Every organization wants a culture where people feel safe speaking up, asking questions, and doing the right thing. But how do you make that happen, especially if your org is BIG, and your team and budget are small?
An Ethics Ambassador (EA) program might be the answer. Think of them like your boots on the ground—they are trusted peers who serve as an extension of your compliance team ultimately helping you build a culture of integrity from the inside out.
As covered in Part I, thoughtfully structuring your program and finding the right people will tailor your EA program’s function to meet your compliance needs. So, let’s take a deeper dive into those two ideas.
So, where do you start? The most crucial step is to define your program’s purpose. What do you want your EAs to do? Will they be a communication channel? Conduct lunch-and-learns? Or will they encourage and support your Speak-up Program? (Or, any combination of these?)
➡️ Need help with that? Check out Jennifer’s blog post on setting up SMART goals! This method will help you identify the needs that your EAs can help you address.
Once you have a clear vision, you can start building the framework.
The Foundation: Your Program Charter
Before you do anything else, you need to put together your charter. Think of this as your roadmap for the entire EA program. It should clearly outline:
- Roles and Responsibilities: What EAs are expected to do.
- Term Limits: How long your EAs will serve. This keeps the program fresh and creates opportunities for new ambassadors.
- Meeting Cadence: How often you’ll meet with your EAs.
- Reporting Structure: Where EAs fit within your Compliance Program.
Without it, you risk inconsistency, or worse, leaving ambassadors unsure about what’s expected of them. 😵💫 Your charter formalizes the ethics ambassadors’ role and integrates them to the larger Compliance Program, ensuring EAs aren’t a side initiative but rather a codified part of the organization’s governance.
Yay for teamwork! | Source: Paramount Pictures' The Wolf of Wall Street via Giphy.com
Choose the Right People for the Job
The effectiveness of your EA program depends on selecting the right people. You can have the world’s greatest charter, but if the folks involved can’t be bothered to abide by it, the charter is just another document taking up digital space.
Ambassadors should be employees that are in good standing with HR, have the support of their managers to fulfill the role, and embody the culture you want to promote. Independence is also critical—placing HR professionals or executive assistants to senior leaders in these roles may create conflicts of interests.
If you’re part of a global organization, keep in mind that cultural nuances matter. 🌏 In some regions, employees may feel uncomfortable raising sensitive topics to someone of the opposite sex or a different religion. A thoughtful program accounts for these realities, ensuring that employees always have someone they feel safe approaching.
Choose the Right Ambassadors… Again.
Ambassador roles should not last forever (circle back to the term limits mentioned above). By placing a specific term on the role, you can bring fresh energy, help prevent burnout or stagnation, and broaden participation across the company. And don’t fret! The EAs you’ll be “retiring” out of the role? You can create an “Ethics Alumni Association” where former ambassadors continue to contribute as mentors, translators, or informal advisors.
They grow up so fast 😢 | Source: MGM Studios' Legally Blonde via Giphy.com
This allows the program to benefit from their experience while giving them the flexibility to step back from day-to-day responsibilities.
Tools That Make the Program Work
You’re not in this alone! Broadcat has helped plenty of organizations develop and launch their EA programs. 💫 Here are some helpful tools and resources you can use to kick things off:
- Ethics Ambassador program on-demand webinar. Set up a program where Ethics Ambassadors are models of behavior and trusted peers.
- Ethics Ambassadors Onboarding module. Cover the framework, expectations, and boundaries of the role. Low impact, high reward.
- The Power of Ethics Ambassadors infographic. Promote and recruit ambassadors, and secure leadership buy-in.
- Snapshot report template. Showcase the impact your Ethics Ambassadors have made on your compliance outcomes.
- Wallet cards. Help employees recognize and contact their ambassadors.
What’s Next?
An Ethics Ambassador program is more than a gold star on a compliance plan. When done thoughtfully, it becomes a cornerstone of culture—one that empowers employees to speak up, gives leaders insight into what’s happening across the organization, and strengthens trust at every level. Organizational transparency FTW!
But it doesn’t stop there. Once you’ve set your goal, structured your program and selected your ambassadors, you need to set it free.
Already? | Source: NBC's The Office via Giphy.com
Stay tuned for part III to see how to release your program into the wild.