Ethics Communications
Best Practices Report
Best Practices in Ethics Communications
The Ethisphere Institute, in collaboration with AECOM
Technology Corp. and General Electric, hosted a “Best
Practices in Ethics Communications Workshop” in New York
City on June 19, 2012.
The workshop, which was geared toward communications
executives, featured several recognized leaders in the
corporate communications profession and attracted
95 participants from companies such as AECOM, Aflac,
American Express, Boeing, Cigna, Edelman, Eli Lilly and
Company, Fluor Corporation, Fox News, General Electric,
The Hartford, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, PRWeek magazine
and TD Bank — along with the Emory University Center for
Ethics and the U.S. Navy.
Ethics as a key driver of corporate reputation was the main
focus of the interactive workshop. Internal communication
strategies to create an ethical business culture and engage
staff were highlighted during the workshop, as were
external communication programs emphasizing ethics as a
differentiating brand attribute.
The agenda kicked off with a keynote address from Richard
Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman, who discussed the
2012 Edelman Trust Barometer. Most workshop presenters
hailed from a variety of firms on Ethisphere’s annual list of
the World’s Most Ethical Companies, and included AECOM,
Aflac, Fluor, General Electric, the Panama Canal Authority
and Realogy, among others. Presenters emphasized
corporate culture, transparency, creative communications,
diversity and inclusion, digital media, and humor as
important to promoting a culture of ethics.
Paul Gennaro, SVP and chief
communications officer, AECOM
Participants discussed the
topics of the day.
“The workshop exceeded all expectations and has generated
sustained positive coverage,” said Paul Gennaro, AECOM’s
senior vice president and chief communications officer. “More
importantly, I believe it has elevated the dialogue around the
ability — and responsibility — of communications leaders
to build trust within our respective organizations, for our
customers and clients, and within society as a whole.”
Expert panelists included Rear Admiral Dennis Moynihan, U.S.
Navy Chief of Information; Mike Paul, president and senior
counselor, MGP & Associates PR; Dana Perino, Fox News
commentator and former White House press secretary; and
Jennifer Prosek, CEO and founder, Prosek Partners. A breakout
session led by Dr. Edward Queen, director of the Ethics and
Servant Leadership Program, The Center for Ethics, Emory
University, challenged attendees to respond to the social trust
and technology issues of today.
Roger Bolton, president of the Arthur W. Page Society,
highlighted the afternoon, presenting the “New Model for
Corporate Communications.” The event concluded with an
analysis of key lessons learned during the workshop by Alex
Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere Institute; Jack
Martin, global chairman and CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies;
and Gary Sheffer, vice president of communications and public
affairs for General Electric.
“Trust starts with us — as does rebuilding it, which society greatly
needs right now,” Gennaro said. “Our profession is uniquely
positioned to rebuild trust — and create advocacy at scale.”
Industry leaders shared insights and ideas
during the expert panel discussion.
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Richard Edelman, president
and CEO of Edelman
Public relations luminary Richard Edelman, president and
CEO of Edelman, delivered the keynote remarks for the
“Best Practices in Ethics Communications Workshop.”
Edelman discussed findings and implications from his
firm’s 2012 Trust Barometer, which measures trust in
government, business, media and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). He showed trends in data,
revealing that there is growing distrust around the world.
Nearly twice as many countries are now falling into the
“skeptics” category and three out of the four institutions
are declining in trust, specifically in government,
business and NGOs. Government proved to be especially
distrusted, with a record drop to 38 percent, down from
49 percent year over year.
Despite the discouraging findings, Edelman
recommends the best way to move forward is for the
organizations and individuals alike to put a heavy
emphasis on ethics and integrity. “There’s what you can
do and what you should do,” said Edelman. “We should
exercise principle-based leadership.”
Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman
“We should exercise
principle-based leadership.”
Key findings of the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer*:
– Trust in three of four institutions declined, while only
trust in media rose.
– There was a record decline in trust in government.
– Several mature economies have seen double-digit
drops in trust in business; though trust in business in
the U.S. is steady.
– Although U.S. trust in several industries is similar
to global levels, the country’s trust in banks is
significantly lower than its global peers.
– Banks are trusted in China and India, yet distrusted in
Europe, the U.S. and parts of Asia.
– Trust in technology remains high in all markets.
*All data refers to the Informed Public audience unless otherwise noted.
– Government is now trusted by less than half of the
population in 17 out of 25 countries.
– NGOs are still the most trusted institution, despite
some drops around the globe.
– Credibility of CEOs and government officials has
plummeted, while credibility in peers and regular
employees has seen a dramatic rise.
