Tag: compliance

Categories
31 Days to More Effective Compliance Programs

One Month to More Effective Written Standards: Day 15 – Enforcement Actions Featuring Facilitation Payments

One of the more confusing areas of the FCPA is in that of facilitation payments. Facilitation payments are small bribes but make no mistake about it, they are bribes. For that reason, many companies feel they are inconsistent with a company culture of doing business ethically and in compliance with laws prohibiting corruption and bribery. Further, the 2020 FCPA Resource Guide specified, “while the payment may qualify as an exception to the FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions, it may violate other laws, both in Foreign Country and elsewhere. In addition, if the payment is not accurately recorded, it could violate the FCPA’s books and records provision.” Additionally, the 2020 FCPA Resource Guide stated, “Whether a payment falls within the exception is not dependent on the size of the payment, though size can be telling, as a large payment is more suggestive of corrupt intent to influence a non-routine governmental action. But, like the FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions more generally, the facilitating payments exception focuses on the purpose of the payment rather than its value.”
In addition to these clear statements about whether the FCPA should continue to allow said bribes; you should also consider the administrative nightmare for any international company. The U.K. Bribery Act does not have any such exception, exemption or defense along the lines of the FCPA facilitation payment exception. This means that even if your company allows facilitation payments, it must exempt out every U.K. Company or subsidiary from the policy. Further, if your company employs any U.K. citizens, they are subject to the U.K. Bribery Act no matter who they work for and where they may work in the world, so they must also be exempted. Finally, if your U.S. Company does business with a U.K. or other company subject to the U.K. Bribery Act, you may be prevented contractually from making facilitation payments while working under that customer’s contract. As I said, an administrative nightmare.

Three key takeaways:

  1. Do not forget the administrative nightmare of facilitation payments for international organizations.
  2. The Kay decision made clear how narrow the “routine government action” exception is.
  3. Facilitation payments will usually be an add-on as they are symptomatic of an ineffective compliance program.

For more information, check out The Compliance Handbook, 4th edition, here.

Categories
Blog

The Continuous Improvement of Corporate Culture

Welcome to a special five-part blog series on building a stronger culture of compliance, sponsored by Diligent. Over this series I have visited with Yvette Hollingsworth-Clark, Viktor Cuijak, Jessica Czeczuga; Michael Parker; and today it is Alexander Cotoia. In this series, we considered what is culture, how to assess culture, putting together a strategy to manage culture based upon this assessment, the monitoring of that strategy going forward. We conclude on how to use this information from your monitoring to engage in continuous improvement of your culture.

Many compliance professionals struggle with the ‘softness’ of culture. However, properly viewed culture can be seen as another type of risk for any organization. Viewed through this lens, culture can then be assessed, managed, monitored and improved as any other business risk. This has become even more important since the announcement in October 2021 by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, that the Department of Justice would assess corporate culture as a part of corporate compliance enforcement action. In this concluding Part 5, we consider how to continuously improve your compliance program with Alexander Cotoia, from the Volkov Law Group.

Alexander Cotoia, a regulatory compliance manager at the Volkov Law Group, has a rich background in commercial litigation and has spent a significant part of his career as a paralegal before transitioning to an in-house role at Virgin Galactic. Cotoia emphasizes the importance of compliance culture in organizations, believing that a culture promoting compliant behavior reduces the likelihood of ethical lapses or legal violations. He argues that creating a culture of compliance is not only ethically sound but also makes good business sense in today’s era where consumers are well-informed, and employees prioritize alignment with organizational values. Cotoia suggests that organizations should reinforce their values and highlight the economic benefits of compliance to gain buy-in and engagement from employees, while also emphasizing the need for continuous improvement, conducting root cause analysis, and involving various stakeholders to address cultural issues effectively.

At its core, compliance culture is about promoting and encouraging behavior that aligns with ethical and legal standards. It goes beyond simply following rules and regulations; it involves fostering an environment where employees understand the importance of compliance and are committed to upholding it. As Cotoia emphasized, creating a culture of compliance makes good business sense in today’s era, where consumers are more informed than ever before and a new generation of employees are demanding that organizations align with their values.

One key aspect highlighted in the podcast episode is the role of leadership, particularly the CEO, in driving and reinforcing a culture of compliance. Cotoia stressed the importance of CEOs being actively involved in the compliance process, emphasizing the organization’s values, and demonstrating how compliance contributes to the overall success of the organization. By doing so, CEOs can set the tone at the top and inspire employees to embrace compliance as an integral part of their work.

