One of the most important things an ethics and compliance officer can do is reduce the pressure imposed by the corporation on employees (think fraud triangle).

And one of the most important things a corporate leader can do is reduce the pressure imposed on the ethics and compliance officer.

The role of ethics and compliance officer can be isolating.

You have to investigate some of your colleagues. You have to deny some of their requests. You have to make sure they know what they are not allowed to do.

It’s no surprise that most employees don’t swing by your office just to say hello. And that was before the pandemic. For the last 2 years (and counting), most of us have been emotionally and physically isolated from our colleagues.

This is why I am very much looking forward to meeting, in person, several of my colleagues today, and to break the isolation. If you live near Hartford, Connecticut, we’d love you to join us. And if you don’t, you can still watch the livestream – but we all know it won’t be the same.

Are there other ECOs living in your town or state? Why not reach out to them and organize a meetup? Nothing fancy. A coffee shop will do.

Just to break the isolation.

This story of simple kindness reminded me of an event I organized years ago.

It was a multi-day training conference for my company’s ethics and compliance officers based in Asia Pacific. I made sure that we had snack breaks in the morning and the afternoon, good lunches, and team dinners at night for networking and relationship-building. I even thought of asking if anyone had food allergies.

But I failed to realize that my conference was during the month of Ramadan, and that one of my attendees was a practicing Muslim. I didn’t notice him skipping the lunch and snacks on the first day. After my closing remarks that afternoon, with a kindness I still remember, he sought me out for a private word and explained, with a gentle smile, why he would not be joining us for dinner, which was scheduled a few hours before sunset. I was mortified. I apologized repeatedly but he assured me it was OK.

I never forgot that lesson. In subsequent years, I made sure not to schedule this event during the holy month. I also made sure we had halal options at all meals. Such a simple solution, yet so easy to overlook when you assumes that everyone else does what you do. Food is such an important aspect of culture and daily life, it should not be overlooked.

I applaud the colleges that are now being more inclusive and showing simple kindness to the Muslim students during Ramadan. I also encourage all employers who offer cafeteria services to learn more about, and meet, the dining needs and practices of their employees.

Disagreeing with those in power can be risky.

This is the message that Florida governor DeSantis is sending to Disney.

When employees speak up in your organization, how are they treated?

More importantly, do they get treated differently when they speak up against senior leadership?

I’ve been told that there are eight different words for “ethics” in Thai.

And none of them have the exact same meaning as the English word.

It can therefore be difficult to agree on a definition of ethics.

But we can more readily agree on what it feels like.

About 10 years ago, my department changed its name from Business Practices to Global Ethics & Compliance.

Our new name needed a new logo. So we hired a consultant who created a mark that was just right. We were really proud of our new brand.

But, as Seth Godin points out, a logo is just a flag, not a brand. The brand is created by the experience of the customers.

How would your employees describe the experience of interacting with your ethics and compliance department? Whatever that description is, that’s your brand.

No logo can change that.

Are you playing Wordle online?

If you are a beginner, a quick chat with an expert player can significantly improve your game. For example, you’ll learn that if you try NOTES first, followed by ACRID, the 10 most-often used letters of the English language will already be in play. Your chances of solving the puzzle in the next 4 tries are very high.

The same strategy works if you play in the field of ethics and compliance. New “puzzles” show up at work regularly, and connecting with other professionals can propel you faster towards a solution.

Today is the start of Impact, the annual conference of Ethics & Compliance Initiative. I will be mingling, virtually, with current and former Deputy Attorneys General, General Counsels of corporations and government agencies, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officers, law firm partners, and so on. If I am missing a piece of a puzzle, someone at this event can help me find it.

It’s not too late to join. And for price you would pay your outside counsel for one hour of their time, it’s a good deal.