Code of Conduct Training Needs a Serious Upgrade   

Forbes — In a new article, Elissa Rossi, Vice President of Compliance Services at Traliant, explains why a Code of Conduct is more than a document — it’s a visible commitment to lawful, values-driven behavior. Drawing on Traliant research and the U.S. Department of Justice’s updated guidance on corporate compliance programs, Rossi makes the case that organizations should modernize Code training to increase trust, improve real-world decision-making and measure effectiveness beyond completion rates. 

“In an era where transparency and authenticity are nonnegotiable, elevating Code of Conduct training is a strategic imperative,” says Rossi. 

A well-written Code of Conduct helps protect a company and its employees from the consequences of misconduct. But as Rossi notes, the gap between policy and practice can be significant. In Traliant research of more than 1,000 U.S. employees, 57% said they observed behavior that seemed like a potential Code violation, and 39% said they didn’t report it. 

Rossi argues that organizations only get the full benefit of a Code when employees understand what it means in practice: how to spot and avoid potential violations and who to contact if they believe the Code has been breached. That’s why training needs a serious upgrade in design to make training relevant, memorable and actionable for today’s workforce. Rather than relying on participation metrics alone, Rossi points to the growing emphasis on evaluating training effectiveness by using approaches like pre- and post-training knowledge checks to demonstrate learning impact and improve training strategies over time. 

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