Ethics Class and The Search for A Customer

I would like to tell you a short story about a conversation that I had with a man I met in the lobby of a hotel. We were both attending a food exposition and had some time to kill before our taxis came to take us to the exhibition hall.

The conversation started when the Dutch gentleman asked if the seat at my table was taken. I told him that it was vacant and he quietly sat opposite me. I asked him if he was staying at the hotel for the food fare. He answered that he was. He asked me what my line of business was and I told him that I operated a large catering firm. I asked him the same question. He told me that he had a chain of high street butchers shops in Holand.

Interested, I asked him how many workers he had in his business. He answered that there were around one hundred and fifty people working for the him. I continued by asking him if business was good to which he replied, “it is now”. “I made some changes and now we are all very happy”, he continued.

Puzzled by the reply I asked him what me meant when he said “we” to which he replied, “”the workers and myself”. I must still have looked puzzled because he added “let me explain”.

He continued, “one day I met an old man who looked to be very wise. After talking to him about this and that I told him that I was not happy with my business because I was not making much money and I had to fight to get customers through the doors of my shops despite much advertising in local papers. I tried everything. All types of advertising campaigns, schemes, incentives, you name it I did it. I was very quickly getting very mentally drained. The man asked me just one question. He asked me if my workers were happy working for me. I knew that they were not. I paid minimum wage and gave very few holidays and sick leave. In fact my workers always looked gloomy and sad. But I didn’t care. I told the man that they were not happy. He said “do you realize that your workers are your most vital asset. Nothing can move in this world unless people make it move. Besides, if your workers are happy they will sing your praises to everybody they know and bring them to your shop”.

“Suddenly I saw the error of my ways”, continued the Dutchman. “I realized that I had turned so many potential ambassadors into slaves. I realized that not only could they advertise for me but so could all the people who got a recommendation from them. In addition I also realized that my produce was not always the best quality. I had been trying to reduce losses by selling meat that was about to go off. I decided there and them to stop all my advertising accounts and to re think the pay structure and social conditions for all my workers. In addition I decided to sell only the finest and freshest produce at good prices.”

“When I told my workers about what I had decided they were so emotional that many of them burst into tears. So did I. I asked their forgiveness and told them that we were opening a new page. The next day there was a real buzz in the shop. Everybody was smiling. Customers smiled at me and told me that I was a good man. I felt better than I had for many years. I had no need to worry about the produce either because none of it stayed in the shops long enough to go off, it just seemed to fly out of the doors. From then on I have never looked back. I have added many new products to my range and the customers love them. In fact I am here to buy more new equipment so that the worker’s job will be easier.”

“What a wonderful story” I said. “And it all came from a few words with that wise old man, wonderful, wonderful,” I said

Just then the taxis arrived. I never saw the Dutch man again but his words will remain with me forever. Ethics does pay.

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Tags: ethics, business, corporate, professional, training