Workplace Ethics Reclamation Project 1

Reclaiming a good set of ethics in the workplace is a process, not a goal easily defined or a line item in a mission statement. It is a bodily progress for the entire company. Like cells that rejuvenate, the employees of good ethical companies find themselves renewed when making the right choice in times of business moral dilemmas. When the corporate compass is stable and direction is clear situations never faced before are more easily handled without compromise.

We have seen what happens to companies with out a moral compass. The appearance of stability may exist on the outside but internally it is a free for all where greed can breed.

Even worse, over time, a stagnate attitude develops where a “this is the way we have always done it so I could care less” mentality develops leaving employees with no guidance for today’s challenging workplace ethical dilemmas. The pace and intensity in today’s economic climate is extreme with no time to ponder “what to do next” when faced with a new workplace moral challenge. Decisions and money must be made fast. Good moral fiber is the only hope.

If a company has mapped out and openly shares its moral philosophy toward consumers, vendors, clients and employees; workers are empowered to speak from the company platform and that becomes a tentative replacement for personal moral fiber. I say tentative as this is the kind of work behavior that may or may not go home or onto the streets. Note to employers: face book and other social media may tell you the full story of your employees.

The reclamation of corporate moral fiber takes ordinary people seeing their jobs in a new light from the top down, bottom up and sideways. Especially from the top down – check Bernie Madoff. Today‘s (6-16-09) Boston Globe reports some of Madoff’s victims statements about him, such as “I told my father he could not die because I didn’t have enough money to bury him. This is what we are reduced to after Madoff lived so well off of all our money. He ought to be able to look forward to just exactly what he has done to us: No hope, no future and no forgiveness.” More about that in my next blog entry.

Right now lets look at how we might begin to reclaim a lost or ‘off track’ corporate ethical code.

Step 1 - Check the Employee Handbook
Most handbooks have the following list for events or actions that are cause for termination

1 Excessive tardiness
2 Failure to notify of an absence
3 Insubordination
4 Rude or abusive language in the workplace
5 Failure to follow “Departmental Rules or Policies”, i.e., not wearing safety equipment, not following correct cash handling procedures
6 Dishonesty
7 Theft

Ok, that is a good start but look at # 6 “Dishonesty”; not everyone has the same sense of what that means. I know, I know you are rolling back on your executive chair thinking I am out of my mind. But trust me, society has changed. If you do not want employees using white out to change the date on a form, signing paperwork in blank, giving away your client base to a competitor, etc, then you must list it out. There are too many things to individually list in most industries so a lumping together of the general workflow is necessary. Using mortgage banking as an example, “Dishonesty” may read like this:

Dishonesty such as misinformation in a loan file, telling the borrower you did something on their file when you did not (like lock the loan); changing previously submitted information, removing documents from file, deleting computer conversation logs, copying computer information with out authorization.

Also, look at how you deliver your handbook to new employees. In mortgaging two of the hot buttons, fraud and abuse, require the new employee’s attention and understanding of non-acceptability in your workplace. Instead of mailing or emailing the handbook, sit down with the employee and go over the reasons for possible termination. Most employees appreciate their jobs more today than they have in a good long while. Knowing the employer is serious about a termination for doing a bad thing in a loan file will make employees consider the consequences and wisely not take that action at all, no matter where the pressure is coming from.