Corporate ethics has been a hot topic over the last several years. Misbehavior by organization leaders has led to bad publicity, loss in shareholder value and even jail time for the perpetrators. The key to identifying and correcting ethical problems in organizations early is the implementation of a comprehensive organization ethics program.
An effective ethics program has four elements:
1. Written standards of conduct that clearly define what is and what isn’t appropriate behavior in the workplace.
2. Ethics training for all employees. This training should present the organization’s ethics policy and provide employees opportunity to discuss the policy and apply its elements in hypothetical situations.
3. Ethics advice telephone lines or offices. When employees have questions about ethics related issues, they need an avenue for asking those questions without fear of reprisal.
4. Systems for anonymously reporting questionable behavior.
In a recent study conducted by the Ethics Resource Center, 78% of the workers in organizations that implemented all four elements of an ethics program said they reported misconduct, while only 39% of the workers in organizations without ethics programs reported ethics violations.
To identify ethics problems early and get them resolved with minimal cost and publicity, review your corporate ethics program.This blog post is provided by Allen Miller and Business Advantage International. For assistance in dealing with human resources issues including organization effectiveness, training, compensation, and compliance, call Allen at 801.444.9919.
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