Kaboom!

That’s the sound of an employee who just snuck out of work 30 minutes early.  Why the ruckus?  You may not realize it, but every day employees come to work, they enter an ethical minefield.  Temptations lurk all around, not only to cut the workday short, but to take credit for someone else’s work, to yell at another employee, or to mislead a client.  This behavior can hurt the company’s productivity, reputation, and bottom line, as employees run into business ethics landmines. 

The good news is, as a business manager or HR professional, you can help your employees navigate this dangerous minefield!  You can start by building a solid ethics policy into your employee handbook.  The ethics policy should address key points such as:

• Company time.  The company gives money to employees in return for hours of work, so when those hours are cut short, the company loses.  As such, attendance is a key point to address in any ethics policy.  Clearly outline the procedures for requesting time off, including coming in late, taking a long lunch, or leaving early.  If your company allows employees to work from home, make sure the job is getting done that day.  Remember to be open and flexible when employees ask for time off—honesty and open communication beats lying and sneaking around!
• Coworker relations.  Employees spend a lot of time together at work, so it’s critical that these relationships remain professional.  That means your ethics policy should prohibit abusive behavior between coworkers.  Abusive behavior includes sexual harassment, bullying, offensive language, and the like.  Each of these behaviors is unethical and should come with clearly communicated disciplinary action.  It may be helpful to implement an ethics complaint procedure that employees can use when they have a grievance about another employee’s behavior.
• Credit for work.  Many of us have been in that awkward position where another employee, perhaps even a supervisor, tries to take credit for our hard work.  This practice is highly unethical and can crush morale.  It can also result in the wrong employee being chosen for an award or a promotional opportunity.  Be sure to investigate any complaints of employees stealing ideas or taking credit for work that is not theirs.
• Customer interaction.  Ethical treatment of customers means they are treated fairly and honestly—not misled, coerced, bullied, or harassed.  This is especially true when soliciting business from a potential customer.  Your ethics policy should clearly state rules of conduct for dealing with potential customers, such as how often they can be contacted, at what times of day, and what is or is not permissible to say to them.

Beyond those big-ticket items, consider surveying employees to learn what ethical dilemmas they encounter most.  Employees like to feel heard, so this is a great way to include them in policy-making and to get some great ideas for navigating the ethics minefield.

Whether you’re implementing a new ethics policy or revamping an old one, communicate this to employees via an ethics awareness course.  Include case studies (real or imagined) that help illustrate each ethical dilemma.  It may also help to include a Q&A session where participants can ask ethics-related questions without fear of repercussions.  At the end of the training, use evaluations to gain feedback on how to improve the course in the future.

YES! Your Human Resources Solution, Orange County’s premier HR consulting firm, offers training programs and full-service HR consulting to help keep your business at its best.  From employee relations, to salary and compensation, to HR training, our comprehensive services are just an e-mail or a phone call away.  For more information on how YES! can help your business meet its objectives, visit our website or contact us for a free consultation!