Improve Compliance Programs to Avoid Government Investigations

Government investigations by enforcement or regulatory authorities cost companies millions in legal fees and settlements and can become a major distraction, and worse. Employee misconduct is a factor in many of these cases, but it’s virtually impossible to expect “continuous, self-motivated compliance from all employees, particularly in a large company with a global presence,” write attorneys Robb Adkins and Staci Yablon, in a Today’s General Counsel article. What is possible, they say, is to implement a few practical measures that will significantly reduce the likelihood of non-compliance and a subsequent investigation. Forego the 50-page manual. A good compliance program will be short, succinct, and easily translatable into other languages. Then don’t assume that if employees are not reporting problems, it’s a sign of a success. A good program should be garnering complaints and flagging issues that need attention.