By Adam Turteltaub

For the cynical, business ethics, itself, is a myth. For those of us in the profession, we know it is not.

Still, that doesn’t mean that certain urban myths don’t arise. Matej Drascek (LinkedIn), in this provocative podcast, and in an article from Compliance and Ethics Professional® (CEP) magazine, argues that there are, in fact, a number of them. They are:

Myth 1: The code of conduct supports ethical behavior.

Myth 2: The compliance program helps the organization become more ethical.

Myth 3: Whistleblowing tools reduce the risk of unethical behavior.

Myth 4: More training in ethics is better.

Myth 5: Individual “unethical” characters can be curbed with the right controls.

Myth 6: Goals related to ethics or compliance help people behave more ethically.

Sound more like truths than myths? As you will hear, his comments are more warnings about the complacency traps that can arise. For example, we may think a code of conduct is helpful, but if it’s read once and then forgotten, it’s not. Or, just because there’s a whistleblower line doesn’t mean it will be used; the fear of retaliation may keep an employee from reaching out.

Listen in to learn the subtle nuances. If you don’t, your ears will fall off. Okay, maybe that’s Myth 7.