If ESG’s a Loser…What Can We Do About it?
I recently wrote about the reasons the Wall Street Journal’s opinion piece titled “The Many Reasons ESG Is a Loser” had a point. Among other things, the article summed up a similar article by the Harvard Business Review stating, “1) ESG funds have underperformed; 2) companies that tout their ESG credentials have worse compliance records for labor and environmental […]
Compliance Considerations in a Post-Roe World
No matter how you feel personally about abortion, if your company has offices in a U.S. state where abortion is now illegal, or is greatly restricted, compliance concerns abound. Companies from Amazon to Apple have made public commitments to fund employee travel to states where abortion is legal should the service be requested by affected employees. […]
Is ESG a Loser? The Proof is Distressing…
“The many reasons ESG is a loser” shouted an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal this week. I read the article with an eyebrow raised, but after reviewing the author’s evidence (as well as the underlying research he quoted and several additional sources), unfortunately, the author’s got a point. This also means that we in compliance […]
Need more budget? Use an Anchor!
We’ve all experienced sticker shock. We decide we want to buy something and believe we know what it will cost, but when we get to the store, we see a number way above what we thought it would be. We may feel surprised, frustrated, or even outraged. Once we’ve calmed down and adjusted our expectations […]
Policies without Punch? You need a Roll-Out Plan
“If a tree falls in the woods, and no one hears it, does it make a sound?” asks the philosophical thought experiment. Likewise, if a policy is written and no one knows about it, does it actually exist? The answer to the latter is, who cares? It may as well not. Some companies are drunk […]
Risk Assessments Mismanaged: The Fascinating Data from NAVEX’s Massive Survey
Coming up this Thursday, June 30, I have the honor to co-host 90 minutes of NAVEX Global’s deep dive into the results of its recent survey of over 1,100 compliance professionals on the state of the profession. Oh my, there’s SO MUCH there to digest. But as I did my review of the 70+ slides […]
About Unicorns
This is a guest blog by Ellen Hunt, Spark Compliance Principal Consultant and Advisor. I am often asked if someone needs to have a law degree to be an ethics and compliance professional. The answer is no. Some of the best and most talented ethics and compliance professionals that I have had the pleasure to […]
The Hottest Trend: Strict Liability Offenses
Strict liability is all the rage these days. From OFAC to OFSI, the trend toward strict liability is picking up and is unlikely to abate. Never mind those pesky determinations of intent. They’re so subjective. Nope, all the cool regulators are heading to the strict liability side, and we need to know what to do […]
Rethinking the Cancel (Contract) Culture and Modern Slavery
I heard a great story this week. A close friend’s company found out that a key supplier had a labor shortage in an Asian country. During an audit, it was discovered that to solve this problem, the supplier had hired an employment agency that forced workers from a lower-cost country to pay back their travel […]
Owning it when You’re Good
“I’m really good at this!” my six-year-old nephew exclaimed during an evening social event. At that exuberant moment, he was expertly putting together the Lego Empire State Building, a kit meant for age 16 and up. Several attendees looked askance and one gasped slightly at his admission. Declaring oneself good at something – especially out […]