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Too few companies are providing training for staff on their ethical codes of conduct, says a new report.
A study by the Institute of Business Ethics and corporate reputation consultancy Fishburn Hedges found that slightly less than half of 96 respondent companies provided training in ethical behaviour for their workforce to back up code principles. That figure has barely changed since a similar survey two years ago, even though two-thirds of companies now require staff to comply with the codes as part of their employment contract.
Simon Webley, the institute’s research director, described the figures as ‘disappointing’ and said expecting companies to fully implement business ethics codes without training ‘really does not make any business sense’.
A more encouraging sign was that senior managers are now increasingly taking direct responsibility for operating such codes. One in four companies in the study gives the task to its board, board committee or chief executive, compared with one in six in 2001.
In addition, more companies are giving greater responsibility for overseeing the codes to standalone CSR departments, instead of corporate affairs and human resources teams. The survey, which was sent to 196 companies known to have codes, also found that:
nine out of ten respondents had procedures for staff to raise questions about the code
two-thirds had revised their codes in the past two years
just under half had used their code in disciplinary procedures in the past three years.
The institute says 90 of the FTSE100 now have a code.
A study by the Institute of Business Ethics and corporate reputation consultancy Fishburn Hedges found that slightly less than half of 96 respondent companies provided training in ethical behaviour for their workforce to back up code principles. That figure has barely changed since a similar survey two years ago, even though two-thirds of companies now require staff to comply with the codes as part of their employment contract.
Simon Webley, the institute’s research director, described the figures as ‘disappointing’ and said expecting companies to fully implement business ethics codes without training ‘really does not make any business sense’.
A more encouraging sign was that senior managers are now increasingly taking direct responsibility for operating such codes. One in four companies in the study gives the task to its board, board committee or chief executive, compared with one in six in 2001.
In addition, more companies are giving greater responsibility for overseeing the codes to standalone CSR departments, instead of corporate affairs and human resources teams. The survey, which was sent to 196 companies known to have codes, also found that:
nine out of ten respondents had procedures for staff to raise questions about the codetwo-thirds had revised their codes in the past two yearsjust under half had used their code in disciplinary procedures in the past three years.The institute says 90 of the FTSE100 now have a code.
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