Results of the survey indicate that frequency of ethics training is directly related to positive perception of agency culture. Employees who received some type of ethics training at least once a year had significantly more positive perceptions of agency ethical culture than did those who received training less frequently. The final report concludes that this finding provides the Government with a basis for improving the perception of ethical culture by providing additional ethics training. The study notes that additional training would also have the positive effect of increasing employee awareness of the agency's ethics program. 22 percent of the responses cited lack of training, knowledge, or education.
Supervisors are a key resource.
The report recommends, based on a number of findings, that supervisors be targeted for additional ethics training. Second, compared to non-supervisors, supervisors have more positive perceptions of agency culture, have greater awareness of the ethics program, and make greater use of program resources. These differences, moreover, persist even when controlling for filing status. Of course many supervisors already receive annual training because they have job responsibilities that require them to file financial disclosure reports. The report recommends that OGE consider changing the current practice of allocating training resources, under which training requirements are based on employee filing status, to include consideration of an employee's supervisory role.