Pre-clearance that guides employees before they accept
Don't discover gift policy violations after the fact. Ethico's G&E management provides pre-clearance workflows that guide employees BEFORE they accept gifts, automated threshold enforcement that applies your policy consistently, and cumulative tracking that catches patterns single-gift reviews miss.
Guidance before action, not discipline after
The Old Way
- 1.Employee accepts gift
- 2.Later realizes it might violate policy
- 3.Discloses after the fact
- 4.Compliance investigates
- 5.Discipline follows
- 6.Employee feels betrayed
The Ethico Way
- 1.Employee gets gift offer
- 2.Requests pre-clearance
- 3.System routes to reviewer
- 4.Approval or guidance within hours
- 5.Employee knows before accepting
- 6.Compliance is a resource, not a trap
Pre-Clearance Workflow
Employee submits request
System checks thresholds
Auto-approve or route
Reviewer decides
Clear answer before acting
The Result: Employees engage with compliance because it helps them navigate grey areas—not because they're required to document after the fact.
Your policy, consistently applied
Configurable Thresholds
- By gift type (meals, entertainment, travel)
- By recipient role (executive, manager, staff)
- By giver category (vendor, customer, gov)
- By geography (regional limits)
Automatic Enforcement
- Under threshold: auto-logged
- Near threshold: warning to employee
- Over threshold: routed for approval
- Way over: escalated to senior reviewer
Cumulative Tracking
- Total gifts from single source over time
- Pattern detection (same vendor)
- Annual cumulative limits enforced
- Prevents "death by 1,000 cuts"
Evidence for regulators
Complete Documentation
- Every gift offered (accepted or declined)
- Every pre-clearance request and decision
- Approval chain with timestamps
- Business justification captured
- Cumulative history by giver/recipient
FCPA Requirements
- Government official interaction tracking
- Foreign official gift documentation
- Business purpose justification
- Accurate books and records support
UK Bribery Act Compliance
- Hospitality proportionality assessment
- Adequate procedures documentation
- Commercial organization due diligence
Beyond gifts to full hospitality management
Travel Pre-Approval
- Vendor-sponsored travel requests
- Conference attendance approvals
- Business justification requirements
- Itinerary documentation
Entertainment Tracking
- Meals with business contacts
- Event attendance
- Hospitality provided (not just received)
- Per-person and cumulative limits
Expense Integration
- Connect to expense management
- Cross-reference submitted expenses
- Flag unreported hospitality
What's Included
| Capability | Details |
|---|---|
| Pre-Clearance | Request before accepting |
| Threshold Enforcement | Configurable by type, role, geography |
| Cumulative Tracking | Pattern detection over time |
| Automated Routing | Right approver for right request |
| FCPA Documentation | Government official tracking |
| Travel Management | Vendor-sponsored travel approvals |
| Entertainment Logging | Meals and events tracking |
| Audit Trail | Complete history for regulators |
Policy Configuration Examples
| Scenario | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Meals with vendors | $100/person limit, auto-approve under, route over |
| Promotional items | $50 limit, auto-log all |
| Event tickets | $250 limit, manager approval over |
| Vendor travel | Any amount requires director approval |
| Government contacts | Any gift requires legal approval |
| Cumulative/year | $500/source, alert at $400 |
How Pre-Clearance Works
Guidance before action, not discipline after
| Step | What Happens | Time to Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Request Submitted | Employee enters gift/travel/entertainment details | Immediate |
| Threshold Check | System compares to policy limits | Immediate |
| Auto-Approve | Under threshold → logged, employee notified | < 1 minute |
| Route to Reviewer | Over threshold → appropriate approver notified | Instant routing |
| Review Decision | Approver reviews, decides, provides guidance | 24-48 hours typical |
| Employee Notified | Clear decision before employee acts | Before acceptance |
The shift: From "Did you violate the policy?" to "Here's whether you can accept this."
"Before pre-clearance, employees were afraid to ask—they'd either decline everything or accept and hope no one noticed. Now they ask first and get clear guidance. Gift policy violations dropped to near zero because people know before they act."
Michael T.
Chief Ethics Officer, Professional Services (5,000 employees globally)
Implementation Timeline
G&E pre-clearance operational in 30-45 days
| Phase | Timeline | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Week 1-2 | Policy review, threshold configuration, approval chains |
| Configuration | Week 2-3 | Threshold setup by type, role, geography, giver |
| Workflow Setup | Week 3-4 | Routing rules, approval escalations, documentation requirements |
| Integration | Week 3-4 | HRIS connection, expense system integration if applicable |
| Testing | Week 4-5 | Test requests, validate routing, verify thresholds |
| Go-Live | Week 5-6 | Launch with employee communication, hypercare support |
What Happens Next
See Pre-Clearance in Action
Demo showing the employee experience: request submission, threshold check, approval workflow.
30 Minutes
Map Your Gift Policy
Work with our team to configure thresholds by gift type, role, geography, and giver category.
Define Approval Chains
Configure who approves what—manager, compliance, legal for government contacts.
Launch Pre-Clearance
Go live with employee communication positioning compliance as a resource, not enforcement.
30-45 Days
Frequently asked questions
Turn gift policy into guidance, not gotchas
See how pre-clearance workflows transform compliance from enforcement to enablement. Employees get guidance before acting; you get documentation and reduced violations.
See G&E DemoCustom demo showing your policy thresholds and approval workflows.