Education

The goal of ethics education is to encourage city officials and employees to do the right thing and live the values of an ethical culture:  Honesty, Integrity, Accountability, Trust, and Transparency.  


Ethics Training

Ethics training is a key step in promoting ethical conduct and a critical component to a comprehensive ethics and compliance program. The Ethics Office educates and trains city officials and employees on the city’s ethical standards and the need to avoid the appearance of impropriety.  Ethics training is provided to all new employees as part of the New Employees Orientation and to employees in specific offices or departments on request. Training is also provided to city vendors. 

Ethics Pledges

The City of Atlanta requires all newly hired employees to sign an employee ethics pledge, and all departing employees to pledge that they will abide by the city's one-year cooling-off period.  Other employees and officials are asked to sign an ethics pledge after they receive ethics training.  The ethics pledge informs them about the city's ethics rules and solicits their commitment to place the city's best interests above their own financial and personal interests. City vendors are required to sign an pledge agreeing to abide by the City's ethics rules as part of the City's procurement process. 

Ethics in Action is a public education initiative to promote an ethical culture at the City of Atlanta.  City officials and employees are encouraged to live the values of an ethical culture through a commitment to:  

Honesty, 
Integrity, 
Accountability, 
Trust, and 
Transparency

The City of Atlanta is fostering a strong ethical culture through:

  • Training and leading discussion on what an ethical work culture means
  • Raising awareness about the Ethics Code and policies
  • Distributing ethics awareness content citywide
  • Promoting the City's Integrity Hotline
  • Publishing brochures for vendors, board members, and employees
  • Providing an ethics e-learning course for all employees
  • Airing public service announcements about ethical values in the workplace

Ethics Publications

Ethics in Action. The Ethics Office publishes an e-Newsletter, Ethics in Action, for all city employees and city officials.  

Ethical Guidelines. For individuals who want to understand how the ethics law applies in specific situations, the Ethics Office has developed publications that discuss the ethics rules and provide examples about how they apply to employees, board members, neighborhood planning unit officers, and elected city officials.