Let’s cut to the chase, the real reason for ethics training is…..

The real and best reason is the prevention of any ethical lapse in the first place! How many recent business have been hit with phenomenal fines ; executives charged with financial misdeeds and prison terms looming? Theses execs probably knew what they were doing was illegal but did they consider that behavior unethical? If not, what are the implications regarding their ethics training?
I believe that if you can prevent something from becoming an ethical issue, nine times out of ten you can prevent it from becoming a legal issue. Where will it cost you more money, in prevention or in court? However, ethics training cannot:
A . just stop at “creating an awareness” of the benefits of behaving ethically.
B. be fully implemented until the skills and insights of thinking and behaving ethically are taught, continually reinforced and applied daily.
C. be considered an expense item, but rather as an investment which changes the whole tone of your approach.
Let’s be honest here, will a well thought out, ongoing proactive ethics training program guarantee no ethical lapses? Of course not! Ethics training is like life, it’s all about odds not guarantees. What in life is guaranteed? HOWEVER, you can increase the odds, and the more you increase your odds by taking care of yourself in any and all ways is the same with ethics training. The more you increase your odds for ethical behavior in any and all training options, the greater the odds of something unethical happening.
Proactive ethics training is all about decreasing the odds of an ethical/compliance lapses happening and how much is that worth to you and your organization?