Every month I get a list of new employees from HR.
I use the list to send everyone a welcome email and to invite them to a 15-minute, in-person meeting with me. My goal is to get to know them and introduce our company’s ethics & compliance program.
Not everyone takes me up on the offer but those who do invariably mention how remarkable it was for them to receive this personal gift of time (and I get a lot out of it myself). I truly believe that these 15-minute meetings significantly increase the odds of my new colleagues reaching out for help the next time they struggle with an ethical dilemma. Many have done so in the last few years.
It does make me wonder about those who decide to pass on the invitation. Are they too busy? Are they uncomfortable at the thought of meeting with the ethics guy? Do they think I do this just for show and that we actually don’t care about compliance?
Who knows? Perhaps it’s just that I care more about the topic than they do.
After all, it’s my chosen profession, not theirs.
The Ethical Leader 