You can’t buy better internal controls than an engaged workforce. They know better than anyone else the day-to-day risks that could turn into an ethical or compliance disaster. Aaron Rubens, founder and CEO of employee appreciation platform Kudoboard, shares warning signs of a toxic culture and offers tips to boost engagement. N o internal control has ever been more effective than an employee alleviated workplace stress; on ļñÕËĔčļݲİŘʞĴļİÕĴĴõĴ²ļ²č²ĆĆʴ time high. Workers feel disconnected life balance (if people are not comfortable taking breaks, even for meals, this should be read as a distressing sign of imbalance) and gossip and other drama in the workplace. Additionally, a pervasive
saying, “This thing here seems odd — are we sure it’s right?” It’s effective because ÕČĭĆĔŘÕÕĴʰŖÕĆĆʴļݲõčÕÑʞŖÕʿİÕ assuming) know the risks to the organization better than anyone else. Moreover, an employee raising an ethical or compliance concern is an engaged employee who cares about the success of an organization. That’s what you want. The challenge for compliance leaders is to cultivate that culture of engagement. Not only do you need to keep employees aware of the risks your organization faces — you need them to want to speak up. Unfortunately, cultivating such a culture is no easy task — and it’s been getting harder in recent years, thanks to the shift to remote work that simmered ²ĆĔčëõčļñÕɿɽɾɽĴ²čÑļñÕč went into overdrive when the ĭ²čÑÕČõËĴļİŁËăõčɿɽɿɽʣ Consider new research from Gallup, which found that before the pandemic, 60% of employees who could work remotely still spent their week working fully ĔčʴĴõļÕʨÊŁļÊŘɿɽɿʀʞļñ²ļţëŁİÕ ñ²ÑÑİĔĭĭÕÑļĔɿɽ˫ʣ;²ĆĆŁĭ²ĆĴĔ found that remote work has not
from their company’s mission and values, while managers ²İÕĴļõĆĆİÕÕĆõčëêİĔČļñÕê²Ĵļʴ paced changes of the past several years. Gallup found that managers were more likely than čĔčʴČ²č²ëÕİĴļĔÊÕÊŁİčÕÑ out and in search of a new job. This is bad news, as malaise in management has a way of trickling down to the rank and ţĆÕʞ;²ĆĆŁĭĴ²õÑʣ This is a trend businesses must reverse if they want to prosper in the years ahead. A strong, engaged corporate culture is fundamental to a company’s success, and that means understanding (and ĴĭĔļļõčëʱļñÕİÕÑŤ²ëĴļñ²ļ˲č signal a faltering culture. Culture warning signs High employee turnover is a Ĵõëčõţ˲čļİÕÑŤ²ëļñ²ļĭĔõčļĴļĔ underlying dissatisfaction within a company’s culture. The signs can manifest in various ways, such as frequent resignations, indicating a lack of engagement among team members. Other signs of a culture in peril include unhealthy competition among team ČÕČÊÕİĴʞ²ËĆÕ²İĆ²ËăĔêŖĔİăʴ
sense of low morale may be discernible throughout the organization. To effectively address these issues, it’s crucial to delve into the root causes behind the dissatisfaction, which could range from inadequate communication channels to õčĴŁêţËõÕčļÕČĭĆĔŘÕÕʴËÕčļİõË policies. Unfriendly competition is ²čĔļñÕİİÕÑŤ²ëʞ²ĴõļËİÕ²ļÕĴ² divisive atmosphere, impeding collaboration and teamwork. Remedies include fostering a collaborative environment, recognizing and rewarding team achievements, and promoting a culture of support and mentorship. Positive change &ŕÕİŘÊŁĴõčÕĴĴõĴÑõêêÕİÕčļʞ and so is every company’s distinct workplace culture. For this reason, the steps companies take to create a positive culture will vary. But there are some measures every company can take which go a long way. These õčËĆŁÑÕʝ Offer feedback and
Leadership & Career | Cultural red flags
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