Everyone has had moment when we wish we had listened to the little voice inside our heads. You know the one, that little voice that says, “Whoa,” whenever you’re about to do something stupid.

In this month’s Ethics column, Dean Thompson says the vast majority of ethics code violations are committed due to nothing more than sheer ignorance of the standards. If an employee doesn't know that what he or she is about to do is a terrible idea, the little voice can't do anything to stop them.

Thompson and other experts stress that promoting an ethics policy is vital, and that executives should make it a point that every employee knows and understands it. But besides posting the code in a prominent place and holding meetings, could there be a better way?

Could it be possible to make sure that an employee would never be put in a position to violate the company's ethics code unknowingly? Could the employee of the future be equipped with his or her own personal Jiminy Cricket?

In this month's Business Technology column, Alex Kass discusses the potential of mobile personal services platforms, which can turn a cell phone or Blackberry into a portable coach. Kass says technology currently being developed could make it possible for salespeople in the future to consult their phones for feedback on their performance during sales calls. This technology could measure observed behavior and match it against goals. A salesperson who performs better when he or she spends more time listening to the client could receive a gentle reminder from his or her headset when he or she starts to ramble.

It's not hard to see the implications this technology could have on promoting ethical behavior in your employees. A smart phone programmed with your company's ethics policy could chastise an employee for discussing inside company information with a rival salesperson, arriving to work late or using the words “stupid” and “boss” too close together on his or her blog.

Such technology might be a long way off from being practical, but it's not hard to see a world where employees always have a little voice in their heads. Imagine a world in which the next call you get on your cell phone is a voice saying, “Hey, are you sure that's a good idea?”