Ethics Training

To develop ethical employees and prevent ethics scandals from occurring, organizations are increasingly using ethics training as part of broader ethics and compliance programs. The use of ethics training has grown substantially, particularly since the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the revision of U.S. federal sentencing guidelines in 2004. Now, over 75% of employees report that their companies provide ethics training.

Ethics training refers to training designed to promote ethical behavior and prevent behaviors that are harmful to organizations or society or contrary to professional standards. Such behaviors include theft, conflicts of interest, and bribery, which fall under broader constructs such as unethical behavior and counterproductive work behavior. Ethics training can be offered as corporate training, professional training (e.g., training as part of professional licensure requirements), or ...