To establish and maintain a culture of compliance, organizations need to employ various tools and strategies. Cotoia discussed the importance of conducting root cause analysis, which involves identifying the underlying causes of non-compliance or ethical lapses. This analysis can be facilitated through anonymous surveys that measure employees’ perception of compliance within the organization and the extent to which compliance concerns are integrated into their daily work. By understanding the root causes, organizations can implement targeted remedial measures to address the identified issues.

Collaboration among stakeholders is also crucial in promoting a culture of compliance. Cotoia emphasized the need for involvement from various departments, such as the financial team, legal, and compliance officers, depending on the specific compliance challenges faced by the organization. By working together, these stakeholders can collectively solve problems and ensure that compliance is embedded throughout the organization.

Monitoring the effectiveness of remedial measures is another critical aspect of compliance culture. Organizations should regularly assess whether the implemented measures are achieving the desired outcomes. This can be done through continuous improvement efforts, such as periodic pulse checks and assessments of employee understanding and engagement with compliance initiatives. If the results indicate that the remedial efforts are not effective, organizations should be willing to revisit the root cause analysis and adjust their approach accordingly.

We also discussed the importance of ongoing communication and collaboration for continuous improvement and alignment with compliance standards. Organizations should foster an environment where employees feel comfortable reporting compliance concerns and where open dialogue is encouraged. This not only helps identify potential issues but also demonstrates the organization’s commitment to addressing them.

In conclusion, the importance of compliance culture in organizations cannot be overstated. It not only minimizes ethical and legal risks but also contributes to the overall success and reputation of the organization. By involving leadership, conducting root cause analysis, collaborating with stakeholders, monitoring effectiveness, and fostering ongoing communication, organizations can create and maintain a culture of compliance that aligns with best practices and meets the expectations of employees and consumers alike. As Alexander Cotoia aptly stated, “Creating a culture of compliance just makes good business sense.”

Tune into Alexander Cotoia on the Diligent podcast series Unlocking Success: The Crucial Role of Culture in a Best Practices Compliance Program.

Categories
Innovation in Compliance

Unlocking Success: The Crucial Role of Culture in Compliance: Part 5 – Alexander Cotoia on the Continuous Improvement of Culture

Welcome to a special series on building a stronger culture of compliance through targeted and effective training sponsored by Diligent. I will visit with Yvette Hollingsworth-Clark, Viktor Culjak, Jessica Czeczuga, Michael Parker, and Alexander Cotoia in this series. Over this series, we will consider what culture is, how to assess culture, putting together a strategy to manage culture based upon this assessment, monitoring that strategy in the future, and using information from your monitoring to improve your culture continuously. In this concluding Part 5, we visit with Alexander Cotoia to discuss a strategy to enhance your compliance program in the future constantly.

Alexander Cotoia, a regulatory compliance manager and consultant at the Volkov Law Group, has a rich background in commercial litigation and has spent a significant part of his career in an in-house role at Virgin Galactic. Alexander strongly emphasizes the importance of compliance culture in organizations, believing that a culture promoting compliant behavior reduces the likelihood of ethical lapses or legal violations. He argues that creating a culture of compliance is not only ethically sound but also makes good business sense in today’s era, where consumers are well-informed and employees prioritize alignment with organizational values. Alexander suggests that organizations should reinforce their values and highlight the economic benefits of compliance to gain employee buy-in and engagement, emphasizing the need for continuous improvement, conducting root cause analysis, and involving various stakeholders to address cultural issues effectively. Join Tom Fox and Alexander Cotoia as they dive deep into how to continuously improve your compliance program in this episode of Unlocking Success: The Crucial Role of Culture in Compliance Best Practices podcast episode.

Key Highlights: 

  • Cultivating CEO Involvement for Compliance Success
  • Improving Corporate Culture through Effective Monitoring
  • Cultivating Compliance Culture through Stakeholder Collaboration

Ready for Purpose-Driven Compliance? Diligent equips leaders with the tools to build, monitor, and maintain an open, transparent ethics and compliance culture. For more information and to book a demo, visit Diligent.com.