– CEO credibility has returned to 2009 levels.
– Government leaders are less trusted by the general
population than business leaders when it comes to
telling the truth in most markets, including the U.S.
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Aflac
Aflac, named one of Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical
Companies for the sixth year in a row, places great value
on practicing what you preach and making examples out
of both good and bad behavior. Aflac’s Laura Kane, vice
president of corporate communications, spoke about how
focusing on a corporate culture that emphasizes more
than simply being a good company is “The Aflac Way.”
According to Kane, this consists of doing what is right
and not just what is required; listening to employees,
customers and shareholders; and embedding the basic
tenets of ethics into everything they do.
At the conference, Kane shared a behind-the-scenes look
at the actions leading up to Aflac’s much-publicized firing
of spokesperson Gilbert Gottfried. In March 2011, Kane
received a series of phone calls from reporters regarding
comments Gottfried made on his Twitter handle about
the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Kane spoke on how
the decision to fire Gottfried was done in essentially 45
minutes, without hesitation, since his jokes were made in
bad taste and did not align with the ethical culture Aflac
promotes. “We can forgive honest mistakes,” Kane said,
“but we can never forgive unethical behavior.”
Laura Kane, vice president of corporate
communications, Aflac
“We can forgive
honest mistakes, but
we can never forgive
unethical behavior.”
Ultimately, in a creative move for the company, Aflac was
able to use the incident to spark an international casting
call, open to the public, to replace the famous duck’s voice.
What makes a company ethical according to Aflac:
– Doing what is right and not just what is required.
– Listening to employees, customers and shareholders.
– Looking at the root cause of honest mistakes and
adjusting processes if necessary.
– Making examples of people who do the right thing and
those who do not.
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Realogy
Realogy — a global provider of real estate services
consisting of brands such as Better Homes and Gardens,
Century 21 and Coldwell Banker, among others —
shared its experience of receiving the World’s Most
Ethical Companies designation. Mark Panus, senior
vice president of corporate communications, walked
participants through the corporate culture that the
designation reflects, as well as his action points for
effectively communicating a focus on ethics to employees
and internal clients.
One aspect of Realogy’s communications strategy after
receiving the award was to roll out a new slogan, stating
“Ethics…we believe it, we live it, we deliver on it. It’s who
we are.” Panus stated that the slogan not only helped
celebrate the accomplishment, but it also ingrained
in employees the commitment that Realogy has to
maintaining an ethical culture. “We wanted to show our
employees that being named a World’s Most Ethical
Company was more than just a great recognition and
award, we wanted to make the point that it’s embedded in
our culture, and we wanted to reinforce that concept.”
Mark Panus, senior vice president
of corporate communications, Realogy
“We realized our
employees have a
sense of humor.”
Other tactics included blogs, CEO messages and posters.
Panus also shared with the audience “we realized our
employees have a sense of humor,” which turned out to
be a constant theme from the day. Panus was the first
of many presenters to share successful results coming
out of informal and open dialogue, sprinkled with humor,
which effectively brought messages home for employees.
Realogy’s recommendations for internal communications strategies:
– Don’t assume understanding — ensure it.
– Over-communicate (Use the ECHO effect, Every Contact
Has Opportunity).
– Tone from the top matters — CEO involvement is
critically important.
– Use multiple communications channels.
– Engage employees with bold visuals.
– Give employees a reason to talk about ethics.
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AECOM
Susan Frank, vice president and assistant general
counsel for global compliance, and Paul Dickard, vice
president of external communications, discussed lessons
learned from AECOM’s Global Ethics Week. Inspired in
part by AECOM’s inclusion on the Ethisphere Institute’s
2011 list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies
(WMEC), AECOM — a global provider of professional
technical and management support services to a broad
range of markets, including transportation, facilities,
environmental, energy, water and government in
more than 130 countries — celebrated its inaugural
Global Ethics Week in September 2011 with an
array of employee activities around the world.
Susan Frank, vice president and assistant
general counsel, global compliance, AECOM
Global Ethics Week activities kicked off at the enterprise
level with a company-wide message from AECOM’s
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John M. Dionisio.
AECOM also produced the Ethics in Action program,
a series of short videos and interactive modules
designed to help AECOM employees understand ethical
business conduct and how it relates to their specific
responsibilities. Other video productions released during
Global Ethics Week included one featuring employees
from around the globe speaking about ethics and
integrity, and two CEO videos (the CEO participating in a
panel discussion and the CEO participating at the New
Paul Dickard, vice president of
external communications, AECOM
York Stock Exchange bell-ringing ceremony with other
WMEC executives). In addition, AECOM conducted a
webcast with a noted corporate ethics thought leader,
and produced and disseminated office posters globally.
