Jack Bonner, head of Bonner and Associates, insisted in congressional testimony on Thursday that the forged letters his company sent to lawmakers were the work of a single “rogue” employee, not the result of any deeper problems at his firm. The incident, Bonner’s lawyer wrote in a letter to the committee, “was an anomaly in the lengthy and honorable operation of this business.”
Regardless, Bonner has now developed a “five point action plan” which it believes will prevent dishonest conduct and help the company “earn the reputation as the industry leader for the highest quality standards.” Unfortunately, the big plan reads more like a list of very basic procedures that should have been in place all along, such as checking the resumes of employees, introducing an ethics policy, and making sure employees don’t lie. The full plan is below the jump:
Action 1: 100% call back verification of all groups that have signed statements of support to elected officials. The 100% call back verification will be conducted by permanent staff who did not place the original calls. The 100% verification will occur before any letter is delivered to an elected official. We believe that this new policy will make B&A the only firm in the industry to go to this length to insure quality.
Action 2: ALL temporary workers will review and sign an ethics policy before employment begins.
Action 3: ALL resumes of prospective temporary employees will be verified by permanent B&A staff before temporary employee begins.
Action 4: ALL new employees will complete mandatory ethics training and pass an examination administered by permanent B&A staff to ensure the full understanding of B&A’s ethics policies.
Action 5: B&A will retain an independent Ethical Standards Advisor who is well-regarded as maintaining the highest ethical standards and independence. The Ethical Standards Advisor will review B&A policies and work with B&A to improve its internal quality control system to the highest standards.