Categories
31 Days to More Effective Compliance Programs

One Month to More Effective Written Standards: Day 14 – The Problem with Facilitation Payments

The original version of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), enacted in 1977, contained an exception for payments made to non-US officials who performed duties that were “essentially ministerial or clerical”. In 1988 Congress responded by amending the FCPA under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act to clarify the scope of the FCPA’s prohibitions on bribery, including the scope of permitted facilitation payments. An expanded definition of “routine governmental action” was included in the final version of the bill, reflecting the intent of Congress that the exceptions apply only to the performance of duties listed in the subcategories of the statute and actions of a similar nature. Congress also meant to make clear that “ordinarily and commonly performed actions”, with respect to permits or licenses, would not include those governmental approvals involving an exercise of discretion by a government official where the actions are the functional equivalent of “obtaining or retaining business for, or with, or directing business to, any person.”

Three key takeaways:

  1. Many companies still struggle with facilitation payments.
  2. What are the five listed purposes for facilitation payments?
  3. The facilitation payment exception is narrowly construed by both the courts and the Justice Department.

For more information, check out The Compliance Handbook, 4th edition, here.

Categories
Blog

Leveraging Technology for Culture Monitoring

Welcome to a special five-part blog series on building a stronger culture of compliance, sponsored by Diligent. In this series I will visit with Yvette Hollingsworth-Clark, Viktor Cuijak, Jessica Czeczuga; Michael Parker; and Alexander Cotoia. In this series, we will consider what is culture, how to assess culture, putting together a strategy to manage culture based upon this assessment, the monitoring of that strategy going forward and using information from your monitoring to engage in continuous improvement of your culture.

Many compliance professionals struggle with the ‘softness’ of culture. However, properly viewed culture can be seen as another type of risk for any organization. Viewed through this lens, culture can then be assessed, managed, monitored and improved as any other business risk. This has become even more important since the announcement in October 2021 by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, that the Department of Justice would assess corporate culture as a part of corporate compliance enforcement action. In this Part 4, we consider review how to monitor your culture risk  strategy for effectiveness with Michael Parker.

Michael Parker is a seasoned compliance professional with extensive experience in cultivating and sustaining a compliance culture within businesses. He asserts that there is no universal approach to establishing a compliance culture, emphasizing the necessity of providing options and guidance to employees, rather than merely imposing rules. Parker underscores the importance of continuous engagement and communication in managing compliance culture risks, and the crucial role of leadership in setting the tone for compliance and fostering an ethical culture throughout the organization. He also acknowledges the significance of incentives in promoting compliance, but stresses that the approach to incentivizing employees should be customized to individual circumstances and should include a clear understanding of the consequences of non-compliance.

Leadership plays a pivotal role in fostering a culture of compliance. Executives must lead by example and embody the organization’s mission and values. As Michael Parker emphasizes, it is not just about telling employees what to do but guiding them towards making the right decisions. Providing options and knowledge is essential, as people may unknowingly make decisions that go against policies or regulations due to a lack of information.

To ensure ongoing engagement, businesses should view compliance as an ongoing process rather than a one-time activity. This approach involves continuous listening and asking for feedback from employees. It is important to provide guidance rather than just guidelines, helping individuals understand the purpose behind compliance policies. By championing the organization’s values and mission, leadership can create a trickle-down effect, encouraging employees to align their actions with the desired culture.

Incentives also play a significant role in promoting compliance. Just as third parties have an incentive to complete certifications and engage in compliance efforts to do business with a company, employees have a vested interest in working for an organization that upholds ethical standards. By aligning incentives with compliance initiatives, businesses can motivate employees to actively participate in maintaining a compliance culture.

Technology can be a valuable tool in monitoring and educating employees about compliance. Micro-learning courses, compliance training videos, quizzes, and surveys can be used to deliver targeted and concise information. Short videos with quizzes can help raise awareness and educate employees on compliance topics. Surveys, when kept short and incentivized, can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of compliance efforts and help measure the culture of compliance within the organization.

Tracking and storing compliance-related information is essential for transparency and visibility. Utilizing applications with dashboards can help businesses monitor engagement, track completion rates of training videos, and collect survey responses. This data can provide compliance officers with valuable information for ongoing monitoring and identifying areas that require additional training or education.

I believe the key is in viewing culture as a risk and applying risk management principles to assess and monitor compliance efforts. By treating culture as a risk, businesses can assess their compliance risk, identify gaps, and remediate as necessary. This approach allows for a systematic and proactive approach to managing compliance culture.

However, creating and maintaining a compliance culture is not without its challenges. Compliance fatigue can occur if communication and education efforts become overwhelming or burdensome. To combat this, shorter and more interactive methods, such as micro-learning and office hours, can be implemented. These shorter bursts of information align with today’s culture of brief and engaging content, making compliance education more accessible and less burdensome.