Lastly, employees were invited to participate in
the Ethics + Compliance Quiz that tested their
understanding of ethical behavior. Taken together, the
activities of Global Ethics Week helped underscore the
importance of integrity as AECOM’s paramount core
value and an inherent part of the company’s culture.
Key features of AECOM’s Ethics in Action program:
Tone at the Top:
– Active engagement by CEO and senior leadership in
setting ethics as a priority and supporting compliance.
Geography focused:
– Ethics + Compliance committees ensure that
training, policies and guidance address the legal,
regulatory and cultural aspects of the business.
Training:
– Code of Conduct is mandatory for all employees
and is currently available in 12 languages.
– Multifaceted approach to anti-corruption training.
Communication:
– Ethics + Compliance regular features on
myAECOM (intranet) and regular updates
to Ethics + Compliance website.
– Popular live training vignettes on myAECOM
(intranet) with language subtitles.
Certification:
– Since 2010, all employees using the company’s
online Performance Management system
must certify that they’ve read, understood
and abide by the Code of Conduct.
Resources:
– Ethics + Compliance staff and resources
have doubled in the past year.
Capabilities:
– Three full-time, certified investigators work
collaboratively in Audit Services.
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Panama Canal Authority
Ana María P. de Chiquilani, vice president of
corporate affairs and the ethics officer of
the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), brought
the unique perspective of demonstrating
how ethics play a vital role within a
government entity. She spoke about the
strong commitment to ethics the ACP
displays, where culture, transparency
and communication are key — which is
demonstrated by honesty and transparency
being core values of the organization.
Ana María P. de Chiquilani, vice president of corporate
affairs and ethics officer, Panama Canal Authority
The ACP promotes extreme accountability by
making information available to everyone at
any time. Transparency through its website is a
key element that has helped to gain trust and
recognition as an ethical organization. For the
ACP, all tender documents are available online,
such as proposals received; information
regarding the winning and losing of contracts;
contracting regulations; a list of all employees,
their positions and salaries; and all financial
information surrounding employee travel
events. “Sharing information is continuous
with all stakeholders,” said Chiquilani.
“Anything you want to know about the Panama
Canal is available to the general public.”
Chiquilani credits dedication to providing
maximum clarity around processes
and regulations, along with increased
accountability, as prominent factors that
strengthened the ACP’s reputation as an
ethical entity. “Our contracting regulations
are very clear — we not only explain to
interested parties what they have to submit
and how things should be submitted, but
we also spell out exactly what is prohibited
and what the consequences are if there is a
violation, as well as what the consequences
are if someone is debarred from doing
business with ACP.”
The ACP’s 21 quarterly reports, 10 reports to
the nation and its well-populated website
are all examples of the organization’s
deep commitment to continually
communicate the expansion project’s
progress to stakeholders. Relationships
with stakeholders are incredibly important
as the ACP considers its reputation its
most valuable asset and, therefore, such
relationships are based on transparency and
continuous communication.
Employees at the ACP are held to the highest
standards of ethical behavior, which is
mirrored by management’s commitment to
acting ethically in all decisions regarding
their staff. “If anybody violates the trust
of the organization, no matter how small,
the consequence is termination.” Similarly,
the ACP shows continual commitment to
its employees to promote and hire based
on merit, rather than such decisions being
driven by political influences. At the ACP,
relationships with employees are of the
utmost importance. It strives to always treat
employees with respect.
The Panama Canal Authority has implemented a successful
management model. Some key elements are:
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Legal framework.
Transparent procurement.
Labor regime based on merit.
Emphasis on the ethical conduct of employees.
Strong internal controls.
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Authority, responsibility and accountability.
Good practices of corporate governance.
Independence and authority of the Inspector General.
Committed workforce with a strong ethical culture.
Expert Panel Discussion
The panel discussion, moderated by Tim Erblich, president, Corpedia,
an NYSE Euronext company, featured four communications
professionals with diverse areas of expertise, including: Rear Admiral
Dennis Moynihan, U.S. Navy chief of information; Mike Paul, president
and senior counselor of MGP & Associates PR; Dana Perino, Fox News
correspondent and former White House press secretary; and Jennifer
Prosek, chief executive officer and founder of Prosek Partners.
Rear Admiral Dennis Moynihan,
U.S. Navy chief of information
Mike Paul, president and senior
counselor of MGP & Associates PR
The panelists discussed the issues communicators face in today’s
environment, such as the:
– Risks and rewards of using social media.
– Importance of employee engagement.
