Abstract
One of the key directions in the development of the personnel management system is its focus on taking into account the opinions and needs of citizens (as the main beneficiaries) and civil servants (as a key element of the civil service system). Taking into account the relevance of this aspect, the aim of this article is to analyse the activities of ethics commissioners as a tool for increasing the customer orientation and serviceability of the state apparatus. The article presents the results of an in-depth expert interview on the activities of ethics commissioners and their role in increasing the transparency of the civil service. The authors analyzed the theoretical foundations, current legislation, as well as the best international practices to enhance the role of ethical employees in improving the image of civil servants. Based on the results of the study, practice-oriented recommendations were developed to further strengthen the institution of the Ethics Commissioner. In addition, guidelines have been identified to strengthen human-centricity in addressing personnel issues and in the performance of their rights and duties by civil servants. Drawing on OECD, GRECO, and UN best practices, the authors propose a multi-dimensional Ethical Culture Maturity Index (ECMI) to evaluate ethics performance and recommend institutional reforms, including independent ethics oversight units, digital monitoring tools, and structured citizen engagement mechanisms