In conclusion, creating and maintaining a compliance culture in businesses requires a multifaceted approach. Leadership must champion the organization’s values and mission, while incentives and technology can motivate and educate employees. Viewing culture as a risk and applying risk management principles can help businesses assess and monitor their compliance efforts. By considering the impact on employees and adapting communication and education methods to align with today’s culture, businesses can foster a strong compliance culture that promotes ethical behavior and regulatory adherence.

Join us tomorrow where we explore the continuous improvement of corporate culture.

Tune into Michael Parker on the Diligent podcast series Unlocking Success: The Crucial Role of Culture in a Best Practices Compliance Program.

Categories
Innovation in Compliance

Unlocking Success: The Crucial Role of Culture in Compliance: Part 4 – Michael Parker on Monitoring Culture

Welcome to a special series on building a stronger culture of compliance through targeted and effective training sponsored by Diligent. I will visit with Yvette Hollingsworth-Clark, Viktor Culjak, Jessica Czeczuga, Michael Parker, and Alexander Cotoia in this series. Over this series, we will consider what culture is, how to assess culture, putting together a strategy to manage culture based upon this assessment, monitoring that strategy in the future, and using information from your monitoring to improve your culture continuously. In Part 4, we visit with Michael Parker to discuss a strategy to monitor your culture in the future.

Michael Parker is a seasoned compliance professional with extensive experience cultivating and sustaining a business compliance culture. He does not believe there is a one-stop,  universal approach to establishing a compliance culture, emphasizing the necessity of providing options and guidance to employees rather than merely imposing rules. Michael underscores the importance of continuous engagement and communication in managing compliance culture risks and the crucial role of leadership in setting the tone for compliance and fostering an ethical culture throughout the organization. He also acknowledges the significance of incentives in promoting compliance. Still, he stresses that incentivizing employees should be customized to individual circumstances and include a clear understanding of the consequences of non-compliance. Join Tom Fox and Michael Parker as they delve deeper into how to monitor your compliance program after you have created a culture management strategy in this episode of Unlocking Success: The Crucial Role of Culture in Compliance Best Practices podcast episode.

Key Highlights: 

  • Building a Compliance-Focused Leadership Culture
  • Leveraging Technology for Compliance Monitoring and Training
  • Driving Compliance Culture Through Executive Leadership

Ready for Purpose-Driven Compliance? Diligent equips leaders with the tools to build, monitor, and maintain an open, transparent ethics and compliance culture. For more information and to book a demo, visit Diligent.com.

 Join us tomorrow in our concluding episode, where we continuously consider how to improve culture in the future.

Categories
31 Days to More Effective Compliance Programs

One Month to More Effective Written Standards: Day 13 – Policies on Political Contributions

The FCPA states, “The FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions apply to corrupt payments made to (1) “any foreign official”; (2) “any foreign political party or official thereof”; (3) “any candidate for foreign political office”; or (4) any person, while knowing that all or a portion of the payment will be offered, given, or promised to an individual falling within one of these three categories. Although the statute distinguishes between a “foreign official,” “foreign political party or official thereof,” and “candidate for foreign political office,” the term “foreign official” in this guide generally refers to an individual falling within any of these three categories.” Government policies affect the commercial environment. A company is subject to legislation and regulation that affects how it conducts its business and generates value for its investors. Participating in the political process is part of a business strategy to protect a company’s interests.

Most international businesses have strategy to engage in the political process with a view to the long-term interests of the company and to promote and protect its interests. All political contributions and expenditures on behalf of the Company and management reports on these political contributions and expenditures should be reported to the Board of Directors annually. No political contributions may be made or promised unless written pre-approval has been obtained from the corporate compliance function.

Three key takeaways:

  1. Political candidates are covered by the FCPA.
  2. What is the business purpose for the contribution?
  3. Do not make contributions towards candidates who can award your company business.

For more information, check out The Compliance Handbook, 4th edition, here.

