Building an Ethical Culture Should Be Top Priority for Today’s Companies

PRLog (Press Release) – Apr 16, 2008 – SALT LAKE CITY – When it comes to building an ethical culture, many organizations simply don’t know where to begin. In a new white paper from Allegiance, companies will learn about the six most valuable steps to creating an ethical culture and the top four benefits they gain by doing so. The paper suggests that, while building an ethical culture takes time, doing so is not as difficult as companies may think. The investment is worth the effort and pays dividends in reduced risk, fraud and litigation, currencies that all businesses can understand.

“Research has consistently proven that developing an ethical culture where employees are respected, corporate values are emphasized and management leads by example can help stimulate growth, innovation and higher profitability,” said Greg Heaps, COO of Allegiance. “Today’s employees want to work for an organization that has built a foundation on integrity and that cares about operating an honest company, hiring other principled people and working with ethical partners. In addition, given current legal and industry regulations, creating an ethical culture is not just a good business decision, it is now practically a requirement.”

The six steps to creating an ethical culture discussed in the paper include:

1. Establish an enforceable code of conduct – The process should be led by those at the top of the company and should include employee input.
2. Initial and ongoing training – Training begins once a person is hired and should continue throughout the life of the employee.
3. Regular communications – Ethics should be a live, ongoing conversation.
4. Anonymous reporting hotline – Companies should provide employees with a safe, anonymous and confidential way to report inappropriate, unethical or illegal activities.
5. Enforcement/Action – Companies must be willing to do whatever it takes to enforce the code of conduct.
6. Rewarding employees that live the culture – Companies should let employees know that an ethical culture is important to the organization and should recognize and reward those employees that help to establish the culture.

Heaps added, “The benefits of establishing an ethical culture are real, while the risks of its absence can be costly in a number of ways. Companies that follow the six steps outlined above will find that their efforts will be rewarded in the form of less risk, less fraud, less litigation, and happier employees. And happier employees add to the bottom line because they care about customer service and the overall success of the company.”

The full white paper 6 Steps to Creating an Ethical Culture and the 4 Benefits Your Business Will Enjoy can be downloaded for free at http://www.allegiance.com/library.php.

About Allegiance, Inc.
Allegiance, Inc. is the premier provider of Enterprise Feedback Management (EFM), solutions that drive growth and increased profitability through improved customer loyalty, employee retention and engagement. The Allegiance Engage platform is a suite of web and phone-based solutions joined with best practices consulting that allow companies to measure and manage customer and employee engagement across the enterprise. The components of The Engage platform are customizable to each company's needs and offer management tools, predictive analytics and professional services to help link employee and customer engagement to real business outcomes. Allegiance serves customers of all sizes across a variety of industries. Allegiance is a privately owned company based in South Jordan, Utah. For more information about Allegiance, visit http://www.allegiance.com .