One of the more misunderstood aspects of California’s Sexual Harassment Training Law (AB-1825) is who exactly it applies to when a company has operations outside of California. For a company whose business is entirely California-based, the law is pretty clear. If it has 50 or more employees (or subcontractors), then it must provide sexual harassment training all supervisory employees.

But what if most of the company’s operations are located outside California? What if, for example, you have over 50 employees outside California, and a small number of employees inside California? Do you still need to provide sexual harassment training for your supervisors? If so, which ones? All of your supervisors? Or just the ones supervising California employees?

The AB-1825 law is pretty vague in this respect. Here’s the relevant portion of the law:

For purposes of this section only, “employer” means any person regularly employing 50 or more persons or regularly receiving the services of 50 or more persons providing services pursuant to a contract, or any person acting as an agent of an employer, directly or indirectly, the state, or any political or civil subdivision of the state, and cities.

One of SexualHarassmentClass.com’s clients had just such a problem. This company was located in Denver and had a few hundred employees there. It also had several outside sales people based in California. They wanted to know who should be trained, if anybody?

Our opinion was that since there is no clear case law or legal precedent in this area, the best move was to be conservative as possible. Since the company had employees located in California and it was complying with California regulations (minimum wage law, having California withholding, etc), it’s a safe bet that this company fell within AB-1825 regulations. Nowhere in the law does it say that the supervisors or the 50 employee limit was for California employees, which further reinforces that this company needed to comply with the law.

Remember, it’s a employer law. Not a law for individual supervisors. The company must be in compliance.

So our opinion is that at a minimum, all supervisors who supervised the California employees should receive AB-1825 compliant sexual harassment training.

What about the rest of the supervisors? Those who didn’t work in California and didn’t supervise California employees? One might argue that these people shouldn’t be trained. But again, it’s a California employer requirement. Nowhere does the law limit itself to train California supervisors or supervisors of California employees.

So again, trying to be conservative, our recommendation was to have all the company’s supervisors trained. This would guarantee meeting California’s AB-1825 requirements under all possible circumstances for the relatively small cost of the online sexual harassment class training.

Plus, most importantly, all that training will pay off in the long run by reducing the company’s likelihood of sexual harassment problems in the future.

For more information visit our Website

Ari Novick, Ph.D. has several online class programs that cover areas such as sexual harassment, anger management, workplace anger programs, stress management and parenting.

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Tags: work, workplace, sexual, ethics, ethical

I wonder if that is why there had been and still is such a push in the independent contractor and independently owned small business in this country over the last 5-8 years?

I lived in Hamilton ohio, one of the main sources of income there many years ago used to be the Paper Mills, that industry shrank immensely back in the late 70′s and never truly recovered in that area. It wasn’t the fact that there was a bad economy so much as there was a shift in industry and standards that caused major changes and the loss of a great deal of jobs.

Back in the 1980′s Scientific Atlanta layed off an entire section of their manufacturing. This was during an upswing in the economy. It was the change and growth of the industry that was causing major changes I think.

I’m not saying that the economy is never the reason that factories close, or that people lose their jobs, quite the contrary. I do propose that many times that a company changes how it does things, has to lay off employees etc, it is often related to other things, mismanagement of the company and it’s finances. Labor disputes have been the downfall of companies many times, it is very difficult for a company to fully recover from a strike, especially a prolonged strike.

Many companies are forced to close due to environmental reasons. Environmentalists lobby for stricter standards, forcing higher costs, revamping of equipment and causing those that have done the job for a long time to become obsolete in their position. U.S. Sugar is closing down in Florida in the next couple of years, you would think that with the current demand of Ethanol and things of that sort they would be booming. The reality of it is that environmentalists are pushing strongly to reestablish the everglades and facts are that U.S. Sugar owns and plants much of the land they want for that project. At the same time their polluting of the main water source for the surrounding area doesn’t help. Then there is the competitive facts, it is very difficult to stay competitive with sugar companies coming from other countries. I know everyone always talks about the tax breaks and that being the main reason companies produce in countries such as Mexico, India, and the like. But it is actually the fact that there are not many of the mandated regulations and requirements that increase the production costs, then when mixed with the fact of employee wages for the area they are in mixed with the lower tax rates, what do you expect a company to do? Unpatriotic it may sound or even be, but the facts are facts, if the absence of mandated regulation save not only production time but 30-60% of production costs, and then you mix this with a lower payroll without loss in product quality, and then you have lower tax rates. Even with the highest of Tariff’s it’s still economically sound to do your manufacturing elsewhere is it not?

The only way to combat this I think would to be bringing every country in the world to the same level of environmental restrictions and cost of living rates, and that I don’t see ever happening. Not to different if you stop and think about it really, than a company moving facilities from Ohio to say Montana because the cost of living is lower in the area of Montana, and they give them tax breaks to come, then of course there are less manufacturing regulations in a less populated and less industrialized areas.

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Tags: workplace, work, ethics, ethical, business

I have a book title sitting on my end table from Vince Flynn, a Minnesota author that writes wonderful fictional books. The name of the book is Protect and Defend, I read it a year ago – but instead of putting it back on my bookshelf, or passing on to friends I keep it on my end table…I like the title, it reminds me of leadership.

Courageous leadership is about protecting and defending. Not just on a national basis – but as any leader of a team, whether the team has 3 people or 1000. A leader’s role is about protecting the culture of the work place or work team, protecting core values, defending ideas, and defending a coworker’s right to a different opinion. A key trait we see in great leaders is their courage, conviction, and curiosity. They truly care what happens and their openness to know they may not be right all the time allows a leader to keep a connection with their team that keeps the team vibrant and engaged.

