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WAVES is a leading professional training organisation for the global regulatory and financial crime compliance community. Since 2014, we have enhanced the knowledge, skills and behaviour of over 150,000 professionals all over the world either through our internationally-recognised portfolio of professional qualifications (awarded in association with Business Schools and Universities in the UK or through accredited in-company training.

INTRODUCTION TO ANTI BRIBERY TRAINING

Aim: To develop an integrated approach for internal communications, training and engagement to support and facilitate the company’s anti-bribery commitment.

Internal communication and training have traditionally been the main ways in which companies can convey the anti-bribery policy and programme to all employees. Now, companies are recognising the value of taking a comprehensive and integrated approach to employee engagement.An integrated approach brings together all aspects of engagement with employees across their activities with the company.

For example, this includes the following aspects listed

  • On-boarding
  • Internal communications
  • Training
  • Encouraging quality, excellence and continuous improvement
  • Remuneration and incentives
  • Appraisal and recognition
  • Access to advice and ability to raise concerns
  • Disciplinary processes
  • Exit or termination

Companies which integrate their anti-bribery engagement with employees in innovative ways are in a better position to expect that those employees’ will act with integrity, which reduces the likelihood of bribery occurring.The compliance and/or legal functions, supported by human resources, should:

  • identify the training needs of employees
  • design training, including key messages
  • maintain personnel records
  • ensure appropriate employee recognition
  • determine the role of line management in the engagement

The methods of anti-bribery communications and training are long-established with content and delivery generally developed in-house and/or by numerous external providers. Innovation is now taking place as companies explore how to shift the tone and focus of delivery. A ‘command’ approach can fall short as this method can fail to capture the interest or buy-in of employees. Instead, companies want employees to be committed to, and engaged with, the anti-bribery programme; to be proactive and creative in identifying weaknesses, suggesting improvements and conveying a strong message externally when representing the company.

The challenge for companies is how to enrich the content and delivery to ensure that the anti-bribery message is high on each person’s agenda, among all other important messages for employees.

Codes of conduct, policies and procedures, and business conduct guidelines will set out the company’s stance and expectations on values, standards and behaviour, but these are often not read fully or understood. Simply asking employees to sign that they have read and understood the relevant document is not enough. The company needs to ensure that its anti-bribery policies are properly embedded in its working practices and that continuous improvement is encouraged and recognised.

Internal communication and training should aim to ensure that employees:

  • Know what bribery is and how to recognise it.
  • Know about particular transactional risk areas and how to handle them.
  • Understand the relevant laws.
  • Know what to do when confronted with situations where bribes are requested.
  • Understand the wider issues relating to bribery including the potential adverse impacts of bribery on: the company, employees and societies.
  • Are committed to the company’s culture of integrity.
  • Will act in the right way.
  • Understand what they must do contractually.
  • Have trust in the company.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement.
  • Know they will be recognised by the company for their commitment.
  • Know they will be measured on compliance when remuneration levels are evaluated.
  • Understand the potential consequences for the company and for the employee when things go wrong.
  • Are aware of how things can go wrong, including error and negligence.
  • Know where and how to get more information.
  • Know how to raise concerns.
  • Understand that the company will protect and support employees who refuse to pay bribes or whistle blow.
  • Are encouraged to take continuing interest in updates on this subject.
  • Critically examine their day-to-day activities and propose solutions or improvements to processes.
  • Understand the importance of their role as ‘Integrity ambassadors for the company

It is crucial to measure the effectiveness of communications and training in order to then have a basis for improvement of these activities. Plans and targets should be set for measuring employee understanding of, and attitudes to: behaving with integrity, the anti-bribery programme, trust in the company, and the company’s integrity.

Examples of corporate approaches to internal communication and training:

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION

Internal communication, such as general communications, promotional materials and targeted campaigns, provides employees with essential baseline information on the company’s anti-bribery commitment while also raising awareness and understanding of the anti-bribery programme. A wide range of channels can be used including: websites, intranet, social media, mobile technology, postings on bulletin boards or walls, handbooks, employee manuals, newsletters, employee meetings, suggestion schemes, advice and helplines. The content and language of communications should be adapted to reflect varying audiences, localities and countries.

LINE MANAGEMENT

The anti-bribery programme and related messages can be communicated by line management and this should also enable discussions on key issues. Feedback and concerns voiced at discussions should be noted and provided to the compliance function in order to contribute to improving the anti-bribery programme. The approach should be to build the trust and confidence of employees in their right and access to voice and discuss concerns on anti-bribery issues with management.

