Posts Tagged ‘company values’

Employers are on a mission to find employees who have the right values – it’s no easy task.
What defines good values? Is it honesty? Hard work? Loyalty and dependability? Teamwork and tradition? What follows is by no means the answer. In fact, it may raise more questions and that’s my point. People seem to throw around the term “values” but nearly each and every person seems to have something else in mind.

Nearly every person would agree that stealing is wrong. That’s an easy one. But what about lying? A knee-jerk response might be to say of course it’s wrong -”we couldn’t trust anyone who lies”. But what happens when honesty conflicts with loyalty – two “good” values.

For example, is it more important to be honest with a friend or to keep a promise or commitment to one’s boss?

Let’s say your boss tells you what he just heard at lunch and makes you promise to hold “this information tight to your vest – you can’t tell anyone.” He then proceeds to tell you that XYZ Company is shutting its doors before June 30.

Keeping that news secret shouldn’t be a problem – except that XYZ Company is your best friend’s biggest client. And your friend is signing an agreement tonight on his new “dream’ house. Not only that, your friend’s employer is planning a major announcement before the end of the week about their plant expansion to boost production and hire 60 new employees, mostly to support this client.

Truth verses loyalty – two good values that often end up causing great internal and external conflict. If you break the promise you made to your boss because you owe it to your friend to tell him the truth, how could your boss ever trust you again? If you don’t tell your friend – well aren’t best friends supposed to look out for one another?

I know what you’re thinking but this is the real world folks. Your best friend is supposed to understand that you have been placed – and not willingly I might add – in a very uncomfortable situation. But if you really were a best friend, how could you let him purchase this new home on the eve of his termination?

Let’s try another one. You were recently hired as the new second shift supervisor by the company chosen to be the “Best Place to Work”. You were selected for this job over more than a dozen highly qualified candidates. When hired, your boss told you “Kid, I like your spunk, honesty and work ethic. Just do as I say and you’ll do just fine.”

“Of course, I’ll do what he says”, you think. “Why wouldn’t I? I’d be crazy to lose this job for doing something stupid.”

A few weeks later, you realize that nearly half of your workers are illegals, being paid under the table. Before that night, you were amazed at their work ethic and dependability, rare traits these days in the lower wage jobs. But illegals are illegal – (no, Yogi Berra didn’t say that – but he probably wished he did!) and it’s wrong.

Here is the ethical dilemma – and ethical choices are often a reflection of your personal values. If you report it to your boss’s boss, you’ll probably lose your job – and so will the illegal workers. You just got married and have a newborn at home. And thank goodness for the health care benefits. Your baby was diagnosed with a rare digestive disorder and the special diet and medications cost hundreds of dollars each month. There is no way in the world you could afford her care without this job.

The workers have families too and without these jobs they too will likely end up on the street, along with their spouses and kids.

So what do you do? Compromise your principle of honesty and just keep it quiet – or blow the whistle and risk losing your job, and the jobs of all these workers? They are good people just earning a living and buying local goods and services. If the company is exposed, its reputation will suffer, several businesses will likely stop doing business, and this downward spiral will likely end up in the loss of jobs – something the town couldn’t afford. So do you do what you believe is right or do what’s right for the community and your family?

Finding employees who share your moral and corporate values – it’s no easy task. Finding the right people is not just about finding employees with the right values but understanding how they will approach problems and procedures (DISC) and how they will prioritize options, alternatives, and choices (Personal Interests, Attitudes and Values).

What values do your employees bring to work – how will they make difficult ethical decisions and will these decisions fit with your values? Follow this link to learn more about the Personal Interests, Attitudes and Values(tm) assessment.

This article originally appeared in The Total View, a weekly online newsletter that focuses on hiring, management and retention strategies. The Total View is written and published by Ira S. Wolfe and is distributed with permission by CorporatePersonalityProfiler.com and The Chrysalis Corporation. Subscribe for free to The Total View here.