Not sure if you Protect or Defend….think about this:

* When you have been in a meeting have you let someone dismiss or squash a comment from a coworker?
* Your team’s core values are clear…there is a discussion going on that really goes against what the team stands for…you walk away from the discussion..wishing you would have said something.
* The shy member of the team has spoken up…she has a good idea…but the other team members really didn’t listen….you speak up and say…team – did you hear what Sue said? She has a really good idea.

Practice elegant courage, help Sue’s voice be heard. Ask a clarifying question, so that she can share more of her idea…That is Protect and Defend.

The role of leadership isn’t based on title… use your gifts, develop your style and be an elegant leader. Elegant Courage!

Jodi Wiff, has tackled big issues, big challenges, and big opportunities. In fact, over the years, she has been involved in just about every important phase of business. Jodi helped lead an organization which was broke…financially the company was losing $300,000 permonth,and spiritually, the employees and directors were hostile with each other. Here’s what she helped create…the company was described by employees as the best place to work..Profits were $500,000 permonth and the company was one of top in 10 in capital of similar companies in U.S.

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The key is her innovative approach to leadership. Jodi is smart, tough yet warm and developed the mantra “elegant courage” communicating courageously and honestly during good and tough times. She lead the cultural turnaround which created the outstanding financial success. Jodi elegantly and innovatively helps people get clear how they feel…trusting your gut…mustering the courage to do whats right…clarify what’s missing…decide how to get life more perfect. Jodi Wiff is a partner in Lighthouse Leadership with Mike Krutza, uniquely qualified and experienced to bring a powerful one two punch to your leadership challenges.

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Tags: leadership, ethics, business, workplace, office

We’ve all heard these rules to live by: Don’t hurt, don’t steal, don’t lie, and the more famous “Do unto others as you would have done to you.” In our personal lives most people try to follow these rules. Ethics are often thought of by many as something that is related to the personal side of life and not to the business side. In some businesses, having ethics may actually be frowned upon. This is usually due to the fact that business is about doing what’s best for the bottom line and not always about doing the right thing.

It is commonly understood that there are ethics and then there are workplace ethics. Often we don’t stop to realize that there is no difference between personal ethics and ethics in the workplace; ethics are the same whether at work or in personal life.

After all, ethics are about making choices that may not always feel good or seem like they benefit you. Ethical choices are the “right” choices to make and are examples of rules to live by.

Practical Impact
Executives typically want the answers to two key questions about ethics in their offices: “How do workplace ethics apply to practical goals of my organization and the work of my employees?” and “Is there reliable data to support these assertions?” The Ethics Resource Center (www.ethics.org), a nonprofit organization, assists leaders to impact their organizations by identifying ethical risks and establishing systems to emphasize higher standards for business conduct.

The Ethics Resource Center annually conducts a National Business Ethics Survey (NBES) – a rigorous telephone survey of 1,500 U.S. employees. The NBES findings are encouraging for organizations that have an emphasis on positive workplace ethics. For example, employees have high expectations for ethics within their organizations. Nine in ten respondents say that they “expect their organizations to do what is right, not just what is profitable.”

This suggests that most employees are not cynical about ethics at work, encouraging news when considering the implementation or development of ethics initiatives as the long term success of any program rely on the active support of employees.

Formal ethics programs and informal ethics practices were shown to affect certain key outcomes. Employees who work in companies with active ethics programs who observe leaders modeling ethical behavior, and also observe the application of values such as honesty, respect and trust applied frequently at work, report more positive experiences that include the following:

· Less pressure on employees to compromise ethics standards
· Less observed misconduct at work
· Greater willingness to report misconduct
· Greater satisfaction with their organization’s response to misconduct they report
· Greater overall satisfaction with their organizations
· Greater likelihood of “feeling valued” by their organizations

Findings of Concern
The NBES uncovered a substantial gap between senior and middle managers and lower-level employees. A consistent finding with management was the perception that their organizations have a positive ethical environment. This conflicts with the perception of lower-level employees however. This suggests that executives may underestimate the importance of specific ethics issues and concerns facing employees.

This disconnect may also position executives to fail to address these issues adequately within their organization’s ethics programs. Therefore it is important for executives to include input from employees at lower levels in the development of ethics programs and to continue to seek out their input and feedback on a regular basis.

In addition to the communications gap between employees and executives, one in three employees believe that their coworkers will perceive them as “snitches” if they report misconduct. This is roughly the same proportion of employees who believe that management will see them as “troublemakers” for reporting ethical concerns. A key element to take away from this discovery is the need to address and eliminate retaliation systemically, at the management and peer levels throughout the organization.

Questions Answered
Let’s go back to our two key questions: “How do workplace ethics apply to practical goals of my organization and the work of my employees?” and “Is there reliable data to support these assertions?” There are a variety of practical reasons for executives to focus on workplace ethics and reliable data that supports these efforts. The NBES findings consistently link ethics programs to more positive organizations outcomes and increased employee satisfaction.

It would be naïve to suggest that an emphasis on ethics will improve the work environment and solve the company’s problems overnight. In many cases a well developed and organized effort to target key ethical issues sends an important message. It tells employees that your organization is moving in a positive direction, one that is positive for them as individuals.

Establishing an Ethics Program
Establishing an ethics program is not an exact science. As with any organizational program, it will involve the input and cooperation of many people. The effectiveness of any organization’s approach will depend on characteristics that are unique to its culture, the leadership styles, proper planning, and so on. Since some people may be uncomfortable talking about the issues of ethics it can be helpful if management first asks, considers, and then responds to the following questions:

· Why might good people in this organization do unethical things?
· What are our organization’s values?
· Have we adequately articulated these values internally and externally?
· Does our organization have written ethics policies, procedures, or structures?
· To whom is our organization accountable?
· What do we mean by “success”?
· Does the leadership of our organization support the idea of an ethical workplace?

With the feedback obtained by discussing the questions above, management will have a better idea of the perceptions their employees have on how the company is performing ethically.