In the first instance, the aim of the company should be to encourage employees to raise matters with their line manager or the compliance or ethics officer. This may be supplemented by giving the employees the right and protection to enable them to use a ‘leapfrog’ approach where they can jump management levels to voice and discuss concerns in situations where they are not comfortable speaking to their line manager. Regular opportunities should be provided to enable employees to engage in free and open discussion in relation to the anti-bribery programme and potential risks of non-conformance.

TRAINING FOR ANTI-BRIBERY

Basic training on the anti-bribery programme should be given to all employees and board members, most likely as part of wider training on the company’s code of conduct. In addition, dedicated, and tailored anti-bribery training should be given to those in high-risk functions.

Training should provide an understanding of what constitutes bribery, while also providing information in relation to improper practices and likely risk areas. It should aid recognition of how bribery demands take place and set out how to respond. The training should ultimately support the development of skills to avoid or resist demands or solicitation for bribery. The training should also build employees’ confidence and trust in, and commitment to, the integrity of the company. In this way, the company can encourage employees to act as ‘integrity ambassadors’, representing and promoting the company’s commitment through their actions.

The delivery of training can be facilitated through a range of training methods including: intranet, remote e-learning, external courses, seminars and conferences, and publications and training materials. Face-to-face training is vitally important as it communicates directly the company’s commitment, the significance of bribery risks and how to counter them, and is much more effective than remote e-learning. This can be delivered by either internal or external trainers. It is also important as it provides employees the chance to discuss topics and concerns with well-prepared instructors and experienced managers. The employee discussions can also contribute to the improvement of the anti-bribery programme. Suggestions and concerns should be captured and fed back to the compliance function. Employees should then be assessed at the culmination of the training (for example, by a multiple choice questionnaire) so that they can demonstrate their understanding.

Courses and other training delivery methods should also be evaluated to test the quality and value of the content, and whether it has led to any substantive changes in the way employees operate. This may be difficult to measure but feedback should be gained from managers as to whether they have seen any evidence of changes. The delivery of training should also be monitored and documented.The employees’ personnel files should be updated to record their attendance at the training and a process should be put in place to ensure that they receive regular refresher training.

TRAINING THE BOARD

Training should also be provided to board members. This will be designed to reflect their fiduciary and statutory responsibilities and is vital in order to enable them to have the skills and knowledge to carry out their role in providing leadership, addressing risks, building the company’s culture of integrity and governance and providing tone from the top. At the same time, the training will need to be sensitive to the time demands on board members while also being conscious that they may be over confident about their knowledge on these training topics.

Board training content can include:

  • The external environment for anti-corruption including changes in legislation, recent cases (including fines) and emerging trends.
  • The aspects of the main relevant laws, including any personal liability.
  • Related statutory responsibilities of directors.
  • High-level discussion on topics such as integrity culture, B20 and other inter-governmental initiatives.
  • Independent assessment role of the board and its committees.
  • How the company culture is managed and assessments of its status?
  • The implications of the company’s risk approach.
  • The risk assessment methodology.
  • The results of assessments.
  • The key identified risks and any residual risks.
  • How risks are mitigated.
  • The methodologies for reviews and audits and the results.
  • Specific aspects of the anti-bribery programme elated to directors’ activities including conflicts of interest, the ‘revolving door’, gifts, hospitality and expenses, lobbying.
  • Where to seek advice.

ANTI MONEY LAUNDERING TRAINING

An Evolving Industry

The challenge of managing money laundering risks in a global marketplace is one that demands a co-ordinated approach and a common understanding of evolving and emerging trends in both regulation and criminal activity.

It is important for any AML professional to recognise, develop and maintain a risk- based and comprehensive anti-money laundering/counter terrorist financing framework to mitigate and prevent the threat. Understanding your customers (Customer Due Diligence) and responses such as reporting suspicious activity are also vital tools in your AML armoury.

ICA Certificate in Anti Money Laundering

A practical, introductory-level course that will give you a solid understanding of core money laundering and terrorist financing risks.

CYBER SECURITY

Cyber Security for Business Leaders Programme prepares leaders from all industries for the increasingly complex future of cyber security. Participants will gain a full understanding of the challenges and potential of cyber, along with the frameworks and vocabulary enabling them to make strategic decisions to help secure their organisation’s cyber-resilient future.

