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HOW-TO: HUMAN RESOURCES
HOW ETHICAL IS YOUR WORKPLACE?
A clearly written code of conduct can help you communicate to your employees what you expect in terms of ethical behavior in the workplace.
ACCORDING TO
Work Institute, “ethics in the workplace is defined as the moral code that guides the behavior of employees with respect to what is right and wrong in regard to conduct and decision making.” As a waterpark manager, you want your business to be perceived as one that values on ethical behavior, makes guest and employee safety the top priority and delivers as much fun to visitors as possible. The last thing you want is for guests who visit your park to see behaviors that imply a lack of ethics within your facility.
To help you determine whether or not your workplace is displaying ethical behavior, take the following brief quiz. For each question, choose whether the behavior discussed is something you: often see or do, sometimes see or do or never see or do. Circle whichever answer best fits your operation. 1. Employees check emails or read the news on their phone while on the clock.
OFTEN SOMETIMES NEVER
2. Employees grab food or a soda without paying
for it. OFTEN SOMETIMES NEVER
3. Managers discuss things they’ve seen on team members’ social media pages.
OFTEN SOMETIMES NEVER
4. Decisions to promote are based on popularity.
OFTEN SOMETIMES NEVER
5. Employee complaints are addressed only when business is slow.
OFTEN SOMETIMES NEVER
6. Gossip is shared during staff meetings.
OFTEN SOMETIMES NEVER
7. Maintenance issues are put off until the end of
the season. OFTEN SOMETIMES NEVER
8. Invoices are held until they have to be paid.
OFTEN SOMETIMES NEVER
9. Employees get friends and family in without
paying. OFTEN SOMETIMES NEVER 10. Employees bend the ride rules when the park
Now, give yourself 3 points for every time you circled Often, 2 points for every time you circled Sometimes and 0 points for every time you circled Never. If you scored less than 10 points, then you should feel confident that ethical work behaviors are already a part of your work culture. Of course, there’s always room to improve, so this is still a great opportunity to address any items that scored higher.
If you scored between 10 and 20 points, then you might have some changes to make to ensure ethical behaviors are part of your work culture. Take a look at where you scored 3’s and really think about how often you see these behaviors displayed. Let’s say, for example, that you answered Often on question 4. Ok, so popularity could mean likeability and being liked is a reason to move someone up into a management position. However, if you are promoting only those people you like regardless of the skill or longevity of others on your team, then that is not the most ethical way to make decisions on who to promote. Next time you are ready to promote a current employee into a management position, make skills, longevity, recommendations by more than one current manager the key points of consideration.
If you scored more than 20 points, then you have a work ethic problem that needs to be addressed with everyone on your team. For example, if employees are often stealing time and goods from your business and no one is challenging this behavior the first time it’s suspected, then you have a problem with ethics within your management team. Your first step could be to review your employee training manual to see how you have discussed ethical work behaviors in the past. Have you clearly outlined what are considered acceptable ethical work practices for your business? Do you have a code of conduct that holds employees accountable for displaying ethical work behaviors? If ethics have not been a part of your training manuals before, now is the time to revise and add to your manuals. Consider researching codes of conduct for other businesses and use the best of what you find to draft a new code of conduct for your facility.
Remember that problems with ethical work behaviors don’t happen overnight and they cannot be addressed in a few days. Changing your work culture will take time and patience. It will be worth it though because if you let your ethics slide to the point that guests notice it, you will be dealing with serious perception problems that drive down visitor numbers in a hurry. •
INTERVIEWING DURING THE GREAT RESIGNATION
BY WAYNE MULLEN
WHETHER IT IS CALLED the Great Resignation or the Great Upgrade, a record number of employees have voluntarily left their jobs. Some will never return to the workplace while others are seeking to find a better opportunity. Economists are saying that the United States is facing the worst labor shortage since World War II. With the unprecedented number of people who have left employment, comes a historic number of job openings.
Organizations like yours are scrambling for employees. The competition to attract new hires is great and there is a competitor on every corner, so it seems. Companies are offering increased pay, sign-on bonuses, flex time, educational incentives, additional benefits, etc. to attract the same people you are trying to attract.
