirates Asia Pacific: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea Europe: France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom North America: United States, Mexico South America: Argentina, Brazil
The ultimate benchmarking event for ethics and compliance, IMPACT 2021 offers tools that allow practitioners to evaluate their programsagainst others and outline a path toward stronger programs in the future.The Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI), a global non-profit organization that empowers organizations to build and sustain cultures of integrity, is