Ethics training programs have been spurred by corporate scandals, many companies have started establishing codes of ethics governing the way they operate. Ethics training is getting popular with the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which requires publicly traded companies to disclose whether they have adopted a code of ethics for senior officers.

Ethics Training Program Overview

Many corporations begin ethics training to comply with legal requirements. While that is a strong rationale, the training may also improve employee morale, recruitment and retention.

The most important component of any ethics training program is senior management's continued public commitment to it. Ethics are important to all companies, and a major breach in ethics can result in a profound loss of customers, credibility, reputation and valued employees. Many companies know the importance of ethics for the company and has formulated the code of ethics, however, the leaders of those companies were not following their own policies, and many people within those organizations knew it. All the ethics training in the world won't help if your leaders don't live it.

Ethics Training Program Strategy

Set up corporate code of ethics: To make ethics training program effective, company should first set standards for ethical behavior at organization and determine what you want the training to accomplish, the training must be mandatory for all employees. Ethics training should include the following: a copy of the organization's code of ethics, a discussion of relevant compliance laws, an ethical decision-making model, resources for help and role-playing scenarios.

Educate Employees: Employees should receive a copy of the code of ethics and should understand the underlying meaning. An effective ethics training program should cover five elements: responsibility, respect, fairness, honesty and compassion. Your company's code of ethics should define these elements and set the appropriate behavioral standard.