Anti-Bribery Sorted

New Mobile Game Helps Corporates Combat Corruption

Plymouth (UK), October 2019 - Sponge have launched training to ensure employee compliance with anti-bribery legislation. Based on the UK Bribery Act 2010 and international principles, the learning game helps organisations to combat corruption and protect their corporate reputation. The game is the third in the Sorted series of off-the-shelf compliance training solutions, following GDPR Sorted and Cybersecurity Sorted – for the seriously creative digital learning provider.

Designed for workers in commercial organisations across all industry sectors, Anti-Bribery Sorted is a fast-paced mobile game that provides learners with a basic knowledge of bribery prevention. Prices start from GDP 5,950 per year on a tiered pricing structure (or equivalent USD/EUR price at time of quote).

Bribery is on the increase: 49% of respondents to PwC’s global survey said their companies had been victims of fraud or economic crime in 2017, up from 36% on the previous year. But businesses that can demonstrate adequate procedures to prevent persons associated with the company, i.e. employees and third parties, from bribery have a legal defence against section seven of the UK’s Bribery Act 2010.

"Corruption is a growing concern for commercial organisations large and small. Businesses not only risk hefty fines for non-compliance, but damage to corporate reputation can have huge and long-lasting ramifications. Training helps prevent bribery by enhancing employee awareness, as well as mitigating risk for corporations", explained Sponge’s Founder and Managing Director Louise Pasterfield.

"Our existing client base, which includes some of the world’s largest brands, have highlighted a demand for training to address bribery across the globe. With Anti-Bribery Sorted we’ve combined our credentials delivering bespoke compliance training for major brands such as AstraZeneca and Tesco with our experience in learning games working with the likes of GSK, Coca-Cola, and Yum! Brands. The third in the series of our off-the-shelf training games enables us to roll out our digital-learning expertise to a wider audience of L&D, compliance, finance, procurement, and legal professionals."

Anti-Bribery Sorted covers whom bribery laws and regulations apply to, as well as the consequences of committing bribery. Employees learn what constitutes a bribe, how to identify high risk scenarios, and measures for preventing bribery, including techniques for refusing a bribe. The training instils desired behaviours in employees via built-in rewards and ongoing feedback. It presents learners with real-world scenarios where bribery could take place, alongside everyday low-risk situations in a fun and visually compelling way.

Using familiar mobile gaming and app mechanics such as swipe yes/no actions, users are expected to select the right answer out of two possible options. Learners work their way up through the five levels of the building, collecting stars to rise through the ranks.

Jason Butler, Sponge’s award-winning games developer, said, "Learning via games has been proven to be hugely successful – something we’ve seen first-hand at Sponge. Because games are experiential in nature, learning can be applied immediately. We’ve also found that they yield higher gains and improve retention over more traditional instruction. By mirroring real-world scenarios, users are able to ‘play’ in a risk-free environment. Another benefit of games is repeated play - after all practice makes perfect!

"Where learning games work particularly well is taking what is often perceived as a 'serious' or 'dull' topic and making it fun and engaging through gameplay. Anti-bribery is a great fit for our continuing success with our Sorted range of off-the-shelf training."