Whether you are a small to medium sized enterprise, or a large multinational corporation, creating a culture of compliance starts at the top. This compliance culture should permeate your entire organization starting with the Chief Executive, the Chief Financial Officer, and the corporate counsel.
Compliance is not something that can be compartmentalized, rather, it must be ingrained in the consciousness of every employee from the executive suite to the shop floor. This is one area where a top down driven process is vital. The compliance officer is responsible for implementing the compliance focused program that is established by the corporate ownership and top management.
However, all aspects of the company, whether sourcing, transportation, production, marketing, or sales must work together to support the compliance operation. Leaving just the compliance office to establish the ethic and carry the entire company is an accident waiting to happen.
I often hear that various departments in a company do not understand the compliance aspect of the operation, which sometimes leads them to negate the guidance of the compliance department. This can lead a company down a slippery slope.
The corporate culture must embrace compliance across the entire company and all must understand the risk of potential regulatory violations. A once a year training program is not going to cut it. Compliance is something that everyone must live, day in and day out. Workplace evaluations should include a compliance segment for each and every employee. Every department head needs to understand and communicate compliance procedures to their direct reports.
The compliance department must keep a finger on the pulse of risk. The compliance officer should be responsible for communicating these risks throughout the organization and information should be refreshed and disseminated as often as necessary. To this end, the CEO must make time for compliance officers, and not leave this critical function on auto-pilot.
Once a vibrant internal compliance driven operation is rooted in the day-to-day operation, companies must push their ethic out to their entire supply chain. This includes interaction with foreign suppliers, agents, and transporters. Everyone in the supply chain needs to understand that by doing business with your company, they accept the strict standards that support adherence to the laws and regulations governing trade and all aspects of how the business conducts itself. This should be reflected in all corporate negotiations, contracts, and purchasing agreements.
By taking this position, senior corporate management supports the highest levels of business ethics and integrity throughout the supply chain. Compliance is not a skate on thin ice, or a fly by the seat of your pants exercise. A culture of compliance provides that sure footing needed when regulators come calling.