By Everett Gibbs, Protiviti, Inc.
As many organizations already understand, a formal, written code of conduct is critical in order to transform ethical behavior into something more tangible for employees. Such a code is now a requirement for public companies, as mandated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and by the listing requirements of major stock exchanges. Executing a successful code of conduct depends on three key elements: proper definition, effective communication and appropriate warning signals as monitoring tools. This article describes the elements of a successful code and lists ethics warning signs to watch for.