Clear Policy Management Is Your Compliance Program's Best Defense
Some may say the purpose of an investigation is to uncover the truth, and that’s true, but what’s the process or business focus? Really very simple: Did the behavior alleged rise to be a violation of a published policy? Although the question is direct and succinct on the surface, there’s a lot to unpack there.
2022 Voting Leave Notices Are Essential for Upholding Employee Rights
Several jurisdictions require that a notice about employees’ voting rights be posted in a conspicuous location in the workplace. Employees who work from home or don’t report to the workplace regularly should be provided with these notices electronically.
False COVID-19 Medical Advice: Is the Doctor or the Hospital at Fault?
It's important not to make a judgement on how you personally feel about pandemic-related guidance. Instead, consider what obligation an institution has or does not have to manage the guidance. And what happens if they choose to take a blind eye towards it?
The CROWN Act: Inclusive Dress Codes Encourage Workplace Diversity
If your company is in a state where the CROWN Act has already been passed, you need to seriously review your dress code and ensure that hair discrimination will not slide. You may want to consider it even if it isn’t yet law in your state because the fight against hair discrimination is gaining momentum federally and may become your reality soon.
How to Improve Your Corporate Compliance Program With the Help of the Department of Justice
Periodically, the US Department of Justice Criminal Division updates and releases guidelines for prosecutors for the evaluation of corporate compliance programs. Increasingly, the lines are blurred around liability between the bad actor who caused the incident, the permissive environment that allowed it to go previously undetected, and the company.
Texts: Who Owns Them? And Why Does That Matter?
Do you issue company-owned phones? Or do you allow (maybe even encourage) employees to “BYOD” (bring your own device) and use it for work purposes? Two very different scenarios here, as company-owned phones are a company asset, and all the contents of those phones is generally considered to be the property of the company. However, BYOD adds a layer of complexity to the discussion, especially if the employee owns the phone number and the device.
No Weapons Allowed? Says Who?
Employers need to know they have the power to enforce whether they will or will not allow firearms on their property, but proper enforcement requires clear policies, effective training, and attentive case management.
The SEC, Jordan Thomas, and Compensating Whistleblowers
The possibility of being blacklisted by employers and other overt forms of retaliation discouraged whistleblowers from reporting wrongdoings for many years. Turns out, $562 million dollars is a strong incentive for people to come forward.
The EU Whistleblower Directive - a View from 15,000 Feet
In 2019, the European Union Council of Ministers adopted what would become known as the EU Whistleblower Directive, or commonly called the WB Directive. The Directive was put in place specifically to protect whistleblowers from retaliation and encourage the reporting of violations of Union law by driving common standards.
Bring Back the Soul Cap
I don’t often blog on issues of social justice, but all too often issues of social justice cross lines into issues of ethics and compliance, and in this case specifically create unnecessary barriers to a discrimination-free environment and instead institutionalize discriminatory practices.
Juneteenth
Most days of remembrance are fairly distant from the world of ethics and compliance. Some have historical significance or honor great people of history specifically. Some have a religious orientation, and we can connect the dots to religious discrimination or bias in the workplace. But not many days have the specific ability to link to ethics and the importance of aligning ethics and integrity like Juneteenth.
HIPAA Law and Your COVID Vaccination Status
Here at ETHIX360, and I’m sure for most of you, we are trying to return to “normal.” I’m not really sure I could precisely define “normal” in the context of reopening businesses, and frankly the world, post-COVID and the pandemic, but I do know that it will include going back to work, kids going back to school, taking trips, going to restaurants, and celebrating…
The Deafening Silence Around Employee Rights and Vaccination Requirements
Many businesses, including ETHIX360, are dealing with a myriad of issues around safely reopening their offices. Part of that process is actually reviewing jobs, using data collected over the past year where employees largely or completely worked from home, and determining if all employees need to come back to an office environment at all to be effective in their job. We…
November 20th Matters
November 20th matters. And it should matter to ethics and compliance professionals because it marks a day where many have not stepped up to their responsibilities as the ethical and moral center of their companies.
Ethics and COVID-19, or is it COVID-1984?
I suppose, like many Americans, sheltering in place has given me pause to think about a post-COVID America (read: Compliance and the Coronavirus). As I hear pundits and experts alike pontificate on what can and should be done around everything from re-opening…
Compliance vs. Coronavirus
How should an extraordinary event like Coronavirus affect your corporate compliance policies? How should it affect or modify a work-at-home policy? At ETHIX360, we suggest that companies should have an Extraordinary Event Policy. Read more here.
Navigating DOJ’s Compliance Program Guidance
The US DOJ has released their guidance for corporate compliance programs for 2019. Read what this latest release means for your compliance program.
Addressing Problems with Workplace Policy
We’ve identified 3 key drivers for HR policy & procedure changes in organizations; Is your company addressing all 3 as you move into the new year?
2 More Examples of the #MeToo Movement's Impact on Unethical Business Practices
Google and Under Armour are just two recent examples of companies where the voices of their employees are driving meaningful cultural change. Additionally, the general public is putting pressure on companies to adapt, drive real corporate change and not merely make empty promises.
What Has One Year of #MeToo Taught Us About Preventing Workplace Sexual Harassment?
On the anniversary of the sexual harassment accusations against Harvey Weinstein that sparked the #MeToo movement, ETHIX360 takes a look back at the statistics over the past year & the changes in company culture.