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Sunday Book Review

Sunday Book Review: August 25, 2024, Books on Incentives Edition

In the Sunday Book Review, Tom Fox considers books that would interest the compliance professional, the business executive, or anyone who might be curious. It could be books about business, compliance, history, leadership, current events or anything else that might interest me.

In today’s edition of the Sunday Book Review, we look at four new books on financial and non-financial incentives for compliance professionals.

  • The Beekeeper by Katie P. Desiderio and Michael G. Frino
  • Mixed Signals: How Incentives Really Work, by Uri Gneezy
  • Profit Works by Alex Freytag and Tom Bouwer
  • The New CEO, by Ty Wiggins

For more information on Ethico and a free White Paper on ROI for your compliance program, click here.

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31 Days to More Effective Compliance Programs

One Month to a More Effective Compliance Program: Day 7 – Designing Compensation to Operationalize Compliance

In this podcast episode, Tom Fox highlights the importance of incorporating compensation systems into a company’s compliance program. He discusses how the DOJ and SEC view monetary structures as a way to reinforce compliance and reward employees who adhere to compliance programs. Fox advises compliance practitioners to revise incentive systems to align with the goals of the compliance program, ensuring simplicity, alignment with company values, and immediate behavior change. He also emphasizes the need to align compensation programs with compliance goals and shares examples of how this can be done effectively. These episodes provide valuable insights into the role of compensation in promoting compliance and integrating compliance into HR practices, emphasizing the importance of transparency and immediate action in implementing effective compensation structures for compliance.

When it comes to compliance programs, many companies focus primarily on policies, procedures, and training. However, designing a compensation system that reinforces compliance is equally crucial. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), rewarding employees who conduct business in compliance with their employers’ programs is an effective way to promote compliance.

  1. Incorporating Compliance Incentives:

To align your compensation system with your compliance program, consider revising your incentive structure. Fox advises compliance practitioners to ask themselves three key questions: Is it simple? Is it aligned with company values? Does it affect behavior immediately?

Keeping the compensation plan simple is essential to prevent employees from reverting to old, non-compliant behaviors. By aligning the goals of compliance practitioners with the entity’s compliance goals, you can ensure that the compensation program effectively drives desired behaviors.

2. The Impact of Sales Compensation:

Salespeople often generate the majority of a company’s revenue, making their alignment with compliance goals crucial. Immediate implementation of incentive structures is important, but it should also incentivize employees to support compliance initiatives. Transparent communication with employees or third-party sales bases is necessary for effective implementation.

3. Transparency and Accountability:

Transparency plays a vital role in gaining acceptance for compliance initiatives. While designing the incentive system may not be a democratic process, openness is essential. Employees should appreciate the transparency in the compensation structure, leading to accountability and their acceptance of compliance goals.

4. Integrating Compliance Incentives:

The podcast suggests incorporating compliance incentives into the compensation program. Even a small percentage of a discretionary bonus can be significant to employees. For example, a discretionary bonus program based on overall sales can be a starting point for incorporating compliance incentives. Fox recommends allocating 5-10-20% of the discretionary bonus program towards compliance incentives.

5. The Role of HR in a Fully Operationalized Compliance Program:

To fully operationalize compliance, it is essential to integrate compliance into HR practices. HR can play a crucial role in ensuring transparency, simplicity, and alignment of the compensation structure with company values. By making compliance part of the incentive structure, employees will understand and support the evolving business model and strategy of the organization.

As compliance practitioners, it is our responsibility to prioritize integrity, ethics, and compliance within our organizations. Incorporating compensation systems into our compliance programs is a powerful tool in driving desired behaviors. By aligning our incentive structures with compliance goals, keeping them simple, and fostering transparency, we can create a culture of accountability and acceptance.

Three key takeaways:

  1. The DOJ and SEC have long advocated compensation to motivate employees into ethical and compliant behaviors.
  2. Keep the compliance aspects of your compensation structure simple and easy for your employees to understand.
  3. Have full transparency in the frame of your compensation structure.

For more information, check out The Compliance Handbook, 4th edition, available on LexisNexis.com.

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Blog

HR’s Key to Unveiling the True Ethical Fabric of Organizations

Compliance professionals understand the importance of fully operationalizing compliance and embedding it into the fabric of a business. How can your Human Resources (HR) function help to both create and maintain an ethical culture at your organization? It turns out in a variety of ways. Obviously significance of incentives in driving ethical behavior cannot be forsaken but there are other areas to consider such as the impact of cross-cultural differences on ethical behavior. HR can play a role in the importance of creating a speak-up culture where employees feel comfortable reporting ethical concerns without fear of retaliation.

In a world where ethics are paramount, HR professionals hold the key to creating an ethical culture within organizations. But what happens when change is pushed too quickly, compensation drives behavior, and cross-cultural differences come into play? Discover the challenges and secrets to success in this thrilling journey of HR’s quest for an ethical culture…

In the pursuit of understanding the vital role of HR in establishing an ethical culture, I stumbled upon an unexpected revelation that shook the very foundation of my beliefs. It was a twist that challenged my assumptions and left me with a burning question: Can change truly be achieved without sacrificing ethical values? As I ventured deeper into this journey, I uncovered unsettling truths about the underlying ethos of corporations and the detrimental impact of short-term targets. But what I discovered next was even more astonishing, a revelation that would forever alter my perspective on the role of HR in creating an ethical culture…

If you are feeling frustrated and overwhelmed because your efforts to create an ethical culture are being undermined by inconsistent enforcement and lack of accountability, then you are not alone! Despite implementing compliance programs and promoting ethical values, you may find that employees still engage in unethical behavior due to a lack of consequences or clear guidelines. This can lead to a sense of disillusionment and hinder the progress towards an ethical work environment.

