Boring Ethics Training Doesn't Work!
Article by: Terry Clancy
You're ready to go to bed and thoughts of the upcoming day fill your head. Same old, same old you think as you go through your mental checklist. Suddenly, you get that feeling of butterflies in your stomach. You fill with anticipation and joy as you remember that tomorrow is no ordinary day. There is a special meeting for all employees. Yes, it's that time again… mandatory corporate ethics training.
What do you mean, you don't like ethics training? What's the reason for that attitude? Is it because the ethics trainings you've been to are boring and led by someone reading from your corporate Code of Ethics Handbook? The same handbook you were supposed to have read on your own and, in fact, signed a document stating as much?
Unfortunately, all too often ethics training is conducted in this manner. There is such a negative tone to these meetings. You're told what not to do and the consequences for deviating from the Code of Ethics. When organizations are trying to increase ethical behavior, how effective are such trainings?
Most people learn more and remember longer when they are engaged, participate and have fun during the process of learning. Ethics/Compliance training can be fun when real life scenarios are presented to the attendees and together with the trainer they arrive at that answer for what is ethical and unethical. Standing in front of people lecturing to them will not leave a lasting impression, at least not a positive one and they will most certainly not remember much of the material presented.
One question I like to ask the groups I address is “Got Ethics?” Ethics is a word we all use and think we know, but do we all have the same understanding? After speaking with thousands of professionals I found that most people don't really get ethics. They confuse ethics with morality or legality when, in fact, they are three different concepts. From this starting point it then becomes possible to discuss ethical and unethical behavior as a group. We focus on the positive outcomes of ethical behavior, how it can increase your sales or customer service scores, combat negative public perception about your industry, make you a better employee and a better person in your personal life.
Making ethics real to people makes it stick. They no longer see ethics as just a bunch of rules to follow and instead see it as the right thing to do. They understand and internalize that ethical behavior will help everyone involved. Internalization of ethical behavior should be the goal of all ethics trainings.
For more information on ethics training for your employees please contact Terry Clancy at tclancy@onwardeducation.com.
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