Visible Senior Management Participation Is Needed for Effective Ethics and Compliance Training

ARLINGTON, Va., June 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI) released today a report on "ETHICS & COMPLIANCE TRAINING: WHAT GETS RESULTS" based upon findings from two new surveys of employee and employers regarding their perceptions of ethics and compliance training programs. This ECI research report, sponsored by KPMG, offers an exclusive ethics and compliance perspective on training, a subject that has often been explored.  Among the key findings in the report is the critical importance of visible participation of senior leadership during the training process.

To better understand the factors associated with more successful trainings, ECI explored how training activities and formats linked to measures of success. In determining the success of training program formats and attributes, ECI looked at 10 measures relating to employees' beliefs about the training as well as their behaviors and attitudes post training.

The surveys also explored the contrast between employees' perceptions of training effectiveness and ethics and compliance practitioners' expectations and perceptions of training effectiveness.  The results of these two surveys contrast the intended goals of ethics and compliance training and the employee beliefs about ethics and compliance training.  Employee perceptions on the effectiveness of ethics and compliance training programs center on learning new skills, relevance to their job function and improving their ability to make better decisions.  The report also measures employee perceptions on the effectiveness of different training methods.

"This report points to a gap between ethics training and compliance training," said Patricia Harned, CEO of ECI, "the majority of ethics and compliance practitioners believe they are effectively training for compliance, but despite most believing changing ethics-related behaviors is the most important objective of training, only 26 percent think their training is effective in changing behavior and preventing misconduct."

Previous reports by the ECI have shown that when employees feel they are respected as learners, and when they have opportunities to engage with supervisors and peers, they are more likely to find training efforts to be effective.  Findings of the study today further emphasize this concept – employees acknowledge their need for training, but need to be respected and engaged with leaders to apply it.

ECI's funding partner, KPMG, has a longstanding relationship with ECI's business ethics research and is proud to be supporting, once again, such a pivotal effort in accentuating high quality ethics and compliance training. 

About the Ethics & Compliance Initiative 
The Ethics & Compliance Initiative (ECI) empowers organizations to create and sustain high quality ethics and compliance programs. With a history dating back to 1922, ECI brings together ethics and compliance professionals and academics from all over the world to share techniques, research and, most of all, exciting new ideas. www.ethics.org

SOURCE Ethics & Compliance Initiative

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