In the end, it’s all about beginning with our personal and collective understanding of ethics. The second step is awareness of, and solutions to, questions concerning ethics as applied to the workplace. Many universities are now heavily applying the teaching of ethics to their curricula. Graduates of these programs take this information into the workforce with the understanding that solid, positive ethics need to be applied there as well as in the private sector.

In a perfect world, corporations will be better able to avoid embarrassing scandals that appear and reappear in both national and world-wide news scandals. Small businesses will be able to keep and attract more clients and customers. Negotiations between businesses could be accomplished with increased consideration for the other company. This is something for which we can all strive.

Christian Del Monte: creator of iBlogMarketing Internet Marketing Blog and Director of Operations for TMA E-Marketing has a B.S. degree in Marketing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. In addition, Christian has over 10 years in personal sales experience and has directed the operations for TMA for the last 4 years.

He has directed and worked on Internet marketing projects for mid to large-scale clients including several fortune 500 companies. Christian continues to head up the operations for TMA as well as lead research and development on vertical search markets and business blogging.

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Tags: ethics, workplace, business, training, leadership

Poor work ethics can be heard from the boardroom to the shipping dock. Employees pointing the finger at their fellow employees who do not consistently demonstrate the same beliefs about working hard or even just working.

How to change these poor work ethics is a question that stymies the best leadership or management. What makes one employee hard working going the extra mile? Why do we have so many who are just here to earn a paycheck? And let us not forget the few who make a business work day a miserable experience for everyone around them.

Small Business Coaching Tip: Identify your explores (25%), vacationers (50%) and prisoners (25%). Then put together an action plan to convert more vacationers into explorers and terminate the prisoners.

First, there needs to be some clarity around what is a behavior and what is an ethic. A behavior is what someone does, a physical action that is observable from body language to actual performance. An ethic is a belief about what is important to that individual.

For example, an employee comes to work at clocks in at 8:50 am and is on the floor ready to begin a day’s work. Another employee comes to work clocks in at 8:59am and is still not on the floor. The behaviors of these two individuals demonstrate their work ethics.

Since an ethic is really a belief, then to change the behaviors begin by changing the beliefs. Unfortunately, most training only looks at the behaviors and fails to identify the beliefs.

Small Business Coaching Tip: Negative results are reflected through negative actions. However, negative beliefs drive negative actions.

Additionally, within the K-12 educational system, there has been several decades where hard work has not been rewarded consistently. Too many parents do not want their children to be considered failures or losers so rewarding the top two performers has been replaced. After all, it is not fair that the student who was just .5% behind number two students did not receive any recognition.

Conditioning also plays an important part in the development of work ethics. Remember being in class and how the other students treated the over-performers? Very few students wanted to be the “smart person” or the teacher’s pet. Staying unnoticed was a far better way to get recognition from your peers.

The lack of having a personal values statement can contribute to poor work ethics. In a society that now frowns on judging behavior, the wink and the nod belief takes over. What this belief suggests that “Sure I believe in honesty unless I get caught.”

Several months ago, I observed the wink and the nod behavior when I saw one business person pay for a newspaper from a vending machine and then give a second unpaid paper to his colleague. Both believed this was OK until I deposited $.50 and paid for the paper that was stolen. Then their behaviors changed because they were caught.

Businesses, as well as other organizations, also suffer from the wink and the nod belief. Executive management talks about conserving resources and then spends excessive profits on marketing junkets to the now famous golden parachutes.

To change poor work ethics requires a multidimensional approach that infuses the executive team leadership actions and beliefs identification through effective communication of current goals and strategies. When alignment of all behaviors is not present in any organization, one of the outcomes can be poor work ethics as demonstrated through poor work behaviors.

Chicago Sales Coach Leanne Hoagland-Smith helps to quickly increase profits & increase productivity for individuals & organizations involved in service industries of health care, real estate and regional railroads; distribution industry of new car sales and manufacturing. Process coaching and development works because my clients quickly double their results.

Sign up to read Leanne’s weekly business coaching training column. Visit to discover the value added articles, e books and other tools. Call me at 219.759.5601 to schedule a free coaching or business strategy session.

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Tags: work, ethics, article, workplace, social

Most public and private entities today are trying to promote “Green” processes as a way of doing business to help the environment or are touting their “green” attitudes to improve their corporate image. Common examples may include using recycled copier paper, buying items with a minimum percentage of post-consumer waste, and encouraging recycle programs for their own waste. While all those methods are valid, implementation can be very costly and may prevent the programs from being successful and widely accepted. What some “Green” coordinators do not realize is that utilizing and implementing technology solutions that eliminate waste can be just as good or better.

The common misconception is that technology equals huge dollar expenditures and long implementation schedules that may cost more than they are worth. This may be true in some cases, but not for electronic reverse auctions. Public and private entities can save thousands of dollars and trees every year by posting their bids online in either a reverse auction format or electronic RFQ, The specifications and terms and conditions documents can be uploaded to a website so they do not have to be printed out every time a request for them is made. The vendors can then respond to these bids by uploading their responses or placing bids during the live reverse auction.

Hard dollar savings can be achieved by both parties by reducing the amount of paper, the mailing costs associated with issuing bids and responding to them, and the time it takes to process and report paper bid results. With an electronic bidding process, bids documents can be uploaded and results can be instantly reported on and saved without ever having to print anything on a piece of paper.

Reverse auctions with this site are easy to implement since you do not have to download anything to your computer to use them. This means that your IT department does not have to dedicate any resources to maintain your account. All documents and completed event results are archived in your account or can be saved in electronic format on your computer. We also offer many flexible and customizable payment options for your convenience.

Doug Luthringer is a Client Development Manager at this site with over two years of strategy, implementation and training experience in online reverse auctions and nearly six years with online forward auctions such as eBay. Doug has also been invited to be a guest speaker to talk about how to properly use reverse auctions to small and medium size business, as well as university students.

