Continual vigilance needed to protect gains in ethical behavior. Maintaining an ethical work environment is a primary pillar of the corporate culture Lockheed Martin is continuing to build upon. In recent years, measures of ethical behavior and perceptions in the Corporation - already at high levels - have improved even further. In last year’s Employee Perspectives Survey, employees said they were more willing to report unethical behavior, while the percentage of those observing misconduct was at its lowest level since the Corporation began collecting this data. “Ethics and integrity have always been core principles at Lockheed Martin, and that’s reflected in our value statements,” says Alice Eldridge, vice president of Ethics and Business Conduct. “Even if you didn’t know anything about our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, if you followed the value statements - do what’s right, respect others and perform with excellence - you could come pretty close to how we would want you to act in any situation that involved an ethical judgment.” “One of the things that makes our program work,” Eldridge says, “is that our ethics officers, in the field and at the business unit level, are embedded in the business. We attend business meetings and strategic planning sessions. We understand the businesses we support, and by participating at the business level we are able to close the gap between business and ethics. At Lockheed Martin, they’re the same thing.” When employees face ethical dilemmas or believe their concerns aren’t being handled appropriately, they have many resources to consult. The channels available to employees to raise concerns include: - Their management
- Human Resources
- Legal
- Internal Audit
- Ethics
- Security
- Environmental Safety and Health organization.
Employees can communicate with the ethics office by: In a corporation, the temptation is to become complacent about the minor infractions, she adds, but that’s a dangerous course. “Little ethical lapses destroy trust, and that weakens our culture. Before you know it, you have the big fracture,” Eldridge says. “We all have a stake in not allowing that to happen. An ethical reputation is crucial for our continued business success and for our ability to attract and retain the best employees.”
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