(Part 3 of an ongoing series)
What is important to you when seeking employment? As a business ethics motivational speaker, business ethics consultant and book author, I do know that too many prospective job-seekers, the reputation of a company has become more important.
Is a company’s ethics important in recruiting?
I know of a European-based airline that has had a major challenge finding cabin crew. It stems from an incident on a flight from the U.K. to Spain. An ugly incident occurred after a British man, who was white, strongly objected to having a Black woman sit next to him. She was doing nothing wrong except living her life and trying to go on vacation.
As the man ratcheted up his abuse, the passengers around the offending man began to frantically ring their “call buttons,” and yelled at the man to keep quiet.
Guess what happened? The entire crew, from pilots to flight attendants did nothing to fix the situation, except telling the woman she should move. Despite being abusive, nothing happened to the man. The plane landed and he walked away. A case was brought to the court by the woman with the support of other passengers (of all races, I must add) and the company was found to be negligent.
Guess what happened next? Racism and the airline became synonymous. The incident was all over the internet, electronic media and the newspapers. One journalist likened the craziness to what happened to Rosa Parks. When one does an internet search of companies where people don’t want to work because of poor ethics, the airline comes into focus.
A company’s ethics matter in every aspect of its life.
The Great Resignation
When millions of workers walked away from their jobs in 2021, it didn’t just happen as a response to Covid. There was – and remains – a huge pool of unexpressed emotion as to how employees were treated. Employees want to feel valued and as a business ethics consultant and business ethics speaker, I have learned from my clients that reputation matter and ethics matter.
The insurance industry website Benefit Mall stated (January 11, 2022):
“The Great Resignation is no myth. More than ever before, employees are showing discontent for their work situations by walking away. They are telling their employers that the old model is no longer doable. Employers unwilling to embrace this new great awakening among the workforce tend to risk losing the most.”
The new awakening can be encapsulated by what is now known as ESG, or environmental, social, and governance: what is the company’s reputation on the environment and green solutions; what is the company’s reputation in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion; how has the company governed itself?
Is a company’s ethics important in recruiting? Of course, it is. The European-based group “Thinking Heads,” posted this on their website (January 26, 2021):
The ESG criteria need to be implemented correctly and should be paired with an assertive and transparent communication, in order to achieve a positive impact on reputation…through intangible measurement models like real-time reputation, we can see the impact of actions, launchings and key moments in the public perception of [a] company.”
Reputation and Ethics are Key
While “reputation” and ethical behavior may strike us as “intangibles,” they shape the outward facing and inward dynamics of organizations. Employees respond to these influences far more than management realizes.
The Great Resignation should not have surprised anyone. When the economy started its rebound, it is no wonder that employees clamored to leave toxic situations. Is a company’s ethics important in recruiting? Well, a generation or two ago, perhaps the answer to the question was not so important. Now, it is critical. For ethics and reputation have become inter-changeable. As a business ethics keynote speaker, I urge companies that “play it loose,” to get their ethical houses in order; much sooner than later.
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