How do you communicate integrity?

We all think we’re ethical, just as we all think we have a good sense of humour.

So how can we communicate something as nuanced as ethical values, so that they are not just an attractive office mural, but are embedded in how people make decisions and treat others?

Whenever groups of people come together, they form a culture. Culture is the collection of values, beliefs and behaviours by which we operate within the group, be it a team, a business, or a corporation.

While compliance focuses on obeying the rules, ethics focuses on ‘doing the right thing’, even if it is not explicitly required by law. Ethical values are the compass which guides people when navigating complex, grey areas.

But sometimes, good people do bad things.

This can be because they feel detached from leadership decisions or the impact of their behaviour, or lack the confidence to challenge the status quo.

It’s one of the challenges of communicating ethical values: telling people is one thing; changing behaviour is another.

Communicating ethical values goes far beyond signposting information. At the very least it will be about embedding ways of working so that every component of the organisation collectively preserves the company’s integrity.  

At its most radical it can be about changing behaviour and finding new ways of working which are in line with ethical values. It’s the difference between informing people and engaging them.

The changing world of work

In 2015, I wrote Communicating Ethical Values, a Good Practice Guide for the Institute of Business Ethics. A decade later, there have been seismic changes in the world of work, but there has been little published research looking specifically at the intersection between internal communications (IC) and ethical culture.  

For example:

• Equity and belonging: We are witnessing a fraught moment around equity, diversity and inclusion, with some organisations scaling back their commitments, or not being as visible in their allyship. What part can internal communicators play here, in standing firm on ethical stances, and maintaining employee trust? For example, see Influence’s recent article on whether Pride still matters to public relations.
   
• The challenges of AI: From processes, efficiencies, to redundancies, no conversation about ethics can ignore the impact which AI is having on decision-making. Can internal communications stay trusted and neutral, maintaining the human in communications?
   
• Gen Z and ethical accountability: Surveys show that ethics is the top attribute employees across all generations want in an employer. However, gen Z expects genuine corporate responsibility, social alignment, and environmental accountability, and they quickly call out “purpose-washing.”
   
• Hybrid workplaces: Since the pandemic, hybrid work has made organic culture harder to maintain. How does IC bridge the ethical gap when people are not in the office.
   
• Speaking up and psychological safety: Drawing from my work with Freedom to Speak Up Guardians in the NHS, I have seen first hand the power which communications can bring to the visibility and actively helping to foster psychological safety.

Internal communications professionals sit right at the centre of these tensions.

Communicating values isn't just about risk mitigation; it builds long-term trust, aids post-scandal recovery, aligns merged cultures during M&A, and unifies global teams under a shared identity.

How does IC communicate ethics, and ethically? Tell me your thoughts on communicating ethical values

To explore how communicators are navigating these challenges, I am delighted to have been awarded a CIPR PR Research Fund grant. 

Methods of communication have evolved rapidly in the last 10 years. Video is standard, and traditional newsletters have been replaced by digital feeds fighting for employee attention. How are communicators cutting through the noise? How are you supporting complex, uncomfortable conversations around culture, EDI, and integrity in your workplace?

I want to hear from you, whether you work in-house or consult, in a small business or a global enterprise, across the public, private, or non-profit sectors.

Please take five to 10 minutes to share your insights in my short survey.

I am also seeking eight to 10 communications professionals for detailed case studies to explore real-world practices. The goal is to produce a practical framework that CIPR members can apply directly to their work.

Together, we can build the evidence base for how internal communication can empower employees at every level to do the right thing.

Chartered PR practitioner Katherine Bradshaw is the founder of Gowpen, a consultancy which bridges the gap between business ethics, wellbeing, leadership development and communications. Her career has encompassed Freedom to Speak Up in the NHS and the Institute of Business Ethics, and began in the music and comedy industry.