By Blandine CORDIER-PALASSE, La Revue RH&M n°85
Recent scandals have had an impact on the reputation and finances of groups in a wide range of sectors, sometimes resulting in fines or even prison sentences for senior executives. What they all had in common was weaknesses in compliance and governance. How can we address these issues in terms of HR organisation?
Feedback on the creation of the Compliance Department
As part of its new strategic plan, a group decided to strengthen its position in terms of regulatory compliance. The aim is to meet the growing demands of regulators and shareholders.
The Group has therefore chosen to be a company with a mission. Ensuring the compliance of its domestic and international activities is crucial to both its development and its image.
In response, the Chairman has decided to create a Compliance Department. This will cover the Group and its subsidiaries, as well as the six areas of regulatory compliance: Anti-Corruption, Duty of Vigilance, RGPD, Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), International Sanctions/Embargo and Competition. This department will take direct action to ensure a cross-functional and holistic approach.
Clearly, the issue is not just one of compliance.
The aim is to create trust, better relations with investors, greater market opportunities and greater loyalty among customers, consumers, employees and all stakeholders. In short, to develop a competitive advantage.
Human resources at the heart of the system...
...to facilitate the flow of information, reinforce the importance of integrity and, more generally, the commitment to an ethical culture. Insist on compliance with procedures at all levels, especially once whistleblowing procedures have been set up, and always contribute to the implementation of training programmes open to as many people as possible.
98% of CAC40 companies now have a group compliance director/ethics officer. However, only 60% of the SBF80 are in this position (a percentage that should increase by 2022 to ensure the strategic protection of companies).
Human Resources can therefore encourage management to recruit a Compliance Director. They can also give him or her the human means and resources needed to succeed in his or her mission. The key is to recruit a strong, experienced conductor. He or she will be able to steer the programme with a close-knit guard, interacting with numerous departments in the implementation, roll-out and monitoring of the programme, and with all the internal and external stakeholders.
The company with sound governance, a winner on all fronts
In a post-health crisis economy, there is growing disaffection with the world of work, especially among young people. Companies with strong ethics will therefore attract new generations in search of values and commitment. We find that questions about corporate social responsibility are almost as numerous as those about the challenges of the job or the potential for development.
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