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Sexual harassment is a faucet of workplace harassment that occurs daily. The surprising factor for many is that this form of harassment happens to both men and women. The number of men making claims has risen and today, 7 percent of sexual harassment claims are made by men. It’s also surprising that these individuals report women as being the perpetrators.

The core definition of sexual harassment is any behavior that can be deemed as humiliating, intimidating, and above all, unwanted. A sexual harassment claim does not have to be made by the victim, it can also be made by other employees who feel distracted or angered by this behavior.

Sexual harassment is not limited to comments or advances. It can also be committed through offensive language and workplace graffiti. Viewing pornography, suggestive screen savers, and other seemingly minor details can be incredibly offensive to other employees.

There are other forms of harassment. If a female employee chooses to wear provocative clothing to work, it may cause a male employee to be distracted. This distraction may cost him a promotion or even a reprimand for a sluggish performance. Many companies are not only initiating a workplace dress code, some are even initiating measurement requirements for skirts and blouses.

If you feel that you are being treated unfairly by another employee, speak with a trusted individual first. The wise words of an acquaintance can help you figure out which direction you should go in. If you prefer proof of harassment before making a formal complaint to a boss, you are in luck.

Verbal harassment is somewhat easier to prove. Voice recording technology has provided many quality devices that can capture remarks made from across the room.

If you want something more than that you should explore the realm of Hidden Cameras. Hidden Cameras today are completely flexible. You can purchase models tiny enough to be hidden on your desk or even on your tie. This can make amassing solid evidence a quick and easy process.

You can avoid all types of harassment with careful consideration of your workplace. Some employees may find themselves in negative terms with bosses for reporting, however, there are lawsuits in our justice system today regarding harassment. Your company management would be far better served to stop harassment before there are grounds for legal action.

Finally, speak with you HR department after speaking with your friends and gathering evidence. They should deal with the problem immediately and fairly. If not, please consult an attorney.

Mike Rao writes on Crime Prevention, Personal and Family safey as well as Security and Surveillance topics. His websites are loaded with useful information on his blogs and numerous products pertaining to personal safety and crime prevention. Please visit his websites and sign up for his free crime prevention newsletter.

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Tags: workplace, ethics, business, managing, training

Workplace harassment affects Americans on a daily basis. Sexual harassment often receives the most attention, but there are other forms of harassment that can cause equal offense in the workplace. These other forms include harassment based upon: ethnic or racial, age, disability, or religious affiliation. Harassment does damage to both employees and the company. When an employee is uncomfortable or suffering hardship, production can decrease, and the company suffers overall. Harassment also builds up resentment and bitterness between employees. With the rise of workplace violence, management should be eager to prevent any ill will between workers.

This can include jokes against a fellow employee for being “young and stupid.” Or for older employees, teasing about being “as old as dirt” can be hurtful. Jokes of Catholic priests or Rabbis can be offensive to those practicing the respective faiths. Jokes that play upon stereotypes are forms of harassment. Harassment is not your supervisor being tough on you for failing to meet expressed expectations unless he or she is treating you differently than others who have also failed to meet expectations.

These other forms of harassment are often more difficult to prove. If a person feels harassed and confides in a supervisor, they may ultimately be placed in a “he said/she said” situation where there may be no return. If the harassing individual is a particular favorite of management it can cost the accusing employee their position or job.

For this reason, an employee facing this form of confrontation should consider finding proof before going to any higher-up. There are a variety of tools and methods available to catch the harasser in the act. Voice recorders can be carried in pockets or purses. Hidden cameras can be held on ties or worn in jackets.

Another reason these forms of harassment are as common as they are may be simple ignorance. Perhaps the employee or employees in the workplace aren’t aware that they are truly offensive. Oftentimes they may believe they’re just joking and genuinely don’t know how hurtful they are.

There are a variety of training programs available that teach sensitivity to ethnic, cultural, and religious differences if management wishes to begin an awareness program. This can eliminate many future claims of workplace harassment.

A calm workplace environment can be a beneficial addition to any company. If your HR department or supervisor does not deal with the issue head on especially if you have evidence consult an attorney who specializes in workplace harassment.

Mike rao writes on Crime Prevention. Visit his websites and sign up for his free crime prevention newsletter visit this site or this site

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You know that one. He’s the one in the office who puts out all the great ideas then steps out of the way while you do the work, but comes back just in time to tell you how you did it all wrong. His interest gravitates only to Power and Recognition. He isn’t interested in doing the work, actually participating in the project, or actively becoming involved in the accomplishment. He only wants the glory of suggestion and the recognition of completion.

Tags: business, concerns, ethics, issues, workplace

Does dishonesty in business pay? The answer to this question is: Yes, No, Maybe, and Sometimes. Dishonesty may pay, but usually only over the short run, and the consequences may be severe. Honesty may not always pay, although it’s still the “best policy.”

Examples

Bernie Madoff, the famous Wall Street Investment Advisor is a prime, and recent (December, 2008) example of business dishonesty on a large scale, and for a long period of time. While, at this writing, details of his scheme are still emerging, it appears as though an elaborate Ponzi scheme was perpetrated over at least a twenty year period. The total amount involved could be as much as $50 billion, as the $17 million that Mr. Madoff had under management was highly leveraged. In the meantime, Mr. Madoff was released on $10 million bail. The primary concern about this story is that Madoff was a highly regarded Advisor, practically above reproach,with heretofore unquestioned integrity. The man was an icon, as one of the founders of the NASDQ exchange. The damage to investor confidence may be considerable.

