Takeaways from the 2023 Global Ethics Summit

What did we all learn from the 2023 Ethisphere‘s Global Ethics Summit? Here are a few takeaways:
 
On culture surveys….
✔ DO be thoughtful about the timing and frequency of sending surveys to your employees.
❌ DON’T generate results more often than your team is equipped to respond. Hold your own department accountable to maintain credibility (a thoughtful dialogue with Suzanne Libby and the Ethisphere team 👍).
 
On ESG…
❌ DON’T think of ESG as a regulatory requirement.
✔ DO think of ESG as a way to tell your company’s story.
 
On incentivizing the right behavior…
❌ DON’T only focus on sharing the consequences when someone didn’t speak up.
✔ DO share stories of employees who are brave, live the company’s values, and do the right thing (great insight from Adam Balfour and the “Claws, Carrots & Sticks” panel)
 
On assessing risk…
✔ DO train your business on the three lines of defense – this framework can be a powerful tool to engage and empower the right leaders to own, assess, and remediate risk.
❌ DON’T blur the 2nd and 3rd lines when partnering with internal audit – the 3rd line must remain independent to produce unbiased and objective analysis (words of wisdom from “3LoD Evangelist” Amber Hall 🏆).
 
💡Think of the compliance organization as the “Office of Common Sense”. Keep it simple. Design and build your programs with agility to meet where your company is today and protect it for where it wants to go tomorrow.
 
Pictured: Artemis Advisory founder joins actors from The Second City at the Global Ethics Summit for an improv routine featuring compliance scenarios in the workplace.