What you will gain

Upon successful completion of the programme, you’ll:

  • Learn the necessary skills required to create a cyber resilient business model that builds trust in the system
  • Gain knowledge of recent and on-going changes in multiple domains within cyber security
  • Access a network of world-class academics, industry experts, and peers to collaborate and develop ideas
  • Gain access to a global network of e-lumni, and benefits unique to members of the Oxford Said online programmes community
  • Be awarded a certificate of attendance from BA Educational Consultancy LTD

“Understanding how to manage cyber-risk whilst embracing digital opportunity is crucial if we are to remain resilient in the face of growing cyber-attacks. This programme is designed to help current and future business leaders develop awareness of core aspects of cybersecurity, contextualise reports on new threats, and make informed decisions on how to react to emerging tech trends. It will assist leaders to become more awake to the socio-technical challenge of cybersecurity, to be more effective in taking a lead role in ensuring it is embedded into the DNA of business, and to be able to create and innovate new digital solutions responsibly.”

INFORMATION GOVERNANCE TRAINING & AWARENESS SERVICES

All companies who manage highly confidential information, including principal and chief investigators, staff, students, senior managers, and even those who just supervise people who directly handle confidential information, and support staff who do not have direct access to data, are expected to undertake annual training on handling highly confidential information.

This Information Governance training is designed to help those who work in health or social care settings understand their data protection responsibilities.

The course explains the types of personal information workers may be required to handle, how to process this information fairly and in accordance with the law, how to keep accurate records, and how to share personal information in an appropriate and secure manner. By the end of the course, learners will understand the key laws surrounding information governance and know how to follow the best practice guidelines.

Who should take this course?

This Information Governance course is suitable for anyone who works in health and social care. This includes employees at all levels, as everyone in all types of care settings has a responsibility to keep personal information up-to-date, secure and confidential.

This is an introductory data security course and no pre-requisite knowledge is required.

DATA PROTECTION TRAINING

& DATA PROCESSING

What will I learn?

Candidates will be able to:

  • Gain an understanding of the key changes and the associated implications that the GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 introduce to data protection.
  • Gain an understanding of individual and organisational responsibilities under the GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act, particularly the need for effective record keeping.
  • Be able to apply the new rights available to data subjects and understand the implications of those rights.
  • Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the designation, position and role / tasks of a data protection officer.
  • Be able to prepare organisations to manage and handle personal data in compliance with the GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act.

This is the first course in the four-course specialization Python Data Products for Predictive Analytics, introducing the basics of reading and manipulating datasets in Python. In this course, you will learn what a data product is and go through several Python libraries to perform data retrieval, processing, and visualization.

This course will introduce you to the field of data science and prepare you for the next three courses in the Specialization: Design Thinking and Predictive Analytics for Data Products, Meaningful Predictive Modeling, and Deploying Machine Learning Models. At each step in the specialization, you will gain hands-on experience in data manipulation and building your skills, eventually culminating in a capstone project encompassing all the concepts taught in the specialization.

Corporate social responsibility and social enterprise

In this section you will find information about getting into:

  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Corporate Citizenship
  • Corporate Social/Ethical Communications
  • Community Engagement/Partnerships
  • Social Enterprise
  • Fair trade

Sector Overview

Corporate Social Responsibility describes how a company accounts for the impact of its business activities – often environmentally as well as socially. It refers to the policies and practices that each company follows to improve business standards and ethics.

CSR has both national and international implications and focuses on raising standards above the legal minimums that companies are obliged to follow. Responsible business isn’t just about philanthropy or companies donating to charity, but about ensuring that their core operations are informed by good ethical or environmental standards.

It is now a common held global view that good business is responsible business and in response many businesses have set up specific departments or created CSR positions with dedicated staff that monitor and develop good practice in their operations whilst staying ahead of wider national and international policy and legislative changes. Nearly all large companies now have a CSR division with a responsible business remit that is a core component of their reputation and brand identity.

Consultancies The expanding market for consultancies is delivering a number of innovative organisations focused on ethics, human rights, sustainability, climate change, environmental risk management as well as a range of issues linked to social enterprise.

Social Enterprises These are businesses which are set up to change the world. Like traditional businesses they aim to make a profit but it’s what they do with their profits that sets them apart – reinvesting or donating it to create positive social or environmental change.

Social enterprises exist in nearly every sector from consumer goods to healthcare, community energy to creative agencies, restaurants to facilities management. Well known examples include The Big Issue, Divine Chocolate and the Eden Project but there are over 70,000 social enterprises throughout the country contributing £24 billion to the economy and employing nearly a million people.

Management Consultancies such as pioneering business support and strategy development for Social Enterprises as part of their CSR programmes. This enables them to use their professional business skills to create sustainable businesses that are good for the economy, people and planet, thereby ticking the all-important corporate box on “doing business for good”.

Interested in any of our courses?

Simply give us an idea of your training requirements and we’ll provide you with a quote that’s specific to your needs. We’ll get back to you within 30 minutes during normal business hours.

We prefer to build packages to precisely fit your needs.

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