Health Management In a Multinational Organization: Developing a Code of Ethics and Ethics Training Program
Harmonizing relevant factors to create an effective ethics code and training program requires a mix of the right data, expertise, and relevant stakeholders to develop guidelines that address the actual needs of the organization and its workers.
Introduction
Developing a code of ethics (COE) and ethics training program (ETP) is an important job which must consider many factors in order to be adequately comprehensive and relevant. Ethics touches on several aspects of health and disability management (DM) services, and this multinational organization is no exception. The ethics code and program must be tailored to the exact services provided by this company, and the circumstances in which they operate. If there is variability in the nature of DM services, there must be forethought into the differing needs across the circumstances in which the ethics guides and knowledge will be applied. It is crucial that the DM team has adequate support and guidance in the realm of ethics as applies directly to their job tasks and fulfillment. Providing quality DM services hinges on many factors, and given that the clients of these services often find themselves in a vulnerable state, ethical treatment and process is a crucial piece of the puzzle.
Context
As described in the article The Corporate Ethics Crusade, it is crucial for a multinational company to carefully study the context in which it is operating; sometimes, well-meaning changes can lead to unintended consequences (Kapstein, 2001). What might seem like the ‘gold-standard’ may be different when contrasting a wealthy versus developing country; the multinational organization may be doing business in both (Kapstein, 2001). It is important to weigh not only the local ethical context, but to consider the consequences of change on diverse populations. What are the consequences of implementing certain ethical standards? Diversity issues must be considered on the level of the individual during the ethical decision-making process (PCU-WHS, 2020a). Those making decisions must take a step back to observe the bigger picture in order to ensure changes do not cause harm to individuals impacted. It is crucial that those developing an ethical code and training program bring an awareness to the context of how this will touch the lives of others. These guidelines and learnings will ultimately impact upon the practice of professionals working with ethical matters in diverse settings.
Who to Consult in Developing the Ethical Code and Training Program
In developing the COE and ETP, it is important to align with key stakeholder goals and the overall ethical values of the company (PCU-WHS, 2020c). In this case, it is important to understand the process and end goals of leadership; these stakeholder must be adequately consulted. It is crucial that the final product COE and ETP are complementary to each other (working toward the same goals), are cohesive with the organization as it currently stands, and also where it intends to go. The COE and ETP can be envisioned as a bridge from the current state to where the organization would like to be.
Understanding where the organization is currently at may require some research in order to provide relevant data to build on. What are the current ethical problems the organization is facing within the scope of the health and disability management department and beyond? This may require interviewing leadership within the organization, or even surveying consenting workers who have formerly utilized DM services with the organization. In order to develop an effective COE and ETP, there needs to be a strong understanding of current ethical needs and context within the organization. The relevant stakeholder to consult will depend on the structure of the organization but will likely include those overseeing the ethics roll-out, pertinent members of leadership, human resources players, and the DM department leader.
Developing a Code of Ethics
Ethical and Legal Documents to Consider
In order to consider any pertinent documents, it will be necessary to review where all employees are located, and if the DM team serves employees who reside in distant locations. Does the department serve the client based on the regulations according to where they themselves work out of, or is it about providing services in accordance with the legislation that the affected employee works under? This may need to be clarified with leadership to ensure that the foundation for the COE is solid and based in the working dynamics that exist in the organization as it currently stands. The organization may be bound to specific regulations depending on where it is based out of, and these legalities will be crucial to factor into the basis of COE development. Important considerations for legalities within the DM department would likely relate to privacy and confidentiality, occupational health and safety, and duty to accommodate legislation.
Main Areas Covered by the Code
The COE must cover the most important aspects of ethically sensitive services the DM department provides for the organization. A reliable source of DM related ethical standards and professional conduct can be found via the National Institute for Disability Management and Research:
· protecting individuals receiving services
· maintaining objectivity
· developing plans suited to individual needs and capacity
· balancing stakeholder priorities
· maintaining professionality in working relationships
· advocating for worker resources determined by individual needs
· maintaining essential competencies to provide adequate services
· participation in improving quality of disability management services
· conduct in accordance with applicable laws
· circumventing unjust harm to others
· demonstrating moral conduct (NIDMAR, 2007).
While this list is quite comprehensive, it would also be wise to consult with relevant stakeholders to ensure that all necessary areas are covered by the COE as it needs to be customized to the functions of the organization. As such, the above list can be seen as a generic starting point to build on, with the context of the organization in mind. Other factors to considered may include conflict of interest, matters of personal or professional integrity, harassment, client and third-party relations, discrimination, and confidentiality (PCU-WHS, 2020c). Clearly, there are many areas to consider when drafting the framework for the COE.
