Business Ethics & Integrity Services
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INTEGRITY JANUARY
2002
Uniformity versus Fairness In keeping with the increasing emphasis on transparency, the corporate sector in recent years, has taken the matter of setting up rules and regulations very seriously. From my own experience, I find that the workforce is happier in institutions that observe, without exception, clearly stated rules. The level of discontent is much higher in those organisations where almost everything is negotiable. Having said this it is also necessary to emphasise that uniformity of rules should be based on ethical foundations that have a broad based acceptability within the organisation. All too often one hears the complaint in enterprises that have firm rules and guidelines that there is no heart and feeling in the work atmosphere. When this is brought to the notice of the top management they feel extremely disappointed. They worked very hard to craft a set of rules and business policies that apply to all without exception in order to be unprejudiced, and now they are told that they are not being fair. If it is not one thing it is the other! So how can the issue of fairness be addressed adequately so that the legitimacy behind uniformity of rules is not undermined? This indeed is a tough call. There are no easy answers, but perhaps the following considerations, if kept in mind, might provide some solutions. i) ii)
iii)
iv) v)
Make sure that the rules do not seem to be entirely top driven. Very often there is a covert, and unrecognised, hostility at not being consulted before decisions are taken. There should be references in the body of rules to other rules that allow for exceptional circumstances. These exceptional circumstances should be listed out as exhaustively as possible along with the level of authority at which such exceptions can be granted. In this case it is indeed extremely necessary to understand the actual dilemmas that confront management in their day to day activities. This again demands interactive sessions and workshops. Make sure there isn’t that single ridiculous rule that spoils it all. Sometimes in the zeal to be fool proof certain rules are framed that give the impression that the top management either thinks very poorly of the intellectual level of those below them, or suspects them of every conceivable impropriety. There should be routine reviews of these rules at regular intervals. Finally, and most importantly, deliberate and self-conscious attempts must be made to relate these rules to ethical norms. This is the surest way to get a buy in from management at all levels on an enduring basis.
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