Why Does This Even Need to be Said?

By developing regulations that are in synch with the values of its workers and customers, a company can boost its bottom line attract and retain more talent and nurture a favourable image among its clientele.

This is an excerpt from a recent article in ITBusiness.ca. The article goes on to say that the ethics record of many Canadian IT firms is "spotty at best". My question is why there's even a question about the positive effects that a workplace that is safe, sane, and stable will have on employees and therefore the bottom line.

After all, it's just common sense that people are more productive if they feel secure in the decsions they make and the consequences of their actions.

One of the challenges that many companies face in creating reasonable ethics guidelines is the mistaken attempt to be all things to all people, resulting in a code of conduct that is so vague and convoluted that it almost begs for abuse.

The "kis" principle (keep it simple) is as applicable here as it is anywhere. Provide employeed with clear guides and straightforward regulations for conduct and watch the results rack up in the next quarterly statements.

For a practical approach to applying ethics in employee relations, try 7 Questions for Practical (and Profitable) Business: 7 Questions for Positive Employee Relations

Doing Unethical Things

In a recent article in the South African business publication Business Day, Graham Willcock wrote "In order to understand what constitutes moral behaviour, morality needs to be understood as using reason to govern behaviour while giving equal weight to the interests of those affected by that behaviour."

It isn't easy for us to give "equal weight" to the interests of others. As a social species we understand the value of cooperation, but as a competitive species, we are vitally aware of the personal benefits to be gained from putting our own interests just a little bit ahead of those of anyone else.

To counter this tendency we create all sorts of elaborate codes and processes to act as checks and balances. The problem of course is that the more elaborate the system, the easier it is to circumvent. Or in case of ethics. the easier it is to convince ourselves that we're not circumventing it at all.

The 7 Questions takes a minimalist approach to the question of ethics. There are no elaborate manuals, no paragraphs of qualifications. Just 7 Questions that ask us to ask ourselves if the action we're taking gives "equal weight" to those who will be affected by it.

They're tough questions. but they're ethical ones.

Assessing Remote Agent Programs - Delivering Classroom Training Remotely

This article can now be found on Call Commandos!

7 Questions for Positive Employee Relations

Looking for a topic and speaker for your group's next business meeting?

7 Questions for Positive Employee Relations

This 20 minute presentation introduces the 7 Questions approach to creating a positive working environment in any organization. It is a strategy that focuses on not only employee needs, but also those of management and the company as a whole.

The 7 Questions approach fosters accountability and consistency in decision making across the enterprise.

About the 7 Questions -
The program draws on the "ripples in a pond" metaphor; the idea that the effects of decisions spread outward in ever widening circles to impact all aspects of business.

Recognizing this connection encourages managers to understand their actions within the context of the management team and the company as a whole.

Using the 7 Questions -
Each of the 7 Questions starts identically -
Will this decision positively affect:

1. The employee
2. You (as their manager)
3. The employee's friends or associates in the company
4. Your peers
5. Your team or department
6. Other teams or departments
7. The company overall, in productivity, community perception, etc.

This introductory presentation will provide a high level overview of how the 7 Questions can be implemented, what specific behaviours are targeted, and how creating a positive, consistent work environment benefits the bottom line.

About David Keating
David is an entrepreneur, manager, and trainer of thirty years experience. He has used a variation of the 7 Questions in numerous businesses and looks forward to the opportunity to share his technique with groups of all types.

For booking information, contact: David Keating

The Case for Golden Rule Employment

If you treat your employees as you would want to treated (or as you would want your wife, kids, parents, etc. to be treated), most employment cases would never be filed - John Hyman

The above is an excerpt from Ohio Employer's Law Blog. Hyman calls it the "Golden Rule of Employment Relations".

I am always interested in finding references to the Golden Rule outside of "religion". For me, the Golden Rule represents the tool for living out our ethics and ideals in all aspects of our lives. That has to include our work lives or it means nothing.

In Hyman's article he references yet another employment lawyer. The focus of the article is to offer employers advice on how to avoid lawsuits from employees.

That motive should not seem self serving. The Golden Rule isn't intended to turn us into money-losing doormats. Business still exists to both provide service to its customers and make a profit for its owners and shareholders. But Mutuality means that cause and effect are never separated.

If a manager follows the concept of the Golden Rule appropriately, they cannot help but serve the customer, employees and employer, and in the process benefit all.

Subversive isn't it?

Cause Fish Like Worms

Business consultant Bev Smallwood of Magnetic Workplaces, in an article titled Don't Misinterpret the Golden Rule, points out that it takes more than putting ourselves in an employee's situation to effectively motivate and retain staff.

Ms. Smallwood's article uses the Golden Rule to make her point. In general, managers do make sincere efforts to consider the needs of the people who report to them. Too often though, we try to address those needs based on what we would expect if we were in the same situation.

Instead, suggests Smallwood, we should take the time to learn enough about each person that we can understand what truly motivates them. This avoids costly misunderstandings that lead to lost productivity and higher employee turnover.

After all, as the article concludes "I may like ice cream, but when I go fishing I use worms, 'cause fish like worms."