I’ve been hearing a lot about companies and their ethical beliefs and training lately. Unfortunately, most companies don’t do enough to fully embed ethics into their workers. A one-hour seminar, if you do it once every two years, will no longer do. You no longer see ethics being taught in high schools or colleges. You don’t even see any kind of ethics being promoted on TV (unfortunately, whether it’s on cable or by the mainstream media, it doesn’t even matter) or in the movies (if the movie is about business, you can be pretty sure that there will be a series of unethical situations, either inside or outside the business). To avoid becoming one of those businesses known for having flawed ethical practices, here are some vital ways to bring ethics back into business.

Making the best group of ethical workers is starting before they are hired. Ethics must be strictly declared and questioned during the recruitment and interview processes. Strict and specific standards must be demonstrated, followed and insisted upon before an applicant is awarded the position. It may seem slow at first, and will probably cost a little extra money, but having and promoting standards before you hire will prevent any problems, most likely legal, down the line.

After you hire the person, and in all training and orientation manuals handed out and shown to your new and even established employees, be sure to discuss and review with them federal, state, and local laws, company codes of ethics, and relevant policy information. that are applicable to your business. Such information may include, but is not limited to, whistleblower protection, nepotism, use of company cars and equipment, financial disclosure, and the giving and receiving of gifts. You would be quite surprised how many people who come into a position with good intentions turn bad because ethical standards are not followed or mentioned. And it would be worse if they followed the model of a dishonest and/or unethical supervisor!

Don’t stop talking about ethics and ethical business decisions after you hire them, either. Perhaps your company newsletter may have a section on industry or company ethics. Workgroups can also discuss ethical issues for both supervisors and employees.

Finally, during the training process, and also during the performance and annual review processes, be sure to include ethics and ethical reviews in plans and processes.