Ethics And Compliance Training: 7 Crucial Tips to Improve Corporate Ethical Compliance

Ethics and compliance training help educate the employees about rules, regulations, and company policies that they should follow. It imparts practical applications of the rules and their role in maintaining the organization’s good reputation. Moreover, it helps avoid violation of such regulations and recognize recurring incidents of misconduct.

Difference between Ethics and Compliance

Though both the terms ethics and compliance are different, they are related to each other. 

• Ethics are the core values based on which we make all the decisions and actions in our life. They can be standards on which one makes decisions for the actions, based on duty derived from core values or inner morals.

• Compliance refers to conforming or adapting your action to set wishes as a rule of necessity. The authority exercises compliance to make sure the employees adhere to the business ethics set by the organization.

7 Reasons You Should Implement Ethics and Compliance Training at Your Workplace

1. It encourages appropriate behavior.
2. The training ensures all employees are mindful of all the company policies while working.
3. It helps to depict the company's strong commitment to a very professional, safe, and secure work environment.
4. The training boost trust among the employees and head of the organization.
5. It helps in increasing productivity. It helps in increasing productivity. Some studies found that those organizations with an ethical and compliance commitment produced 18% more productivity than those with none.
6. Ethical and compliance training helps increase a sense of accountability towards business ethics and legal compliance while working.
7. The training imparts guidance on how one can resolve sensitive issues like harassment, safety, and conflict of interest.

11 Must-include Elements in Ethics and Compliance Training

1. Preparation of an Official Code of Conduct and Ethical Policy Manual

The official manual will help employees to refer to it while working. It helps them to better understand how to do work w.r.t the company's expectations and standards.

2. Appoint a Dedicated Ethical Compliance Officer

The compliance officer makes sure the company’s initiatives for ethical conduct on the premises to maintain integrity and accountability are intact.

3.  Promote Accountability among Employees

• The employees should be kept accountable for holding onto the company expectations and set standards.
• The company's defined mission goals and values help increase the sense of responsibility among all employees. It thus strengthens ethical corporate culture, trusts among employees and with the boss, boosting the total perfection chart of the organization. 

4. Make Two-Way Communication a Priority

• You can increase the compliance of your written ethical code of conduct through interactive sessions.
• The company should ensure both one-on-one and group meetings allow 2-way communication to make sure the employees understand the rules and regulations, as per the expectations.
• Mass emails and phone conferences can also help spread Awareness it can consistently, ensuring open communication.

5. Ensure your Ethical Training is Regular and Meaning

• Daily discussions and conversations on ethics and compliance reinforce the importance of these factors for the company among the employees.
• Regular training ensures that your employees get equipped with the necessary ethical tools required in everyday situations.

6.  Ensure to Focus on Essential Needs for the Company

• The focus areas can include
•  Diversity training
•  Building the customer relationships
•  The common ethical dilemmas
•  The importance of customer privacy

7. Make the learning go Digital

• E-learning allows employees to perform the tasks assigned to them as per their schedule for staff.
• You can supplement online activities with in-person interactive sessions for doubt clarification.

8. Declare Incentives for the Best

It is a natural tendency to get attracted to anything rewarding. Similarly, include small incentives in your training program to encourage employees to follow the conduct.

9. Exert the Importance of a Unified Goal

• The company and employers must stand on a common viewpoint.
• Every mission statement of the company should be the driving force for all.

10. Make Sure it is Fun but Motivating

• The company can involve role-playing games or fun activities to make the training fun.
• Ensure your employees feel heard, appreciated, and respected throughout the training.

11. Ensure Transparency within the Organization

An organization that stands firm on its ground helps build trust with employees and increase customer satisfaction.

5 Things To Avoid in an Ethics and Compliance Training

1. Use of discriminatory practices.
2.  Indulging and increasing inappropriate behavior.
3.  Insulting others by making racist or sexist remarks.
4.  Harassing others in case of disagreements.
5.  Blaming others for not doing the same as yours.

7 Tips to Improve Corporate Ethical Compliance

1. Ensure a Strong Leadership Support

The higher authority figures assert in the training program and show how serious is the company for the compliance of the code of conduct.

2. The Training Should Include all Possible Risks

• The policies should be clear and practical and are inclusive of all the risk areas like bribery, corruption, etc.
• It should also include risks associated with third parties like customers and suppliers.

       3.      Keep the Training Curriculum Up-To-Date

• Ensure the training includes policies and methods that are up to date. 
• It should include both in-person training and e-learning modules.

        4.     An Effective Regular Monitoring System

• The company can use a set of fixed protocols and checks to detect any breach in the conduct.
• An immediate analysis can help to know the reason for the breach of conduct and measures to avoid it in the future.

        5.     Make the Training Relatable

• You should design the training by knowing your audience's background to help them connect with the training.
•  You can include case studies and real-life situations to develop the critical thinking skills of your audience.
•  Include storytelling to make the training interesting and help the employees to connect with the material. 

           6.     Design Short Yet Effective Modules

Short modules will help in focussing on the learning objectives and helping the audience to process the information effectively.

          7. Include Audience Participation

You can include surveys, questionnaires, and polls to help them share their opinions on the training program. Their feedback will help to detect weaknesses in the training and will thus help to make it better.

Limitations of Ethics and Compliance Training 

1. Generally, the Training is Perceived as Uninspiring

A study found that only 28% of employees rate the training as effective while the rest render it as uninspiring and irrelevant to their work.

       2.    The Digital Form of Training is the Least Preferred

One of the studies found that only 17% of the employees preferred digital training as the best while the majority as the least preferred. It is by the fact that today majority of the companies conduct web-based or online ethical compliance training for their employees. It thus renders training ineffective.

        3.    Majority of Employees Consider it as Ineffective

A major number of employees feel little to no change in themselves and their coworkers after participating in the training.

        4.     The Training May Indirectly Lead to Employees Not Sharing Their Concerns

Those employees who rate the training as ineffective are the least likely to report unethical behavior than even those who didn’t participate.

Ethics and compliance training aims to promote acceptable behavior in the employees and compliance with the set business ethics. A well-effective training program can thus increase the company’s reputation among its employees and customers by building trust and respect.