In this post-Enron environment most organizations are doing all they can to encourage employees to use the help lines and report activity that may violate company policies. Most ethics and compliance officers cite concern over what is not being reported as their biggest risk factor. Instilling a sense of personal accountability and responsibility among employees for the actions of others is a major challenge.

But what happens when the pendulum swings too far in the other direction? Crying wolf too often can jeopardize the integrity of the entire internal controls process.

The first question for the manager to ask is: Are the complaints valid?

If they aren't, then your vigilante employee needs to know the extent of the damage he or she is causing, both as to his or her individual reputation, as well as to the people with whom he or she works. Respect is likely a value at the organization that needs to be enforced. If current HR policies don't provide a remedy, they should be changed promptly.

But what if the complaints are valid? Are there in fact ongoing violations of company policy? Or at least legitimate perceptions of ongoing violations? If so, then why are the coworkers complaining?

In many instances, the trouble is that the technical policy doesn't conform to day-to-day practices. In such cases, the coworkers may be reacting to a policy that should be changed. Or perhaps your outraged coworkers may be reacting to inconsistent enforcement of the policies throughout the company.

Imagine if your lone ranger were sitting on the side of an interstate highway reporting the license plate numbers of all of the cars going over the speed limit. The public would be outraged, and yet each of the cars would in fact be violating the law.

Policies and rules are the foundation of a compliance program. But they are not worth the paper they are written on if they are not taken seriously. Bringing "order back into the work environment" requires a careful look not only at the policies workers are being asked to follow, but the reasons behind any lack of respect for following those policies day-to-day.

DAVID GEBLER is the President of Working Values, Ltd., a Boston-based business ethics consulting and training development firm.  More articles by David Gebler

WORKING VALUES LTD. is a business ethics and training company. Through a variety of products and services, including Web-based compliance and ethics programs, on-site training, video and award-winning ethics games for employees, Working Values aims to align employee behavior with company values. For more information as to how Working Values can narrow your company's Behavior-Standards Gap, visit www.workingvalues.com or contact cgebler@workingvalues.com. For news on ethics in the workplace, visit SmartPros Ethics & Compliance.