Ethisphere Institute names four engineering and design firms among —World—s Most Ethical’

NEW YORK — The Ethisphere Institute named four engineering and design firms on its list of the 2013 World’s Most Ethical (WME) Companies. The seventh annual list includes a record 145 companies in more than three dozen industries that the research-based think tank said outperformed industry peers when it comes to ethical behavior. The four engineering and design firms are AECOM, CH2M HILL, Fluor Corporation, and Parsons. All four firms are multi-year winners.

According to the Ethisphere Institute, WME winners “represent the companies that truly go beyond making statements about doing business ‘ethically’ and translate those words into action. WME honorees not only promote ethical business standards and practices internally, they exceed legal compliance minimums and shape future industry standards by introducing best practices today.”

The evaluation and selection process for the WME Companies involves Ethisphere’s proprietary rating system, the corporate Ethics Quotient (EQ). The EQ framework consists of the following five core categories (and associated weighting):
• Ethics and Compliance Program (25 percent)
• Reputation, Leadership, and Innovation (20 percent)
• Governance (10 percent)
• Corporate Citizenship and Responsibility (25 percent)
• Culture of Ethics (20 percent)

It is the third year in a row that Ethisphere has named AECOM as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. “Making the World’s Most Ethical Companies list for the third-straight year reflects the commitment of our employees around the world to foster a values-based culture with unwavering dedication to integrity in everything that we do,” said John M. Dionisio, AECOM chairman and CEO. “Whether in serving our clients, where we deliver innovative and sustainable solutions; providing our employees with the highest standards for compliance and anti-corruption practices; or in supporting communities through our corporate social responsibility programs, we will continue to strive to be an industry leader in ethical standards.”

CH2M HILL was named to the list for the fifth time. “We are certainly proud to be named one of the 2013 World’s Most Ethical Companies. This is a tribute to our employees who, in today’s complex, global business environment, are making honorable choices,” said Lee McIntire, CH2M HILL Chairman and CEO.

CH2M HILL noted progress made in 2012 in expanding its ethics ambassador program in each office location; enhancing the leadership team for ethics and compliance, including global representation and hiring a Chief Counsel for Ethics and Integrity Management; anti-corruption training for managers and anti-harassment and discrimination training for all employees; a commitment to sustainability as it pertains to company operations and the services provided to clients; and community investment and employee volunteerism.

Fluor has received the WME recognition seven consecutive years. “At Fluor, we take our commitment to ethical business behavior very seriously and through our global programs work to promote a culture that helps our employees address this important issue in their everyday work lives,” said Glenn Gilkey, senior vice president for human resources and administration. “Fluor owes its success in this area to our diverse employee workforce, all of whom embody Fluor’s values of integrity, safety, teamwork and excellence regardless of their job assignment or work location.”

Parsons made the WME list for the fourth consecutive year. “Parsons is honored to be recognized among the World’s Most Ethical Companies once again,” said Chuck Harrington, Parsons’ chairman and CEO. “Our commitment to doing business ethically coupled with our vast industry experience are important factors for our customers, employees, and industry partners.”

Parsons said it communicates its commitment to integrity to all levels of the company through its Code of Conduct and through various training methods, including live training, videos, easily accessed online documentation, as well as periodic ethics “challenges” or quizzes to keep ethics in the forefront of its daily activities. In addition, Parsons has established metrics to measure the effectiveness of its integrity core value. The corporation also recently established the position of chief compliance officer in order to continue its efforts to incorporate best practices into all aspects of the organization.

View the Ethisphere Institute’s complete list of the 2013 World’s Most Ethical Companies at https://m1.ethisphere.com/wme2013/index.html.