Some companies are lowering their hiring standards in order to find a larger field of candidates. In recent months I have heard employers make statements like, “All we want are warm bodies, we don’t care if they are qualified or not.” While understanding the plight so many employers find themselves in, you need to be reminded that sometimes having nobody is better than having somebody. Think about it. Hiring right is still extremely critical to the success of your organization and don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise. The flippant hiring of unqualified candidates will come back to bite.
Don’t just look for warm bodies. Make sure that your new hires have what it takes to make your organization successful. One of the best ways to conclude that an applicant is a great fit for your organization is to conduct a reliable and legally compliant job interview.
Be reminded that many applications and resumes contain untruths or heavily exaggerated accomplishments and skills. It is important for you to interview applicants in order to truly assess a candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, suitability and fit for the job. An interview should never be simply a rehashing of an applicant’s application or resume. You need to ask some tough questions and then you need be prepared to listen to the answers given . . . really listen.
WHAT TO AVOID IN YOUR NEXT INTERVIEW
Certainly interviews need to be compliant with all guidelines set by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (www.eeoc.gov). All applicants are to be treated with respect and dignity and are not to be discriminated against because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. Here is a sampling of some questions that should never be asked of any applicant: • Where did you grow up? • Are you a U.S. citizen? • Where were your parents born? • What is your native language? • What kind of accent is that? • How old are you? • What year did you graduate from high school? • What is your marital status? • With whom do you live? • Do you plan to have a family? • How many children do you have? • What are your child-care arrangements? • Do you have health-care coverage through your spouse? • What is your race? • What clubs or social organizations do you belong to? • What can you tell us about yourself? • Do you have any disabilities? • Have you had any recent history of illness or operations? • When was the date of your last physical exam? • How is your family’s health? • Have you sought or are you currently receiving psychological treatment? • How many days of sick leave did you take last year? • Have you ever been addicted to drugs? • What medications do you currently take?
• Are you able to stand, walk, lift, etc.? • Have you ever received workers’ compensation or disability payments? • Are you pregnant? • Have you ever gone out on FMLA? • Have you ever been arrested? • What is your religion? • What church do you attend? • What holidays do you observe? • When do you plan to retire?
If you are unsure of whether or not a question is in compliance, err on the side of caution and simply don’t ask the question. And be careful about small talk with a job candidate before, during and after the interview. Small talk can create big problems for you! Your conversations with applicants should only be job related.
WHAT YOU SHOULD ASK DURING AN INTERVIEW
There are various interviewing styles, but you can hardly go wrong with a structured interview conducted by a panel or interview team. Sometimes referred to as a patterned interview, the structured interview includes approximately ten pre-determined questions that are asked of all candidates. This makes it possible for the interview team to evaluate and compare candidates fairly and to defend any hiring decision. Don’t be afraid to dig for information. The purpose of any interview is to pinpoint job skills, including people skills that are essential to the available position.
Of course there are many job related questions that can legitimately be asked during an interview. Here are just a few. • With your background, what will you bring to the agency? • What do you believe makes you qualified for the position for which you applied? • What are some of your professional accomplishments? • Based on what you know about the position, in what areas would you need additional training? • What disappointments have you had on your present job? • For what things have your supervisors complimented you? • What do you like most about your present job? • Do you get along with your supervisor? On a scale of one to five, five being the best, where do you think your supervisor would rate you? Where do you think your co-workers would rate you? • Tell us about a time you made a mistake at work. How did you handle this? • How important is it for an employee to be ethical in the workplace? How do you define ethical? • Have you been promoted since working with your present employer? Was it based on length of service or merit? • Why are you leaving your present job? • How do you define good customer service? • How would co-workers and customers describe you? • In what kinds of situations do you find it most difficult to deal with people? • You perceive that your supervisor as being unfair to you. How are you going to react? • What would you want in your next job that you are not getting now? • Has your previous work been accomplished as a team or have you worked alone?
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