Processes to Use Once the Code is Developed
Once the COE has been developed, it may require revision. It’s important to demonstrate ethical maturity in managing the COE, which is a living document that will likely be challenged as ethically charged circumstances arise. Aspects of ethical maturity include reflection, rationality, reasoning, emotional awareness, and the difference between intention and action (PCU-WHS, 2020b). Creating a committee or council with relevant stakeholders to oversee the evolution of the COE would enable representation of differing perspectives (ideally perspectives rooted in robust diversity amongst the committee) to promote the success of the project. This team would be an asset to ensure the COE is being applied responsibly, and to determine if augmentation or fine-tuning is needed in order for the COE to fulfill its intended purpose. These ‘checks-and-balances’ ensure the COE is aligning with the overall goals and that it is indeed creating the positive impact that it was intended for.
Developing an Ethics Training Program
Contents of the Ethics Training Program
The contents of the ETP should primarily build on the COE and be aligned with the overall goals of the organization. Ideally, the ETP will build on what has been presented in the COE to develop a greater understanding of how to apply these guidelines. It will be essential to consider the professional backgrounds of those providing DM services, as their training and experiences may be highly varied (PCU-WHS, 2021). With their current working knowledge, professionals applying the COE/ETP may have extremely different foundations when it comes to their ethical decision-making process; however, the expectation is that they will provide consistent services in a manner that honours common ethical guidelines (and as such, the documents must support them to do so).
It is important for workers to have the tools, training, and knowledge available to make decisions with an ethical component at a relatively similar level; one which adequately addresses the ethical requirements and values of the organization. Given that different laws or standards may need to be observed in various geographic locations, certain workers may need specific content that is not required by others. Therefore, it must be considered how the ETP can be presented in a way that applies to the organization as a whole, while also addressing the specific needs of certain workers in a way that promotes success. The content needs to ensure that all applicable workers are able to fulfill their job duties in a way which reflects the COE and the ethical values of the organization at large.
Delivering the Content of the Ethics Training Program
Delivery method depends on several factors, including the input from relevant stakeholders. How is leadership envisioning that the program should be delivered and what are the resources allotted for doing so? While developing the program, it must be considered that the content is inextricably linked to the way in which it is presented. Given that adult learning is most effective when it builds on prior experiences and consolidated learning, it maybe effective to present the themes of the ETP through multiple sessions over time. This delivery method focuses on starting with the basics, presenting the information found in the COE in an open forum matter where it can be discussed, and workers are given the opportunity to ask their most pressing questions.
Having key stakeholders present, such as the COE/ETP development committee and relevant leadership, promotes a successful introduction to the initiative. Including head of the department or higher up leadership in the presentation helps to set the tone, and express that this initiative is valued at all levels. This introduces the topic as being important to leadership and gives more context as to why the workers in the department should care about it. Once the workers have an understanding for the importance of the ETP, the commitment from leadership to integrating these working practices, and spend some time working with the COE, further training takes on a deeper meaning. How much time should elapse between training installments will be highly dependent on the goals, timeline, and allotted resources according to leadership.
Measuring Effectiveness of the Ethics Training Program
While there are many ways to measure the success of the ETP, one way to track the effect is analytics. Within this multinational organization, statistics are being tracked in terms of human resources violations, complaints, etc. Tracking these related metrics and working with this data helps to determine how effective the training is when compared to the past. This involves identifying which metrics are related to ethics concepts and ethical behaviour and comparing past statistics to those during training, after, and ongoing. This organization took it a step further and disseminated short surveys to their workers to determine the effects of the training, their own personal experiences with unethical behaviour within the organization presently, and in the past. It is worth noting that data analytics was not the sole measurement of success for this initiative. Measuring the effects of training need to be determined by the overall goals of the organization and what is most important to relevant stakeholders.
Summary
Creating an effective COE and ETP is a multifaceted process which must consider a plethora of factors. The professionals developing these works must consider the context in which they will function, as well as the relevant stakeholder goals. Legalities of the organization need to be considered, as well as key areas that must be addressed by the COE and ETP in order to achieve the desired results. To determine the success of COE/ETP initiatives, there must be a type of regulating process in place in order to determine if the guidelines are performing as intended, and to improve them when inevitably required. The ETP must adequately reflect the COE and the ethical values of the organization to promote the proper application of these guidelines. The delivery of ETP must be balanced in terms of allotted resources, leadership vision, and departmental needs. Intentional analytics geared toward gathering meaningful data in light of end goals will be one way to measure the success of the ETP rollout.
Conclusion
The success of this project required the participation and collaboration of various relevant players and stakeholders. Spearheading a project of this size requires harmonization of a wide array of demands and requirements in order to develop a code and program that functions as intended. It is crucial to continually assess whether the development is on track, heading in the direction of the desired destination. While it may be more arduous to ensure the development considers the gamut of relevant details, the end result will be more likely to fulfill the needs of the company as envisioned by leadership. If you require guidance, assistance, or just have some questions on this topic, please do not hesitate to reach out to me personally at workwellnessboutique@gmail.com.
