The Importance of ABC Training
This resource will explore what constitutes an effective Anti-Bribery and Corruption (ABC) Program.
How to approach bribery and corruption
In most, if not all jurisdictions, bribery, and corruption is illegal. In this respect, contracts of employment and workplace policies, like codes of conduct, often prohibited any form of bribery and corruption. However, when considering what forms an effective approach to combatting bribery and corruption, simply having a stated position that such conduct is prohibited arguably does not go far enough. As a result, organisations need to consider how they can ensure that they have put in place effective controls to prevent bribery and corruption taking place.
Protect your most valuable assets with our industry-leading whistleblower hotline program.
Protect your most valuable assets with our industry-leading whistleblower hotline program.
How is your Whistleblower Program stacking up? Find out with a 2-min quiz:
The question that follows therefore is what constitutes an effective Anti-Bribery and Corruption (ABC) Program? Although there are numerous controls (most of which are effective in one way or another) to support an ABC Program, fundamentally, four main controls should be implemented to act as the primary shield against bribery and corruption.
Four main controls to support an ABC Program
- The development of an ABC Policy which clearly defines key terms and sets out the expected standard of behaviour.
- Implementing reporting channels, such as a hotline, for individuals to confidentiality speak up about suspected or actual instances of bribery and corruption within the organisation.
- Training for executives and senior leaders on the ABC Program. This helps to ensure that the right tone from the top is set and so that these senior leaders within the organisation can act as champions for the ABC Program.
- Training for all staff on the ABC Program. This provides all staff with a baseline understanding of what bribery and corruption is, what the organisation expects from them in terms of their conduct and what they need to do (and how to do it) should they suspect that an individual within or connected to the organisation is committing bribery and/or corruption.
Why use these four pillars?
While other controls, such as internal audit, can be highly effective, the four controls above act as the ‘pillars’ of any successful ABC Program. Often, organisations find the implementation of a ABC Policy and standing up a hotline to be relatively easy tasks to do, however, neglect the importance of training staff and leaders on the ABC Program. This is often a by-product of a lack of capability or capacity to develop programs or the uncertainty / difficulty to lock in days to conduct training.
Unfortunately, failing to implement and carry out training can lead to a devaluation of an ABC Program. This is because staff and leaders need to understand what anti-corruption means and why it is important and make personal commitments to ethical behaviour. Undertaking ABC training for all staff will ensure that the organisation’s staff is fully educated about bribery and corruption and their various forms, the implications of taking a bribe or acting in a corrupt manner and how instances of such behaviour can be reported.
Importantly, whether the training is being conducted for senior leaders or general staff, for the ABC training to be effective, it needs to resonate with the participants. This means that individuals need to relate to the material presented in their training
We already help people speak up at:
Why Core Integrity?
- Clients choose us because of our deep experience in whistleblowing.
- As your long-term integrity partner, we want to assist you in building a positive workplace culture that translates into employee satisfaction and retention.
- We understand that no two organisations are the same, and neither are their whistleblower and integrity programs.
- Our whistleblower hotline service is an independent and fully managed service that not only helps you be compliant, but also helps you create a safe speak up culture across the whole organisation.
- Our team works with you to design, implement and manage the best whistleblower hotline program to suit your organisation from a legislative, operational and cultural perspective.
- The experts at Core Integrity have significant experience at tailoring ethics hotline programs to suit any business, across corporate, government and professional sports. Big or small – we get you.
The importance of proactivity
In summary, organisations should be proactive in organising training for leaders and all staff on their ABC Programs. Where possible, face-to-face training is always preferred as it gives the opportunity for interactive sessions where key learnings and principles can be imbedded through discussions and case studies. However, practically this may not be possible, especially in the context of the all staff training in large organisations. As a result, organisations may have to take a pragmatic approach where face-to-face training is conducted for senior leaders and a learning module approach is undertaken for all staff.
Is your organisation's Whistleblower Policy up to date?
Call now: 1300 020 380
