WHAT's YOUR CHALLENGE?

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After more than 20 years advising on ethics, compliance, culture and risk management, there's a good chance that we've helped organizations rise to the challenge like the one you're facing. Do any of the following sound familiar?

Your Ethics & Compliance program has the critical elements to prevent, detect and respond to misconduct, but you don't have the data or insights to know how effective it is in practice.  You may also wonder whether your program truly aligns with official guidance on evaluating effectiveness. 

You have a comprehensive set of policies, but employees tell you they aren't easy to access or understand.  You’re worried that duplication, redundancy and inconsistency is causing confusion. And, worst of all, you don't have a simple, reliable workflow for keeping policies current.

You wonder if your culture is a risk factor. Perhaps rapid business growth is having unintended consequences, such as shortcuts being taken on quality or compliance. You worry that people are not comfortable speaking up. Maybe you're wondering why one of your facilities has an unusually high incidence of harassment.  

You've heard about organizations where people come to work every day filled with a sense of purpose greater than themselves. Have you considered how greater clarity about your own organization's purpose could really drive employee engagement and morale, and a more overt commitment to responsible business practices?

You notice gaps between your company's stated values and the way that people behave and make decisions at work. You remember that quote from a conference you attended: “Values adopted in the sunshine get tested in the storm;" and you're worried about the weather in your industry.  Maybe you're afraid that the current values don't really reflect what your organization stands for. 

Your company's Code of Conduct no longer reflects your business, culture or risk environment. You would love to reinvent it as a source of practical guidance and employee pride. Yet the thought of the effort involved makes you want to lie down in a dark room. 

You think that sales leaders view integrity and market competitiveness as a zero-sum game. Many employees seem to perceive a tension between acting ethically and achieving business goals. 

You have a vendor-managed Helpline that's available to employees 24/7 in many languages. You regularly communicate the importance of speaking up with questions and concerns about ethics and compliance matters.  Yet you are wondering why the Helpline receives so few calls. 

You want employees to know about and use the resources you've created for them. You need to tell them about important policy changes. Most of all, you want them to appreciate the value your program adds to the business. The problem is that employees already receive too many emails and key messages are not getting through. 

You want to give your employees options for getting the information and help they need; but now you have multiple intake channels that need to be triaged. You‘ve added resources over time to your program website; but now you have a collection of material that’s scattered and difficult to navigate.