– Need for transparency in organizations.
– Building a strong ethical culture.
– Gaining trust with internal and external audiences.
– Delivering value in the organization.
Moynihan stressed the importance of transparency as a key to
rebuilding trust and reputation, especially in times of crisis. “Tell
people what you know, when you know it — even when it’s bad news,”
Moynihan advised. Prosek added that communicating bad news is
crucial to building trust internally with employees.
Although panelists agreed that social media provides an interactive,
engaging platform to tell a story both inside and outside of an
organization, there are also risks involved. “We all must remember
social media is still more of a tactic than a global strategy in crisis
communications and reputation management,” said Paul. “The general
rules of ethics, morality and truth in decision making remain the same for
all audiences. However, the world sees and hears our errors, lies and fraud
quicker and more broadly than ever before,” he continued.
Dana Perino, Fox News correspondent and
former White House press secretary
Perino noted that while government communications professionals
always have a seat at the table, that isn’t always the case for
corporations. Despite varying backgrounds and viewpoints, it was
unanimous among panelists that getting a seat at the table is of
utmost importance for communications professionals in every sector.
Jennifer Prosek, chief executive officer
and founder of Prosek Partners
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Breakout Session
The breakout session led by Dr. Edward Queen, director
of the Ethics and Servant Leadership Program, The
Center for Ethics, Emory University, challenged
attendees to identify and respond to the social trust and
technology issues of today.
Dr. Queen prompted participants to engage in a wideranging conversation about the key issues that had been
visited throughout the workshop, such as:
– Addressing the global collapse of trust in institutions.
– Creating a corporate culture with an engaged and
ethical workforce.
– Maintaining ethical standards in an intercultural
environment.
– Acknowledging and rewarding employees for ethical
behavior.
– Responding to emerging technology and social media.
– Establishing the role of communications in leadership.
Dr. Edward Queen, director of the Ethics and
Servant Leadership Program, The Center for
Ethics, Emory University
Participants were invited to brainstorm and share their
personal best practices and insights on the key issues
facing the profession today. Some trends and concepts
that emerged from the brainstorming session for
establishing better communications practices were:
– Employees are more likely to report unethical
behavior when they are empowered to voice opinions
and communicate (via social media, blogs, etc.) on
organizational processes that foster an engaging and
friendly work environment.
– It is essential to create an environment where
employees are encouraged to bring their “whole self”
to the workplace and foster creativity and diversity.
– Use social media to create consistent messages
throughout all departments and areas.
– Despite being transparent, honest and forthright,
some industries are positioned to face public
criticism via social media.
– Internal transparency should be just as important as
external transparency.
– The message has to be clear, consistent and believed
by the audience in order for it to be effective.
Workshop participants shared ideas and best
practices during the breakout session.
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General Electric
General Electric (GE) maintains an ethical workplace
by making ethics and compliance the foundation of
their culture. “While our business spans many different
industries and we are in many different countries, one of
the things we can all share is our culture,” said presenter
Ellen Morgenstern, manager of citizenship communications.
Morgenstern teamed up with Reyna Torrecillas, GE’s senior
manager for compliance and regulatory matters, to present
a multidimensional view of ethics communications —
stressing the value of engaging employees as storytellers
and using humor in the workplace.
Ellen Morgenstern, manager of
citizenship communications,
General Electric
GE’s corporate communications team was challenged
to translate corporate compliance content and
provide a framework that was relevant to the different
cultures within the global organization. Partnering
with compliance leaders from across the company, the
corporate communications team introduced regional
contests in Asia, India and Latin America for which
employees created videos and stories representing their
interpretation of compliance content. The videos were
then submitted and voted on by other employees to
determine a winner.
Reyna Torrecillas, senior manager
of compliance and regulatory,
General Electric
“Without communications,
many of these ideas for
changing the approach to
compliance wouldn’t happen.”
The contest was well received by employees and promoted
open compliance discussions while driving awareness of
the importance of integrity and compliance in business.
The corporate communications team provided a key role
in the success of the program. Torrecillas stated that,
“The partnership with the communications team has
been fundamental — without communications, many
of these ideas for changing the approach to compliance
wouldn’t happen.”
General Electric’s program must-haves for establishing a successful
ethics-centered contest include:
– Stating clear objectives and requirements.
– Allowing employees the ability to work individually or
as part of a team.
– Utilizing the opportunity to use local language.
– Establishing employee engagement through
crowdsourcing to identify the winner.
– Awarding a prize to the winner.
