Yesterday the White House announced that it partnered with 20 internet providers to offer high-speed plans for $30/month or less.

High-speed internet is now considered a necessity, just like food, shelter and clothing. These low-cost plans will benefit those who also qualify for other government programs like food stamps and special heating oil rates.

Should companies wait for government programs to offer assistance to low-income citizens? I don’t think so. AT&T could have done this on its own years ago.

Should companies offer discounts only on necessities? No, and many of them already have discounts on “luxuries”. Movie theatre chains have long offered discounts to students and seniors, assuming that most members of these groups have lower income.

Are you a plumber? A website designer? A college consultant? Could you cut your rate in half for one low-income client? The answer is probably yes.

Some people volunteer at the soup kitchen once-a-month, and never offer low-income people a discount on their services.

Maybe it’s time for professionals to rethink how they can help their neighbors.

Many organizations have “employee resource groups” or “affiliation groups”. Some even have “interest groups,” where employees can discuss video games or pickleball.

Are you a leader who cares deeply about the ethical ramifications of your work? Why not find a like-minded colleague and start a group? Talk about the ethical dilemmas you face as an organization, identify solutions, reach out to a third person, then a fourth, then a fifth…

If you have an ethics office, invite them to join – but own the process. This is not about delegating ethical decision-making.

It’s about ethical leadership.

Is your boss, or your boss’s boss, blocking your idea, or simply not supporting it, even though you have used your best arguments with them?

Perhaps there is nothing wrong with your idea, or with your arguments, or with them.

It could simply be that someone else needs to present the idea.

Find an ally.

We can lead with authority or with responsibility.

When no one has authority, someone usually claims responsibility.

But when someone has been given authority, others often shy away from responsibility.

When a company creates an Ethics & Compliance department, it authorizes them to lead in that domain. And, just like that, the rest of the company doesn’t feel responsible for compliance.

And still, most people working in Ethics & Compliance will tell you that they don’t feel like they have much authority. Not to the level enjoyed by Legal or Finance or HR.

So the work for most E&C practitioners is to give company leaders a sense of responsibility.

The responsibility to lead ethically.

First, it was students throwing rocks and chasing off campus anyone they disagreed with. Then, it was Democrats and Republicans vilifying each other, leading to January 6. Now, it is comedians being attacked on stage.

It used to be that people would simply not attend the lecture or the show they disagreed with, or just change the channel. Now, they are willing to commit assaults in front of live audiences.

As these events make the news, they risk becoming normalized. Once normalized, they enter the workplace.

Now might be a good time for corporate leaders to remind employees that violence in the workplace is not acceptable.

Once in a while, I learn something so captivating that I immediately want to share it with everyone. I am sure it has happened to you as well.

Imagine if what we taught others at work was just as compelling. What if our goal was to make our teachings so interesting that employees felt compelled to share them with colleagues?

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.