Tips for everyday work

Transparency is the most important tool in the fight against corruption, both for the public and the private sector. That is why the organisation’s administration and financial reporting must be transparent, in other words, freely observable.

For example, transparency means that:

• financial statements are published online for everyone to see
• organisation’s employees declare their private interests
• procurement and recruitment are subject to fair practices and justified criteria.

In the private sector, contracts may not be made public. However, it is important that partnerships are only based on written contracts to avoid any impression that money may be changing hands without a proper reason.

An ethical organisation communicates openly about topics such as:

• political intentions
• management system
• monitoring practices
• code of ethics
• commitment to anti-corruption practices
• anti-corruption objectives, measures, outcomes and needs for development.

Such information is published both in the annual report and on the organisation’s website, and it is made available at least in one international language.

Members of the management team have an important role in the organisation. They lead the way and are expected to maintain high standards of objectivity, integrity and transparency. They must be committed to anti-corruption practices. The organisation’s senior management must clearly express that the organisation does not accept any form of corruption from its own employees or cooperation partners. The senior management must create a management philosophy that underpins the organisation’s values and code of ethics.

The management has the final responsibility for ensuring that:

• ethics are discussed
• rules and guidelines are drawn up
• abuse is addressed
• sanctions are imposed.

The organisation must regularly carry out assessments to see what kind of corruption-related risks may affect its activities. The risk assessments can make use of group work, interviews, surveys or an external research organisation.

Corruption-related risks may be caused by:

• lack of guidelines and training
• unclear responsibilities
• management practices
• agents
• procurements
• imports and exports
• relations with the decision-makers
• gifts, benefits, sponsorships and political donations
• operations in countries where corruption is widespread.

On this website, you will find a quick test. It is a good way to begin your risk assessment because it will give you a rough estimate of the level of anti-corruption practices in your organisation.

Every organisation needs a code of ethics. It lays the foundation for a healthy organisational culture and, correctly implemented, it will increase the effectiveness of your fight against corruption. A code of ethics may help solve an unclear situation, as legislation may only provide a framework for decision-making and the rest requires ethical consideration.

The code of ethics shows outsiders that the organisation is committed to corporate social responsibility. A responsible organisation with a good reputation is an attractive workplace, partner and investment opportunity.

A code of ethics describes at least these areas:

• what the code is for and who needs it
• what kind of corruption-related risks have been recognised
• what you should do if you recognise a risk
• how you can prevent a conflict of interest
• how you should approach giving or receiving gifts or benefits, sponsorships and political donations
• how you can report misconduct
• how compliance with the code of ethics is monitored
• what kind of sanctions are imposed for misconduct.

The organisation’s management must be committed to anti-corruption practices. Therefore, it must be a management decision to draw up a code of ethics. Depending on the size of the organisation, the code can be drawn up by an individual or a team.

All employees must know the code of ethics. For this, you will need internal communications and compulsory training. Supervisors must ensure that the code is followed.

You should monitor the code’s effectiveness in daily work. Ask for feedback and develop the code based on the responses. In developing the code, consider issues such as legislative amendments and practical observations.

Having a code of ethics will not be enough. A code will not guarantee that the organisation has high moral standards. You should therefore provide training to support the employees’ anti-corruption skills. Training must be compulsory and should be repeated at least once every two years. Content should be adapted according to need, for example when legislation is amended or the organisation’s activities change.

With regard to employees responsible for procurement, finances and internal supervision, provide special training on corruption-related questions, such as what signs may indicate corruption and how such signs should be addressed.

Employee training can include meetings, workshops, seminars and non-formal training events. You can provide the training online, in part or in full.

The organisation's induction programme should include information on the code of ethics and prevention of corruption.

Training should also be made available to agents, consultants, service providers and other partners if the identified risks make it necessary. This is particularly important in countries where corruption is widespread and where partners are responsible for maintaining contacts with the local public officials.

Partners must observe the organisation's code of ethics when they work with or on behalf of the organisation. You should include a separate clause to that end in your contracts. If your partner has a similar code, you should ask for a copy.

All employees have the right to contribute to the development of their workplace. That’s why each employee must receive training and accurate information about what they should do if they suspect or notice misconduct.

Employees must have access to safe methods for reporting misconduct and suspicious activity. The organisation’s management must communicate clearly that it seeks reports from the employees.

The organisation must establish a reporting channel. It may be an internal channel for employees only, but offering access to your partners and the general public would work to your advantage. In practice, the channel may be a confidential helpline or website. If this is not possible, reports are sent by email or given in person to an individual assigned to this task.

The organisation should appoint enough employees for processing the reports. The employees must deal with the reports in confidence and observe a specified process, and the reports must result in the necessary measures. Both the whistleblower and the subject of the report must be treated fairly. All cases must be documented.