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Fluor Corporation
Fluor Corporation — an engineering, procurement,
project management, construction and maintenance
company, serving governments and clients around the
world — promotes ethics in a business-to-business
environment by maintaining the family values on which it
was founded. Operating in an industry where corruption
is a challenge around the globe, Fluor has taken a stand
against corruption by making ethics the foundation of its
corporate culture.
“Corruption impacts all of us,” Fluor’s Keith Stephens,
senior director of corporate affairs, said during his
presentation. “It impacts our ability to do business and
increases prices by 10 percent.” He also stated that the
World Bank estimated that 5 percent of global gross
domestic product is lost to corruption and graft.
Keith Stephens, senior director of
corporate affairs, Fluor Corporation
In response to corruption data in the construction and
engineering industry, Fluor’s CEO initiated a task force at
the World Economic Forum called the Partnership Against
Corruption Initiative (PACI). Developed by companies for
companies, the PACI facilitates policies and procedures
that help prevent, detect and address ethical issues,
as well as provide a platform for organizations to come
together and share best practices.
“Corruption impacts
all of us.”
Partnership Against Corruption Initiative principals of ethical behavior have allowed Fluor
Corporation to set standards and policies to implement internally, such as:
– Initiating a zero-tolerance policy in all levels of
the organization.
– Securing board and executive buy-in.
– Setting up an open-door policy for reporting
unethical behavior.
– Initiating an externally-driven, 24-hour hotline for
reporting unethical behavior.
– Translating the business-wide code of conduct and
collateral materials into multiple languages.
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The New Model for
Corporate Communications
Roger Bolton, president of the Arthur W. Page Society
— an organization that aims to enhance the enterprise
leadership role of the chief communications officer —
discussed the changing environment and lack of trust in
institutions, as well as how corporate communications
professionals can go beyond compliance to bring an
ethical culture to the forefront of their organization.
During the presentation, Bolton spoke about rebuilding
trust by being ethical. “For companies that want to
succeed in this era of radical transparency and power of
stakeholders, it’s really important to be worthy of trust,”
he said, “and that means you have to be authentic.”
The changing, uncertain environment poses threats and
risks to enterprise reputation and brand. However, with
these threats come opportunities to reach stakeholders
in new and innovative ways, advance policy interest, build
enterprise brand and, ultimately, enhance reputation.
Roger Bolton, president,
Arthur W. Page Society
“For companies that want to succeed
in this era of radical transparency
and power of stakeholders, it’s really
important to be worthy of trust.”
The Arthur W. Page Society’s principles of authentic advocacy, which provide a
framework for organizations to begin rebuilding public confidence, include:
– Build an authentic enterprise, grounded in a sense of
mission and values.
– Maintain a strong corporate character that represents
the organization’s beliefs, values and purpose.
– Align business interest with public interest in a
meaningful way.
– Build authentic advocacy based on shared beliefs.
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Key Takeaways Discussion
The event concluded with a key takeaways discussion
where Alex Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere
Institute; Jack Martin, global chairman and chief
executive officer of Hill+Knowlton Strategies; and Gary
Sheffer, vice president, communications and public
affairs, General Electric; weighed in on the topics
of the day and provided insight for future corporate
communications practices, such as:
– More leaders need to stand up and talk about their
companies.
– It is essential to capture the opportunity to engage with
the public — even on topics that may be uncomfortable
or difficult to explain.
– Practitioners need more skills to communicate in
today’s environment, especially when digital and social
media require an additional skill set.
– Behavioral science is as important to corporate
communications as it is necessary to understand
how people are persuaded and how they consume
information.
– More chief communications officers and
communications leaders need to provide guidance to
their CEOs.
– Create a culture where employees feel comfortable
speaking out against unethical behavior.
Far Left: Gary Sheffer, vice president of
communications and public affairs,
General Electric
Middle: Jack Martin, global chairman and
CEO, Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Right: Alex Brigham, executive director,
Ethisphere Institute
The group emphasized the importance of building a
strong corporate culture with ethics at its core. “Ethics
is one of those topics that when you claim you have it,
people start to doubt that you do,” Sheffer said. “You can’t
be sort of transparent or have a little integrity — you have
to be all in.”
“You can’t be sort of
transparent or have
a little integrity —
you have to be all in.”
Martin proposed the idea of one public, citing that social
media and technology have enabled more people to
have access to the same information and that corporate
communications professionals should adjust their
messaging accordingly. “If we think our employees are not
responding to what they see in the world as opposed to
what they’re getting in the corporate newsletter, I think
we are all foolish,” Martin said.
The group also stressed that the public’s demand for ethical
behavior has increased and that corporate communications
executives need to think strategically on how to respond to
that demand. “Transparency is here to stay,” Brigham said.
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