There are numerous other examples of fraud, deception, and thievery on an even larger scale. Some scandals reach into the hundreds of millions, perhaps billions. The Forbes Magazine “Corporate Scandal Sheet” (Patsurius, 2002) listed over twenty big ones, while acknowledging “chronicling every corporate transgression would be impractical.” Names like Enron, Global Crossing, Adelphia, Time-Warner, Bristol-Meyers, Haliburton, K-Mart, Tyco, WorldCom, and Xerox are on the list. But there have been many more. In fact, cheating, falsification, and “crooked” accounting seems rampant. Everyone from big brokerages, accounting firms, manufacturers and retailers had their turn.

So who can you trust?

Enforcing Corporate Honesty

The Sabanes-Oxley Act (2002) was enacted following the Enron scandal. The law strengthens reporting requirements and directs corporate oversight and internal controls. But can external requirements work when the rewards for a little corruption can be so astonishing? Obviously not. Corporate scandals continue unabated. There is a “risk-reward” equation in operation that seems to favor taking chances. Ethics and honesty often lose out when confronted with the possibility of huge financial rewards, the profitability demands of shareholders, and the relatively small chance of legal recourse.

The Consequences of Dishonesty

The consequences can be severe. Not the jail terms, personal disgrace and business failure, but the taint of the entire business community and the distrust of even reputable businesses. Commerce can grind to a halt, liquidity shrivels, and financing may be practically unattainable. Consumers may curtail their spending, investments and purchases. Promises, guarantees, and contracts will be under suspicion, or of limited meaning. These are the consequences of dishonesty. If we can’t trust each other how do we transact business?

Copyright © 2008, Dr. Ben A. Carlsen, MBA. All Rights Reserved Worldwide for all Media. You may reprint this article in your ezine, newsletter, newspaper, magazine, website, etc. as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, leave my name and bio box intact, and you follow all of the EzineArticles Terms of Service for Publishers.

Ben A. Carlsen, Ed.D, MBA, is an experienced CEO and manager. Dr. Carlsen has over 30 years experience in management, consulting, and teaching. Currently the Head of the Business Department at Everest Institute, Hialeah, FL., he was Chairman of the Los Angeles County Productivity Managers Network and President of the Association for Systems Management (So. Calif. Chapter). Additional information can be obtained at http://drben.info

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Tags: business, ethics, workplace, code, professional

It is unfortunate that workplace human rights issues have not been properly understood by the managers and supervisors because of its complex nature. The onus of preventing human rights violations is the responsibility of management professionals in charge of workplace.

The third report to the UN Human Rights Council, submitted earlier this year, outlines a new policy framework for human rights at work place that comprises three core principles

-Governments’ duty to protect human rights
-Corporate responsibility to respect human rights
-The need for greater access by victims to effective remedies

These core principles have been endorsed by major international business associations and leading international human rights organizations alike. As a follow-up, chief executives from around the world have issued a call to action to renew their commitment to the protection of human rights in the spirit of the Universal Declaration. Organized by the United Nations Global Compact and already signed by nearly 250 business leaders from 68 countries, the CEO Statement is an expression of serious intent.

More than ever before, business leaders around the world seem to agree that the protection of human rights, beyond its moral and ethical compulsion, also make good business sense. Ensuring decent and safe workplace conditions, promoting non-discrimination and equitable justice and fair play in employment, respecting and safeguarding the rights of employees have all become central issues to the long-term sustainability of business.

At the same time, a lot more still needs to be done to make managements understand their basic responsibility to respect human rights and the steps companies need to take to ensure that they are living up to the laid down codes. Even the most committed managers say they need more practical and authoritative guidance on what human rights mean and how these issues can best achieved in their day-to-day operations. Many companies are yet to provide basic services such as education, healthcare or safe drinking water and sanitation.

There is growing concern that if a number of workplace issues are not successfully protected against, it can impact the human rights of employees. Human Rights policies in many companies are at an infantile stage of development. Larger organizations may have Human Rights policy to ensure they are not supporting work that impacts the human rights of others.

Many of the principles of the Human Rights Act are designed to protect the worker within the workplace. For example, the workers have the right to a private and family life. So an employer who discriminates on personal grounds, for example, may be violating that worker’s right to a private life. The employer has the right to monitor communications within the workplace as long as the worker is aware of the monitoring before it takes place.

A worker’s right to a private life means he or she has the right to some privacy in the workplace. If the employer doesn’t respect this, he is breaching human rights law. If the worker believes his human rights at work have been breached, he should talk to his employer first. If it is not effective, he can follow the internal grievance procedure, if any, in the written statement of employment. If that doesn’t work, he may take legal action.

The scenario is however changing and despite the current economic crisis, a growing number of business leaders and management professionals understand that human rights issues are of direct relevance to their long term success.

Sarah Jose is a Copywriter of StephenHammond. She has written many articles in various topics related to Awareness training and Harassment training.

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Tags: business, ethics, practices, workplace, behaviour

So often we hear about dishonesty in ethics in business and government. We hear of Democratic Senators and Congressmen who will not listen to you unless you donate money to their campaigns and this goes for citizens and business people alike. It is no wonder that many business people fund political contributions.

It is also no wonder with such a system that Congressmen go beyond the call of duty of listening and intervene in business activity and help one business over another in the competitive market place. Indeed but really didn’t Adam Smith warn us of such? If you own a company and want to move ahead faster, just support your Senator or Congressman and have them call up an bureaucracy or Regulatory body to disrupt your competition. Sure this has been going on for 100s of years.

