Finding Ethical Lapses
Ethical lapses happen in every company. Employees are the most likely to be aware of such lapses.
If an employee believes someone may be violating any of Southwire’s ethics standards, or is worried that he or she might be violating a standard, that employee is required to notify a company manager.
To make reporting easier, Southwire has instituted the following:
• The Just Ask system encourages employees to pass along information about possible ethical violations. Through Just Ask, employees can ask questions, voice concerns or make suggestions regarding not just ethical concerns, but any aspect of company operations, decisions and policies. Top management reads and answers every comment, even the anonymous ones.
• We formally canvass employees several times a year with a detailed ethics questionnaire, which asks specific questions about ethics compliance.
Southwire recently reinforced the importance of employee candor on ethics by
adopting a policy that provides for whistleblower protection.
When ethical issues arise, we deal with them head-on. If the problem is real, we
correct it. Then we take steps to try to keep it from happening again.