HR significantly contributes to embedding ethical behavior within the organizational culture. By creating a conducive environment that promotes honesty and integrity, HR can foster a culture that this significantly resistant to unethical practices. It’s primarily up to HR to ensure that employees feel comfortable voicing concerns without fear of retaliation, helping to enhance the ethical culture within organizations.

The path to cultivating an ethical culture is often met with significant roadblocks such as too much rapid change, reward-driven behaviors, and cross-cultural conflicts. These elements can create an environment where unethical behavior thrives, impacting organizational growth and success. For a moral culture to strive, these challenges should be identified and effectively addressed, paving the way for a workplace that values ethical conduct.

Understanding the underlying organizational dynamics is crucial in establishing and maintaining an ethical culture. It’s not enough just to have a written code of conduct; the actual behaviors within the organization need to be assessed and aligned with these ethical guidelines. HR plays a crucial role in comprehending these dynamics, ensuring that metrics used to reward employees promote ethical conduct rather than encouraging unethical short-term success.

Have you ever heard these myths about the role of HR in creating an ethical culture? First myth: HR is solely responsible for ethical behavior. Second myth: Creating an ethical culture is too time-consuming and costly. Third myth: HR can’t effectively enforce ethical standards. But what if I told you that these myths are far from the truth? Some key points are:

  • How HR can be the key instigator in shaping an ethically driven business culture.
  • Recognizing the potential roadblocks that could obstruct the path to ethical behavior in organizations and how to overcome them.
  • Appreciate the crucial interplay between organizational dynamics and ethics.
  • Perceive the nuanced impact of incentives on ethics and how it can steer the moral compass in corporate environments.
  • Master the art of endorsing.

My journey into understanding the vital role of human resources in establishing an ethical culture within an organization started with a deep dive into the role of HR and how those roles could that shed light on a fundamental dilemma for compliance. This dilemma was not about right and wrong, but about navigating clashing interests, misaligned incentives, and conflicting cultures. I learned that pushing too much change from the top, too quickly and too frequently can warp a company’s ethical climate. This realization led me to critically analyze the compensation plans in various organizations. The stark reality that people do what they are rewarded to do underlyes ethos of many corporations. This means that short-term targets often overshadowed long-term success, leading to a detrimental impact on the ethical culture. As I delved deeper into the concept of ethical culture, I realized that the essence of this term is far more profound and complex than it seems on the surface. This is not just about formal corporate governance documents or written codes of conduct. It is about understanding and adopting your organization’s underlying culture. It is also about self-awareness, organizational awareness, and the courage to speak up. One problem is that too many leaders tended to seek advice from their like-minded peers rather than embracing diverse opinions. This convinced me about the importance of fostering a speak up culture, and most crucially, a culture devoid of retaliation. This exploration underscored the pivotal role of HR in championing ethical norms, thereby establishing a robust and effective compliance program.

Categories
GalloCast

Gallocast – Episode 8

Welcome to the GalloCast. You have heard of the Manningcast in football. Now we have the GalloCast in compliance. The two top brothers in compliance, Nick and Gio Gallo, come together for a free-form exploration of compliance topics. It is a great insight on compliance brought to you by the co-CEOs of Ethico. Fun, witty, and insightful with a dash of the two brothers throughout. It’s like listening to the Brothers Gallo talk compliance at the Sunday dinner table. Hosted by Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance.

In the Gallo Cast, host Tom Fox visits with brothers Nick and Gio Gallo to discuss topics from Silicon Valley Bank’s $200 billion accounting fraud to the importance of daddy-daughter dates. They debate the role of leadership and the importance of non-financial incentives for corporate compliance. Nick and Gio touch on discussions about risk and return in banking, the impact of social media, and the use of metrics for executive performance assessment. They urge people to reach out for help when struggling and encourage leaders to create a workplace that fosters connection, compassion and understanding. Listen to the GalloCast and find out how to be a better leader and a better person.

Key Highlights

·       The Impact of Low Interest Rates and Yield Chasing: Discussing the Silicon Valley Bank Collapse

·       The Impact of Silicon Valley Bank’s Composition of Depositors and Yield Chasing on the Stock Market Crash.

·       The Risks of Taking Big Swings: A Look at Silicon Valley Bank Leadership

·       The Role of a Bank’s Chief Risk Officer in Times of Crisis and the Implications of a Zero Interest Policy.

·       The return of capital and the risks to improve income for short-term gain.

·       The Role of Executive Leadership in setting Company Goals and Values.

·       Rewarding Compliance to Promote a Positive Culture

·       Corporate Transparency and Measures to Assess Compliance Team Performance

·       Measuring the Effectiveness of Compliance Teams

·       Creating Space to Talk About Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace

·       Creating an Empathetic Workplace for Stress Relief and Support

·       Creating a Comfortable and Supportive Workplace Environment

·       The Benefits of Creating Lasting Memories with Loved Ones

·       The Impact of Daddy-Daughter Activities on Emotional Bonding

Resources

Nick Gallo on LinkedIn

Gio Gallo on LinkedIn

Ethico

Tom Fox 

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