Tone From the Top

This time Eric talks about three practical areas to consider when evaluating and developing “tone from the top” at your organization. First, we examine what the expectations should be for the CEO or top executive of the organization. The CEO should be “present” in a real way and this can be measured by both the frequency and content of messaging. We talk about specific issues that CEO’s can speak to, including retaliation, and how these specific, practical messages can have a real impact. Secondly, we talk about the importance of a diversity of messages and messengers. Making sure there is broad involvement in compliance communication from leadership throughout the organization including operational business units. Lastly, we talk about a often underutilized resource and voice for “tone from the top”: the board of directors. If you have an engaged board, harness that energy and interest to get them to communicate to the organization about the important matters of compliance and ethics. This can be really effective and can help[ strengthen those bonds between the compliance program and the board. Join us for our free November webinar on risk-based compliance and ethics programs.