The latest barometer of the ethical climate 2024 has been published, proving once again that companies have their work cut out to convince their employees of their ethical approach, as they are increasingly wary of what is actually implemented in their company.
Employees no longer (or not only) want communication, but facts and deeds. They want authenticity rather than rhetoric. Admittedly, 78% of them still consider their company to be ethical... But in 2021, the figure was 85%.
In the face of ever-increasing regulation, ethical policy, compliance and CSR are no longer foreign concepts. However, there is still much work to be done to ensure that the values proclaimed are seen to be embodied and disseminated throughout the company.
At the same time, employees are increasingly called upon to apply the rules of good conduct themselves. Training programs on the RGPD, cyber risk or the risk of corruption are on the increase. The rules to be followed are increasingly clear and strict, and may even give rise to sanctions if they are not respected.
However, the same employees may also find the processes and controls put in place to enforce business ethics time-consuming. This is particularly the case for third-party assessment under the Sapin 2 anti-corruption law. And yet, it's all about protecting " your" company by identifying the risks involved in working with a particular company.
When buyers have to assess the integrity of suppliers, and carry out due diligence to determine whether they should enter into or continue a relationship with a third party, they'd like it to be as time-consuming as possible. Even when equipped with a super tool that aggregates data and simplifies the process, thanks to workflows tailored as closely as possible to the internal organization, the fact remains that each task, even when adapted to the risk profile, requires a minimum of time to be carried out properly.
The link between ethics and business is increasingly crucial. It now requires managers not only to give meaning to the issue, but also to invest in tools enabling their teams to carry out quality due diligence, based on the level of risk involved. Business ethics form a whole that impacts all levels of the company. As such, compliance is not a burden. It's a duty we owe to society as a whole: customers, employees and consumers. Twenty years ago, compliance was not a topic of discussion in business schools or universities. Today, it's a major governance issue that will become a factor of competitiveness and employability for all companies, if it isn't already for many of them.
