Ethics officers anchor corporate ethics

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When an organisation decides to embed ethics in its operations, it becomes imperative to appoint an ethics officer who will become its point person on all ethical matters.
The business ethics function, better known as the corporate ethics programme, is a governance best practice tenet companies the world over are now using to grow ethical business cultures that impact the bottom line.

The corporate ethics programme is the practicable means through which ethics can be successfully engraved in company operations.
Through the establishment of the corporate ethics programme, the ethics officer position is solemnised.

Its worth and that of other corporate ethics standards such as business ethics training, ethics reward/sanctioning and ethics reporting mechanisms in the eyes of employees become distinct and quite significant once company leaders embrace the ethics thrust as their personal project. 
Company leaders should understand that developing a business ethics programme does not require putting in place a whole new layer of bureaucracy, or having to fill up new staff vacancies. Instead, a corporate ethics programme is a cross-functional facility that taps into the existing company resources and structures, meaning it is not a costly exercise.

For the business ethics programme to be effective, a number of specific business ethics staff functions must be accomplished and that responsibility lies squarely in the hands of the ethics officer.

Appointment of the ethics officer should be done meticulously so that at the end of the day only a person of high integrity, who commands great respect within the organisation itself and amongst its key stakeholders is assigned this responsibility.

The personality of this “favoured” person must resonate with all key constituencies and staff levels in the organisation.
People of questionable and untrustworthy character must never be appointed as ethics officers. Companies should understand that managing workplace ethics is about dealing with perceptions, and any negative employee perception resulting from the appointment of the ethics officer will lead to employee cynicism about the whole ethics thrust leading to a complete failure of the corporate ethics programme. The ethics officer is the staff officer responsible for the day-to-day running of the ethics programme.

Below are some of his/her roles and responsibilities.

• Co-ordinates the development and implementation of the corporate ethics programme.

• Takes centre stage in the establishment of the Ethics Advisory Committee, which must have representatives from all constituencies and staff levels in the organisation.

• Develops and maintains standards of conduct and procedures as well as related policies which will guide employees and all stakeholders.

• Establishes internal reporting channels, including, but not limited to, a help line that employees and stakeholders may use to seek advice and report concerns without fear of retribution.

• Establishes and co-ordinates monitoring controls and measures to ensure that correct processes are established and followed.

• Implements or co-ordinates enterprise-wide communication and business ethics training programmes to ensure that all employees and other stakeholders are educated on the standards and procedures.

• Co-ordinates or conducts inquiries and investigations on ethical lapses to ensure proper follow-up on malpractice reports and resolutions.

• Delegates authority to conduct appropriate inquiries and investigations on malpractices to legal, human resources, and internal audit when necessary.

• Monitors and evaluates the corporate ethics programme for periodic modifications and improvements.

• Maintains a working knowledge of relevant issues such as laws, regulations, and emerging best practices through periodicals, seminars, training programmes, networking events including membership in professional associations.

• Responds appropriately when a violation of ethical standards is uncovered.

• Reports timeously on the status of the corporate ethics programme to the CEO or any appropriate authority whenever necessary.

Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate Bright Gunzo, an ethics enthusiast and professional, for completing the certified ethics officer training programme offered by the Ethics Institute of South Africa.

Indeed, ethics champions are emerging in the country and ethical transformation is a phenomenon whose time has come.

A future that will be characterised by the rapid proliferation and acceptability of ethical ways of doing things is clearly on the horizon.

Ethics champions are destined to anchor the future of every organisation, industry, economic sector, and the whole economy as we seek to undo the manifest ills of corporate misdemeanour and build responsible business entities.  

Bradwell Mhonderwa is an ethics coach and trainer with the Business Ethics Centre. Send feedback to [email protected], or call 0772 913 875