While the number of companies offering compliance and ethics training has grown over the years, some studies have found that they generally have little effect on their audience, according to an article in Slate. The article points to the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as one factor in the rise in compliance and ethics training for workers, as well as changes to federal sentencing guidelines, which says punishment for violations can be mitigated by the existence of these programs. However, said Slate, surveys have shown workers are cynical about programs like these, as they are seen to be more for the benefit of management than than the employees. Put bluntly, workers feel these are just a legal cover-your-ass measure, disconnected from any actual concerns about ethics and rule of law, and so are less likely to absorb their lessons. What's been found to be most effective, according to Slate, is for companies to actually walk the walk when it comes to ethics. Employees need to see that these sorts of trainings aren't cynical maneuvers to avoid blame when the company is sued, but something that's a part of the company's core values, which are demonstrated through their actions.