SCCE Conference 2019 Recap from ETHIX360
SCCE Conference 2019: What’s Trending in Compliance?
Yet again, the SCCE knocks the ball out of the park in 2019. My team and I just attended the 18th Annual Compliance & Ethics Institute show at the Gaylord Hotel, in National Harbor, MD. We had a great experience; our days were full of networking, valuable knowledge, and best practice sharing amongst peers.
Here’s what others had to say about this year’s event.
Cybersecurity was a hot topic at this year’s conference. Exposure to cybersecurity and data breach risks are no longer seen as only an IT issue. Speaking from experience as a CCO, data security is a top priority for a hotline case management provider like ETHIX360. I pride myself on the close relationship I’ve built with our CTO and our efforts to manage risk, not in silos, but as a united force. Corporate culture drives employee’s behavior and the decisions they make. Their choices create corporate risks, not departmental risks. Corporate risk makes me think of the game “Red Rover” where players join hands to keep the other team from breaking through. The keys to winning Red Rover are the same as what’s needed to build a substantial ‘risk-prepared’ organization; teamwork, strategy, strength, and agility.
The general session with Matt Kelly and Kurt Michels, of VWGroup was definitely well received and all the buzz on social media. Kurt shared his thoughts on how to implement change following a crisis. I agree entirely with Kurt’s views on rules and how they should not be burdensome, but instead be simple, provide guidance, and give employees a framework. I’ve found that most employees do not want to “do wrong.” I’ve also found that employees may not always know what to do in every situation. I think it’s essential for companies to find the perfect mix of communication channels. Employees should not only be comfortable speaking up but should also be encouraged to be proactive and asking for guidance.
Investigations were also a major topic at this year’s conference. Not only were there several concurrent sessions focused on investigations, but there was also a general and a multi-session dedicated workshop. Pulling another page from Kurt Michels’ compliance playbook- management of consequences- a must for any organization. Not only do there need to be consequences, those consequences need to be enforced consistently, fairly and in an unbiased way. Managing investigations, resolutions and corrective action plans in silos or with a spreadsheet is a disaster waiting to happen. Regardless of size or industry, companies need a centralized repository to log and track all corporate risk-related concerns. Departments like Compliance, Legal and Human Resources should be working together to consistently respond and investigate, if needed, to all employee inquiries and concerns.
Overall, this year’s annual SCCE conference was a success. I’ve always found the educational sessions helpful, but the networking opportunities truly are invaluable. To my fellow conference attendees that I met for the first time, it was a pleasure. To those that I’ve known for years, it’s always great to see you and to those I did not have the pleasure of meeting lets connect. Until next year!
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MEET THE AUTHOR
Stephanie Farmer is a seasoned ethics and compliance (E&C) professional. She has earned an MA in both Business and Professional and Applied Ethics and is a graduate of The Ethics & Compliance Initiative Managing Ethics in an Organization Program. Prior to and during her E&C career, Stephanie served in the United States Marine Corps Reserves and the North Carolina Air National Guard.
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At ETHIX360, our goal is simple: to provide an affordable, flexible, and comprehensive answer to employee communication, policy management, corporate training and case management on issues related to corporate ethics, code of conduct, fraud, bribery, and workplace violence.
