Ethics

The case of Steve Easterbrook, the former CEO of McDonald’s, is a salutary lesson in the dire consequences of failing to be fully transparent with investigators in the hope that one may be able to “get away with it,” writes Lloydette Bai-Marrow, an anti-corruption expert and economic crime lawyer. What can the failures of Easterbrook and McDonald’s teach us about...

A pandemic-era increase in workplace bullying continued in 2022, according to a report from business think-tank Ethisphere, which found that most other types of misconduct declined when compared to the period before Covid-19. Ethisphere’s 2023 Ethical Culture Report found a nearly 13-point increase in the percentage of workers who said they’d witnessed workplace bullying, and bullying surged to become the...

Though its name has origins on the playground, bullying is a very real (and risky) concern in the workplace. Morale, productivity and retention all hang in the balance when workplace culture turns toxic, and the toll extends to the bottom line, too. Attorneys and workplace investigators Alezah Trigueros and Garrett Smith with Oppenheimer Investigations Group talk about what bullying looks...

While 2022 had no shortage of chaotic events, ethics columnist Lisa Schor Babin shares her hopes for 2023 — and beyond. 2022 was quite a year, with a continuous news stream of bad behavior, human tragedy and natural disaster, and 2023 is unlikely to be any quieter. Yet, amidst this backdrop of chaos and calamity, we’d be remiss not to...

You don’t have to look far in society to realize that as the generations change from Generation X through Y now to Generation Z (with Generation Alpha behind them), the ethics of the common person are changing. Ethics and compliance consultant Calvin London talks about the impact on ethical behavior and the ability to create a positive culture and a...

One of the challenges for the mindfully ethical leader is finding ways to connect during the holiday season without violating gifts and entertainment limits or making the other person uncomfortable. How can you give this season without running afoul of ethics policies? Both at work and at home, we often give gifts to establish or strengthen our connection with others....

Brazil’s presidential contest will head to a two-man runoff election later this month, but if any observers had hopes for an anti-corruption movement to take hold in the country, Victoria Abut says the only thing that can’t win this election is transparency. On Oct. 2, the first round of Brazil’s presidential election failed to produce a single winner, and the...

When assessing your ethics and compliance program, it seems only natural to look at each individual plank on its own, but as compliance expert and attorney Michael Volkov explains, this approach could fail to surface issues with program elements that don’t work in concert with one another. We often hear about the “essential” elements of effective ethics and compliance programs....

Companies large and small are expected to deepen their focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs over the next several years. But as Janet M. Stovall and Evynn McFalls of NeuroLeadership Institute explain, going beyond lip service means committing to constant improvement efforts. Several months after a splashy public announcement about advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, a company promoted...

Embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned after a revolt in his own party. While the political repercussions of Johnson’s tenure, especially how it ended, will be felt mostly within the UK, Miller & Chevalier’s Alejandra Montenegro Almonte and Nicole Gökçebay share what compliance and ethics lessons can be gleaned from the ordeal. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation has certainly...

Boris Johnson has long had a strained relationship with ethics. But when details of a previous ethical lapse came to light, it further illustrated how disconnected he is from any sense of ethical behavior. Human Risk founder Christian Hunt shares his insights. Here’s an ethics lesson courtesy UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson who, according to a now-unpublished article in The...

Sound governance must encourage those who see something to say something. But that’s easier said than done. In this excerpt from his upcoming book, “Standing Up to China: How a Whistleblower Risked Everything for His Country,” former ZTE general counsel Ashley Yablon shares the fallout of trying to do the right thing. Yablon had served as general counsel to Chinese...