Pretty sickening to think we stand for free markets and true Capitalism. It works if it is allowed to work. Ayn Rand is right, Marx is wrong and the politics of this nation are an absurd way to run the human race. If you want your business to grow and go to the next level you have to pay to play and that means interacting with the dishonesty of the Democrats in Congress and the Senate. That is just the way it is and there is nothing you can do about it but deal with the scum of the Earth to protect your business. Consider this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” – Online ThinkTank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

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Tags: ethics, business, workplace, religion, corporate

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), there is around 158 million children worldwide, aged between five and fourteen who are engaged in some form of labor activities. While article 32 of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child states that “the right of the child [is] to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.” the practice is still active on a global scale. This is despite the fact that the articles of the convention has been ratified by all countries in some form. Most of us have already been brought up to have negative reactions to the very idea of child labor, but in many third world or lesser developed countries, the practice is alive and well and often encouraged. 158 million children being subjected to exploitative business practices is a tragedy and needs to be ended. Showing why child labor is a problem will demonstrate why a solution must be proposed. The solution to this however is not what the standard argument has been for years. Boycotting the companies and firms that are associated with the practice or to make symbolic gestures to condemn the nations that allow child labor to happen makes conditions worse for the children. As a matter of fact, the solution is to the exact opposite of what the traditional argument has been; and despite the shock of those who initially hear the proposal, we must allow child labor to continue to lead to its demise. It may not be what traditionalists want to hear, but it is the only proven way.

Since morals and problems are all subjective it may not be necessary to explain to you the over all problem of child labor, but understanding the key issue behind it all gives the importance of why swift action is needed. In many parts of the world, including in the world’s largest democracy, India, children are kept out of school yards, away from swing sets and toys and instead cramped together in dangerous factory or labor intensive settings. While we grew up in air conditioned heavens filled with the latest in toys, games and educational activities, third world children were instead being forced to make those products for us that we grew up enjoying. The very idea of our children being forced to work appalls us, but it is just normal in certain parts of the world. The major issues are laid out in article 32 as read above. By working the children are in a state “that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.” America’s regulation costs American businesses $1.1 trillion a year; included in those regulations are restrictions on the environment someone may not work in, how long a work shift can be, and what a worker can and can not do. In the nations where children are employed, they do not have nearly a as regulated business industry as we do. So not only are they being put into situations that interfere with their well being, but those situations are also more dangerous and detrimental to their health than what it would be in a nation where trillions is spent on protecting the worker. By being unsafe and interfering with a child’s development and well-being, child labor is morally wrong and is indeed a problem.

Since we all believe child labor is a problem, several proposals have been tried out to end it. For years activist groups have taken symbolic gestures and actions to “help” the process along, but their actions have done nothing but been just what it was, symbolic. To end Child labor we need more than “awareness ribbons” and futile boycotts. By examining the old methods versus my proposal of letting the system continue to run and history repeat itself, it will be evident that one will continue to be harmful and nothing more than symbolic and my proposal will work out and lead to the eventual demise of child labor.

This “do-nothing” approach simply allows the industrial and social revolution that America, Great Britain, Germany and the other already industrialized nations already went through to materialize in the nations that currently have a large labor force made up of children. While the naive may believe that simply boycotting the company’s that sell products made from factories that employ children will end the problem, they often overlook the obvious facts. If you take away the children’s job they are not going to just like magic all of a sudden be enrolled in school, be in a backyard playing and be out of impoverished conditions, as a matter of fact if you take away their jobs their condition gets worse. In the 1990′s the United States boycotted carpet exports from Nepal because the carpets were made through child labor. When all was done 5000-7000 Nepalese children were left with no alternative but to prostitute their bodies (Globalization). If asked, would not you think that the children preferred making carpets than being sexually degraded? Maybe this example would better show the universal response to children losing their job. Also set in the 1990′s, after Senator Harkin proposed the Child Labor Deterrence Act that as according to his website would, “prohibit the importation of products that have been produced by child labor, and included civil and criminal penalties for violators” 50,000 Bangladesh children were removed from their garment industry jobs and ended up instead resort to jobs that as UNICEF put it included, “”stone-crushing, street hustling, and prostitution.” They even went as far as to say that their new jobs were, “”more hazardous and exploitative than garment production.” In the same UNICEF study they stated, “[boycotts] are blunt instruments with long-term consequences, that can actually harm rather than help the children involved.” Boycotts are proven to be harmful and actually exploit children more than if they were simply working.

With the most popular idea of boycotting proven to be more detrimental than helpful, the only feasible solution that remains is to let the system continue as is. Think of it this way, if the parents could have the means to save their children from having to work at such a young age, do not you think they would? It is obvious that they would. Our problem is that we are thinking of these economies and nations as just like our own and applying our own standards to them. They are what modern economies were over one hundred years ago. Literally, they are one hundred years behind. One hundred years ago America was employing children in their workforce, and it was not colored ribbons or these ridiculous boycotts that led to its demise, it was economic advancement. World famous economist Milton Freidman showed that the industrial revolution led to a decline in child labor as real wages rose, making it more affordable for parents to be able to send their children to school rather than needing them to work. Thomas DeGregori, a professor at the University of Houston who teaches economics also backs up this belief and said, “it is clear that technological and economic change are vital ingredients in getting children out of the workplace and into schools. Then they can grow to become productive adults and live longer, healthier lives. However, in poor countries like Bangladesh, working children are essential for survival in many families, as they were in our own heritage until the late 19th century.” History and renowned economists back up this belief. By letting real wages grow and the technology that comes with it, families have more money and are able to afford to send their children to schools instead of forcing them to work to make a living. As the wages grow, tax revenue increases as well, leading to more money available to supply those schools with the tools needed to grow future generations of economically sustained individuals. All it takes from us now is to let our history repeat itself in the under developed nations.

“Boycott child labor” ribbons are symbolic and are nothing but futile efforts by uninformed citizens making a statement. The boycott itself has been proven to be not at all helpful and to actually be harmful to these children that the activists claim to be trying to help. Taking away their jobs lead to them being forced into deeper poverty and resorting to extremes such as prostituting their bodies and taking other hasher jobs. The only feasible solution to end child labor is exactly what I proposed, do nothing for now and allow these countries to developed socially and economically. It may take time, but these nations are not on the same level as us and we should stop applying our standards to them for now. While we may all agree that 158 million children is 158 million too many, we have to be reasonable and allow the economic processes that we encountered as a society over century ago, to start up in the nations that currently employ children. The next time you want to boycott anything, boycott those who boycott child labor. It is the right thing to do.

