Everyone knows a bribe is unethical. That’s why it’s important to implement an ethics hotline to help prevent bribes.

In order for government to work for the people, corruption has to stop. It’s up to those working closely with government employees and officials to identify and report bribery to create a more fair governmental process.

Make Employees Fear Bribes

When government employees overlook bribes and corruption, it’s sometimes because they don’t think there’s anything they can do about it.

However, an ethics hotline gives aides and other employees the power to report bribery without fear of retaliation or being blamed for the bribe. As a result, government employees know their actions are being watched. To avoid losing their own job or position, they’re less likely to take bribes.

Train Employees To Recognize Signs Of Bribery

As part of your ethics training program, teach employees how to recognize bribery. Usually, it’s not a crystal clear as overhearing a conversation or seeing someone taking a literal bribe. Most often, there are more general signs. Recognizing these helps to prevent bribes in government. Some of the most common signs include:

· Unexplained loyalty to a specific company, brand, or person – This is especially true if there is a better choice.

· Collaboration with a past employer – This creates a conflict of interest and could mean bribes are in place to gain access to confidential information.

· Strange payments – Anytime you notice unusual payments being made or received, this could be a major sign of bribery or fraud.

· Little care for rules, regulations and compliance – Those offering or receiving bribes typically bend the rules in their favor and aren’t too hesitant to say so.

· Unexplained large purchases – If government employees suddenly make large purchases even though they definitely can’t afford it on their salary, this could mean bribery is taking place.

Attract Ethical Employees

If you have an ethics hotline in place, it can prevent bribes in government by attracting more ethical employees. As you investigate and remove those committing bribery, you get a reputation for running a more ethical government. This encourages officials and employees to work in that area to continue creating a more ethical town, city, state, etc. Naturally, with more ethical employees, the chance of any bribes taking place is much lower.

Set A Precedent For Ethics

Government in general has a bad reputation for being highly unethical. Corruption runs rampant and often goes unpunished. Implementing an ethics hotline that is actually acted upon sets a new precedent for ethics. Instead of just trying to protect the government as a whole, you show all employees and officials that no one is above the ethics code.

It may take time for changes to make a major impact, but yes, an ethics hotline can prevent bribes in government. All it takes is training and a willingness to investigate and act upon any bribery reports.