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3. Communicate your vision
Companies that are most successful in promoting ethics make it a top priority from the time people are hired. In fact, public firms are required to actively communicate their written code of ethics under provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Orientation and training programs may include role-plays, videos, games and other activities to reinforce standards at the firm. Additionally, leaders may address the topic regularly in their meetings, speeches and presentations. An effective way to generate open discussion about ethics in your group is to share situations that may have come up in your own work – maybe you dealt with an unscrupulous hardware vendor or debated whom to tell about a confidential issue. Your real-life examples may spur those on your staff to share their challenges on the job and discuss related issues.
4. Make it safe to report wrongdoing
As much as you may promote ethics in your IT department, your efforts won't be successful if employees don't have an easy and safe channel for reporting violations or questionable situations. While Sarbanes-Oxley requires such measures for public companies, you may want to implement similar reporting procedures even if your firm is not publicly held. Make sure your environment is one in which employees can deliver bad news to management without fear of negative career repercussions. People also should know that their supervisors will take immediate action and investigate claims.
Overall, make sure that rules are applied consistently throughout the group. An IT manager who violates policies should be subject to the same consequences as a level-one help desk professional.
Employees have a responsibility to uphold the highest of ethical standards. The "right thing" isn't always the easiest one, so make sure you are giving them clear guidance on how to manage challenging situations, particularly the smaller quandaries, such as what to do when learning a coworker secretly took home a company laptop for personal use. With ongoing discussion and reinforcement of key principles, your staff will know expectations and what is considered appropriate action. Let your team set the example in the company by acting with integrity and professionalism at all times.
Reprinted by permission from Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis. Robert Half Technology has more than 100 locations in North America, South America, Asia and Europe, and offers online job search services at http://www.rht.com.
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