DIY Finances

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Tags: workplace, ethics, business, managing, training

“It is now well known that equitable sporting opportunities positively effect the health of the nation, improve community cohesion, can raise standards in schools and increase a nation’s medal tally. In addition, the demographic make up of the UK population will change radically in the next 10 years and sports organisations need to seek out those groups who traditionally participate less to ensure a stable participation base from which our future medallists can be drawn. Women, black and ethnic minority groups and disabled people all having the right to sporting opportunities and those with the talent and desire should be encouraged to strive for the highest levels of performance.” The Equality Standard, A Framework for Sport (2004). Sue Campbell CBE Chair, UK Sport

What is Equality?

Equality is about recognising and accepting that people are principally different and can not be treated the same in any organisation. Nonetheless, everyone deserves the same opportunity to participate and must be treated fairly and given the same chance as anyone else. These principles also apply to sport and leisure.

What is Diversity?

Diversity is about valuing individual difference. A diversity based approach in coaching ensures that coaches build positive relationships with the people they are coaching and create an environment where all can discover their potential.

For example, in wheelchair basketball the classification system is used in order to ensure players who have different physical impairments have equal opportunity to partake in the sport and therefore, are not placed at a disadvantage. This mean that players of as higher classification and compete alongside a player of a lower classification.

Recognising, acknowledging, responding to and embracing differences are essential in building successful relationships and maximising the potential and performance of the athlete being coached.

What are the benefits?
The benefits of achieving equality in your club are wide and various. Some examples include:

* Increase the number of people participating in your club/team and thus giving you access to people who can undertake supporting roles such as administration, management and volunteering
* Disability sport becomes more visible and widely accepted in to the mainstream community
* Benefit from the different skills, knowledge, and innovation and respond better to difference.
* Provide access to diverse funding streams
* You will be working within the equalities legislation including the Race Relations Act & Race Relations (Amendment) Act, Sex Discrimination Act and the Disability Discrimination Act
* Positively contribute to building a stronger cohesive community where difference is understood, accepted and celebrated
* Promotes the greater inclusion of disabled people in all communities

Religion and ethics in sport. Some basic principles:
· Sikhs may feel a religious obligation to wear a turban.
· Many Muslims may wish to practice their faith which may mean taking time out from training/matches.
· Wiccans may want to work on a Christian holiday in exchange for having one of their Sabbats off work.
· Many Jews may not wish to play/train on a Friday evening and may want to attend religious services.
· A Christian, employed on rotating shifts, might wish to have every Sunday off work.
· Focusing on beliefs and practices which are of real importance in each religious tradition, rather than making all religions conform to one model.

Author: Jaspal Dhani, Managing Director
Company: Equality Link Consultancy Ltd
Equality Link Consultancy (ELC), your partner in achieving service excellence. ELC is a leading edge company specialising in disability equality training and diversity in the work place. We provide bespoke training, consultancy and auxiliary services to ensure that your service meets its legislative requirements and deliver service excellence at all levels.

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Tags: leadership, ethics, business, workplace, office

Has honesty in business become a thing of the past? With so many people shifting to the internet, many are starting to ask this question as they fall prey to the dark side of the internet. The internet has a bad reputation and it constantly lives up to the billing. As people look for solutions to their problems, many end up investing their hard-earned money in “Get Rich Schemes” and then find out that they’ve been duped.

Collectively, as internet marketers and online business owners, we need to clean up our acts and bring old fashioned business ethics into the picture. If your definition of profit is only income or money, maybe ethics are not needed. But businesses can and should be more that just for money. Profits yes, but profits can be more that just financial. What about the value we can provide for our customers and our employees?

It’s all about CHARACTER. Reputation is what people think of you but CHARACTER is what you are. For goodness sakes, don’t leave your character at the front door of your business. Bring it inside with you.

Here are 7 ways in which you can bring ethics into your business:

1. Serve your customers well by providing great value and by giving them convenience. Give them fair prices, high quality products and services, and in return, they will reward you with their respect and loyalty.
2. Treat your employees well. If you have employees, pay them a good salary and provide benefits that can better their lives. Be kind, considerate, and grateful to them because they truly are your best assets.
3. Tell the truth. Be honest even when others may not be. Don’t worry about what others may or may not be doing but rather focus on what you’re doing.
4. Provide great customer service. Not only does this meet their needs but is also helps your business earn public trust. Remember, happy customers are repeat customers, and they are your best revenue generators.
5. Don’t participate in “Black Hat” practices. I’m amazed at the businesses that continue to use spamming to sell a product. Maybe it’s because it still works to a degree. But so many people are turned off by the practice, that you’re probably turning more customers away than you’re getting. Wouldn’t it be better to have a customer for a lifetime than to have tricked someone into a one-time sale.
6. Be respectable to your competitors. Look at them as motivation to do better. In an effort to make yourself look good, you can choose to either knock down your competition or build yourself up. The latter will serve you better.
7. Build a win-win situation for all. Building your business on a rock solid foundation of honesty makes so much business sense. Your customer gets what they want and you get a happy repeat costumer that will go out and tell his/her friends about you. You’re building great relationships and also a great reputation.

By conducting your business in an ethical and clean manner, you’ll sleep better at night knowing that you’re doing things right. You’ll have less stress knowing you’re running your business with high ethics.

So, what will it be for you? Will you play it clean, or deal dirty? The choice is up to you. I know what I’m going to do. Want to join me?

