Majority of IT teams blasé about anti-bribery rules
Written by James West
The majority of UK businesses have made no alterations to their IT systems despite the imminent arrival of anti-bribery legislation described as the “toughest in the world.”
The UK Bribery Act, which came into force on the 1st July, carries the threat of ten years in prison and unlimited fines for those guilty of breaching its rules. 71 per cent of SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises) quizzed by Sage say they don’t understand what the Act is, the impact it will have on their business and what IT changes are needed to ensure the business is compliant.
50 per cent of the 1000 businesses polled admit their response to the arrival of the Act is to “carry on as usual”. Samantha Bell, HR adviser at Sage UK warns against this complacency. “If your business could be susceptible to potential acts of bribery, you should carry out a risk assessment and put strict policies and procedures in place to eliminate any doubt. But if it’s very unlikely that bribery could happen in your company, then drawing up and communicating one simple policy to your employees could be enough.”
A simple IT process may protect businesses against prosecution. “The key thing is to be in a position where you can show you have taken adequate steps to prevent acts of bribery from taking place. If a bribery claim is made against you, doing this can make a real difference to your defence,” concludes Bell.