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Questions That Could Be Answered

The diagnostic component of the proposed EE&A program involves an important methodological tool of a Social or Ethics Audit, namely confidential interviews of staff. Such open-ended interviews are much more revealing about ethics issues than traditional workplace surveys that use written questionnaires. Such traditional "climate" surveys typically have only one or two ethics-related questions and don't allow encourage elaboration or diagnosis of concerns.

The proposed diagnostic instrument using personal interviews could help answer several questions, including:

(A) Do staff feel that ethical norms are well understood and shared throughout the organization

(B) Are staff troubled by issues at work? Are those issues ethical?

(D) Are there serious illegal or unethical activities that appear to be tolerated?

(E) Are existing internal communications relative to employer expectations about fair competition, conflict of interest, privacy, post-termination employment and related themes effective?

(F) To whom would you go for assistance with a dilemma? Who inside the organization? Who, if anyone, outside? Why? When you?ve done so, was the issue satisfactorily resolved?

(G) Are there certain topics that, by their nature or subject, do not get reported?

(H) Do staff feel that there are certain unethical activities that are encouraged, either directly or indirectly, in pursuit of the bottom line? (J) Are informal mechanisms for advice or reporting more popular than formal ones?

(K) Are there communications mechanisms that would be used if they were made available?

One anticipated outcome of such a diagnostic approach is an Ethics Report Card. Another is identification of the need for an ongoing Ethics Empowerment & Assurance Program. The third outcome is corporate advice on organizational enhancement, including items in the Organizational Ethics Solutions Menu noted below.

For companies this advice involves structural and process recommendations on ethics guidance, training and reinforcement. For staff, this involves an easily accessible, anonymous ethical telephone counselling service for employees with dilemmas in the areas of business practices, policies, and procedures, as well as working relationships

The proposed telephone-based, roster service would use trained tele-staff who could support both individual employees and management in raising or resolving workplace ethics dilemmas. For individuals, this service could handle complaints, help assess and advise on the ethics component within business decisions, and where appropriate refer staff to human resources, the corporate ombuds, a human rights commission, or other internal sources. For corporations, this service could provide investigators, cross-company comparative data, and diagnosis of any gaps between organizational codes of business practice, on the one hand, and employee empowerment and enhanced ethical decision-making, on the other.