Certifications

“Point-of-risk” compliance

Marketers have long known that “point-of-sale” display of products can be a powerful advertising tool.  But can its logic be put to work for promoting compliance and ethics?

I was recently asked by a client to fill out a vendor information form and noticed that in addition to seeking information from vendors the form required the employee proposing the hiring to certify that any conflict of interest involving the vendor had been disclosed and okayed by management and the C&E officer.  While I know that many companies have some form of COI certifications (see prior posts collected here), I can’t recall having seen one on a vendor information form of this sort before – even though the common sense of such a “point-of-risk” compliance approach seems pretty obvious.  Indeed, it is hard to think of any reason why a company wouldn’t do this.

Moreover, such an approach  is supported by behavioral science, as described in this earlier post.  And, as also noted in that post, beyond the COI risk area there is no shortage of  other “point-of-risk” compliance opportunities for many companies: “anti-corruption – before interactions with government officials and third-party intermediaries;  competition law – before meetings with competitors  (e.g., at trade association events);  insider trading/Reg FD – during key transactions, before preparing earnings reports;  protection of confidential information – when receiving such information from third parties pursuant to an NDA;  …  accuracy of sales/marketing – in connection with developing advertising, making pitches; and employment law – while conducting performance reviews…” (Note: in the earlier post I refer to this approach as “just-in-time” compliance, but on reflection think that “point of risk” is closer to the mark.)  Doubtless there are many others too.

I should stress that this suggestion does not imply an increase in the total amount of C&E education, which for some companies would be a non-starter.  Rather, a robust “point-of-risk” strategy might allow a company to decrease its use of less impactful communications, meaning principally those that  lack immediacy and context.

Thinking more broadly, a “point of risk” C&E communication strategies might work for teaching ethics in business schools and colleges. Writing last week in the Huffington Post,  William Steiger of the University of Central Florida’s College of Business Administration  argued that: “Business schools should use examples of ethical practices and decision-making throughout the curriculum, not just in the ethics class.” I agree (and indeed when I was teaching business ethics years ago made a similar proposal; I hope Steiger has more success with this than  I did).

Whether it is in the workplace or classroom, there is a growing need to  find ways to better communicate and otherwise support ethical expectations.  For many businesses and schools, a point-of-risk approach may be a good place to start.

Conflict of Interest Certifications – Part Two: Content

In a recent post we discussed the “why” and “who” of COI certifications.  Below, we examine what is typically covered by a COI certification.

First, the basics tend to be questions around the following issues:

– Employment (of oneself or family members) with or consulting for an entity doing or seeking to do business with or competing against the company.

– Holding a financial interest (again, involving oneself or family members) in the above-described types of organizations.

– Employment of relatives at the company.

– Gifts, entertainment and travel involving any person or entity doing or seeking to do business with the company (including loans involving such persons or entities).

Sometimes these questions are asked broadly, other times in terms of the employee’s area of responsibility (e.g., do you have any procurement- or management-related duties concerning any entity in which you or a family member have an ownership interest?)

Second, less frequently one also sees questions concerning:

– Any other outside employment or consulting (i.e., regardless of whether it involves a competitor, supplier, etc.)

– Service on a board (of directors or advisors).

– Anti-corruption requirements –  questions involving employees of governmental entities and, less commonly, union officials.

– Corporate opportunities.

– Purchases, sales or leases of property involving the company.

– Holding government office (presumably on a part-time basis) – which is generally relevant only to organizations that have significant dealings with a large number of local governmental bodies, like energy utilities; and

– Relationships with the company’s external auditors.

Finally, one should ask, in substance:  Do you have any other relationships, etc., that might reasonably be regarded as creating an actual or apparent conflict of interest with your responsibilities to the company?

I hope that readers of the Blog will use the comment feature to share any other issues or relationships that organizations might wish to consider for their COI certifications.