Categories
31 Days to More Effective Compliance Programs

One Month to More Effective Written Standards: Day 12 – Policies on Charitable Donations

What should your compliance policy and procedures on charitable donations look like? What should you prohibit or even caution against? The starting point is the 2012 FCPA Guidance regarding charitable donations. The information on the red flags from the Opinion Releases and the best practices, as set out in the 2020 FCPA Resource Guide, have been available for some time. From the Schering-Plough and Lilly enforcement actions, your policy should consider the timing of charitable donations to see if they are at or near the time of the awarding of new or continued business. Finally, in managing the relationship, you now need to look at overall increases in sales to determine if they are tied to a pattern of charitable donations. By looking at the timing and quantum of charitable donations, internal audit may be able to ascertain that a spike in sales is tied to corrupt conduct.

Three key takeaways:

1.What are the basic inquiries to make around charitable donations?

2.Use all of the communication tools the DOJ has provided; written guidance, enforcement actions and Opinion Releases to inform your charitable donation policy.

3. Document, Document, and Document the basis of your charitable donations risk assessment.

For more information, check out The Compliance Handbook, 4th edition, here.

Categories
Innovation in Compliance

Unlocking Success: The Crucial Role of Culture in Compliance: Part 3 – Jessica Czeczuga on Creating a Strategy to Manage Culture

Welcome to a special series on building a stronger culture of compliance through targeted and effective training sponsored by Diligent. I will visit with Yvette Hollingsworth-Clark, Viktor Culjak, Jessica Czeczuga, Michael Parker, and Alexander Cotoia. Over this series, we will consider what culture is, how to assess culture, putting together a strategy to manage culture based upon this assessment, monitoring that strategy in the future, and using information from your monitoring to improve your culture continuously. In Part 3, we visit with Jessica Czeczuga on how to develop a strategy to manage your culture risk.

Jessica Czeczuga is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in training and development, specializing in areas such as finance, quality, compliance and ethics, leadership, and communication training. Jessica brings a unique perspective to the compliance space, emphasizing the pivotal role of managers in shaping and reinforcing company culture. She believes that managers, the most influential group within an organization, should be adequately trained to align with the desired culture and equipped with the necessary tools to communicate and reinforce cultural values effectively. Jessica also advocates for collaboration between compliance professionals and HR to improve culture, leveraging their counseling skills and creating clear processes for reporting and addressing culture-related issues. Join Tom Fox and Jessica Czeczuga as we dive deeply into this topic in this Unlocking Success: The Crucial Role of Culture podcast episode.

Key Highlights: 

  • The Impact of Managers on Company Culture
  • Collaborative Partnership: HR and Compliance Driving Reporting
  • The Role of Managers in Shaping Culture

Ready for Purpose-Driven Compliance? Diligent equips leaders with the tools to build, monitor, and maintain an open, transparent ethics and compliance culture. For more information and to book a demo, visit Diligent.com.

 Join us tomorrow, where we consider how to monitor culture going forward.

Categories
Innovation in Compliance

Unlocking Success: The Crucial Role of Culture in Compliance: Part 2 – Viktor Culjak on Assessing Culture

Welcome to a special series on building a stronger culture of compliance through targeted and effective training sponsored by Diligent. I will visit with Yvette Hollingsworth-Clark, Viktor Culjak, Jessica Czeczuga, Michael Parker, and Alexander Cotoia in this series. Over this series, we will consider what culture is, how to assess culture, putting together a strategy to manage culture based upon this assessment, monitoring that strategy in the future, and using information from your monitoring to improve your culture continuously. In Part 2, we visit with Viktor Culjak to discuss assessing culture.

Viktor Culjak is a chartered accountant with a strong finance, audit, and risk consulting background. Currently serves as the Director of Customer Success and Services at Diligent. With a decade of experience in the Big Four and a focus on governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) objectives, Viktor firmly believes in assessing and managing organizational culture as a risk factor. He views culture as a dynamic risk that can have significant consequences if not properly managed and advocates for standardized and benchmarked culture assessments to provide valuable insights for risk management. Viktor emphasizes the need for practical guidance on implementation, highlighting the significance of tone at the top and other artifacts such as policies, procedures, and feedback mechanisms in culture assessments. Join Tom Fox and Viktor Culjak as we delve deeper into assessing culture on this episode of the Unlocking Success: The Crucial Role of Culture podcast.

Key Highlights: 

·      Assessing and Auditing Organizational Culture

·      Creating a Culture of Effective Communication

·      Evaluating Culture Alignment for Continuous Improvement

Ready for Purpose-Driven Compliance? Diligent equips leaders with the tools to build, monitor, and maintain an open, transparent ethics and compliance culture.

For more information and to book a demo, visit Diligent.com

 Join us tomorrow, where we consider how to create a culture management strategy.