Frequently asked questions about conflicts of interest

An earlier post  explored the various contexts – such as board meetings, hiring interviews, employee engagement surveys, training, compliance audits and exit interviews – where asking the right question can help promote C&E at a business organization. To this list should be added frequently added questions documents (“FAQs”).

FAQs are used with some frequency to supplement codes of conduct and policy statements. They can provide a greater level of information than is feasible in a traditional policy statement – because they are generally easier to read than the latter.

FAQs can be particularly useful in promoting COI-related compliance measures. That is because the issues raised in the COI realm tend to be more personal than are other types of C&E issues and so employees might welcome a chance to have their questions answered in this way rather than through actual contact with someone in their organization – at least as an initial matter.

Those seeking a model for drafting a COI FAQ, should take a look at what Walmart has done in this area – which can be found here. It is a very comprehensive document, covering in some detail what are presumably all the major COI risk areas for the company (financial interests, gifts and entertainment, outside employment, personal relationships with other associates, personal relationships with suppliers, protecting personal and business information and information sharing). For each, the document recites the relevant company policy and follows that with one or more questions and answers. (E.g., the Outside Employment section asks and answers questions about working for a competitor, operating a side business and working for a supplier.)

The Walmart FAQ document also does a good job in explaining the reasons for the company’s position on the issues raised in the questions. For instance: I supervise an associate who does odd jobs on the side. I would like to hire the associate to do some work at my home. Is this okay? As a manager with direct reports, it’s important to remain objective regarding your associate’s work. This situation requires a manager to think through all of the potential issues and use good judgment. This particular situation could potentially create a real or perceived conflict of interest since the work done for you at home may appear to influence how you view your direct report at work. If you hire someone you supervise to do work on your home, the boundaries between work and personal life may become blurry and difficult to manage. For instance, if you are not pleased with the outcome of the work, it could impact your perception of the associate. It may also appear to others that you are more lenient on that associate’s performance at work since the associate is doing work for you at your home. Finally, the associate may not want to do personal work for their manager for these same reasons, but may feel obligated to do so.

Of course, not every C&E program needs an FAQ – for COIs or any other risk areas. Those that do tend to be large and have relatively complex compliance profiles. And in considering whether to go this route companies should consider the total mix of relevant information about the risk area in question (i.e., not just what is in the code and policy document, but also the treatment of the risk area in training and other communications). As with any part of a C&E program, one has to be mindful of the dangers here of doing too much as too little.