Challenges to Integrity
Companies and organizations are concerned about good governance and being seen to do the right and lawful thing. In terms of compliance, they need to satisfy standards established by regulators, legislatures and securities commissions. In terms of integrity, whether or not rules are in place, companies want to assess and compare their performance in social, economic and environmental terms.
Ethics professionals and regulators both know that when scandals have erupted with devastating consequence, there were almost always co-workers who knew or suspected that there was wrongdoing. Human resources and internal audit professionals testify that whistle blowing doesn’t work unless it not only is reputable, anonymous and effective but also protects the good conscience complainant as well as the alleged scofflaw.
Board members and CEOs at CIBC, Livent, Royal Technologies, Nortel Networks and other companies know how costly unreported wrongdoing can be. At companies like Enron, HealthSouth, Hollinger and Alphadelphia, there were staff who suspected that wrongdoing was occurring. Having access to the pulse of workplace concerns of staff is a powerful tool—especially when it educates individuals at the same time as it is both informing senior management and protecting the identity of conscientious employees.
If management of ethics is only the responsibility of one corporate officer, then it is seen as that person’s responsibility—and not others. The EthicsAssurance tool visibly involves all employees throughout the organization in the process of risk and reputation management. It enhances the morale, loyalty and commitment of employees who want their employer to be fair, progressive and supportive.