Wayne Kirby is a veteran online entrepreneur with over 15 years experience in launching and growing businesses. Wayne is a multiple six-figure earner and has a MBA Degree – with an emphasis in Marketing and Finance. Get insights into his current mentoring program and how he can help take your online business to the next level at this site

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Tags: ethics, workplace,issues, conduct, behavior

The funny thing about mutual respect is that you can’t control it. Sure, you can control whether or not you exercise on a regular basis, whether you control your temper, or whether or not you express respect to others, but mutual respect implies that two or more persons have respect for each other, and as unfortunate as it may seem at times, you can never control when and where others decide to show you respect. So, perhaps the question should be: “How can I encourage mutual respect?”

Read the five tips below and learn what you can do to create an environment that is more conducive to manifestations of mutual respect.

1) Encourage Mutual Respect with Time

It’s painfully obvious that we simply don’t get along with some personalities, but it is also fairly obvious that the more you get to know someone the more you begin to understand them and in turn, respect them. After those primary bad impressions “sizzle off” you might even make some surprising friendships.

If you truly want to foster mutual respect with people who may be hard to get along with, you are going to have to “buckle down” and set aside time to be with that person, work with that person, talk with that person and even play with that person. You might have to grit your teeth now and again but in the end you will gradually start to realize that his or her personality or point of view aren’t that hard to get along with after all.

2) Encourage Mutual Respect with Patience

Patience, in my opinion, is a combination of empathy and selflessness. In other words, patience is about other people, which is why patience is such a hard virtue to master. After all, who wants to spend time thinking about other people when we are so busy plowing through our own agendas? The truth is that the best people, the smartest people and the most successful people take a good long look at other people and express empathy and selflessness towards the people they associate with. Sincerity of action is also very important. A person who is simply going through the motions of being selfless (i.e. taking more time to talk with someone) will simply appear to be a fake if he or she doesn’t show sincerity.

3) Encourage Mutual Respect by Listening

Listening is one of the greatest manifestations of respect. Even if you think the ideas of a co-worker or acquantaince are way “off the mark,” listen carefully to what he or she is saying and then ask questions that truly make you curious. For instance, if your co-worker wants to raise the marketing budget and you think that is the stupidest idea you have heard during your entire career, don’t express your feelings, or your own thoughts regarding the supposed stupidity of the suggestion. Instead, start asking questions like “How will the company have enough to pay for the new hires in two months?” or “What do you think about our current marketing strategies? Do you think we should improve those first? You might find that he or she has some great ideas that were being poorly expressed because no one took the time to analyze them more fully.

4) Encourage Mutual Respect by Laughing

If you laugh with others, you can relax, and when you relax and help others to relax as well, more effective communication takes place every second. Take time to analyze your “opponent’s” sense of humor and be patient with him or her. Try to find common interests, or laugh about experiences that you’ve already had together without using humor that he or she might find offensive.

5) Maintain Mutual Respect with Honesty

Once a person trusts you and starts to show you respect, it doesn’t mean you will have his or her respect for a lifetime. In order to maintain mutual respect you have to be honest with that person even when it is extremely uncomfortable to do so, and you have to be honest every day–not just on the days that are convenient for you. A dishonest businessman or professional is truly no businessman or professional at all. If you are honest, you will become better at everything you do and others will crave your mutual respect.

Marci Crane is a web content specialist for Innuity. For more information in regards to instruction of activities and lessons that can help you foster mutual respect in the workplace, please feel free to contact a VitalSmarts representative.

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Tags: ethical, workplace, advocate, code, conduct

With the economy in shambles and investors as weary as ever, one might start to wonder if the Sarbanes-Oxley act has really done anything to prevent fraud. While we have not seen any fraud quite as ugly as the kind that brought down Enron and WorldCom, it is still plentiful. Fraud, it seems, has been slightly deterred at the corporate level, but still runs rampant throughout the financial industry. These ponzi schemes seem to be happening more and more, with former chairman of NASDAQ Bernie Madeoff being involved in one worth around fifty billion dollars recently.

In the early 2000s, investors and employees of the companies involved were devastated when huge corporate fraud cases emerged. This fraud, administered from the highest offices in the corporations, left investors with worthless shares and employees with no job, and depleted retirement funds. It was time for reform, and the federal government stepped in. The Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002, or Sarbanes-Oxley, was their answer to corporate fraud. SOX was intended to make these high ranking officials responsible for the legitimacy of all financial statements released to the public. It also put measures in place to prevent public accounting firms from getting too involved in the corporations in which they prepared financial statements for.

While Sarbanes-Oxley was no doubt a good idea, but it turned out to be very costly for companies trying to implement these new processes in order to comply. Now there is a situation where the companies that were responsible for the start of this fraud panic have folded, and the ones that were honest are paying a stiff penalty. Now these honest companies are struggling to survive between the poor economy and massive costs to keep their financials fraud-free.

Even with Sarbanes-Oxley in effect, there are news reports regularly describing the newest ponzi scheme unearthed in the financial world. These are not your average crooks either, these are brilliant minds of the financial world detecting an exploit and taking advantage of it. We only hear about the ones who get caught, but there are no doubt many who skim constantly and get away with it. With the economy on the fritz, it only increases the motive for fraud. Fund managers and financial advisors are on the chopping block. They are the ones getting the blame for poor performing stocks, and the ones with their jobs on the line. With all this added pressure it is obvious why fraud can look like an easy solution.

So now what do we do? More legislation? Legislation is not the answer here. Sarbanes-Oxley proved that legislation could only take us so far. The answer is ethics. Ethics must be emphasized by businesses instead of profits. If we start leaning towards ethics training and taking a little pressure of performance it will slowly turn our financial ship back in the right direction. Honesty should be the number one priority, and profits should be number two. If you only emphasize profits and performance, eventually fraud will rear its ugly head and the entire company could be at stake. If you emphasize ethics and honesty, the profits may not be as substantial but at least you know them to be true. This sets the groundwork for a company to prosper for many years as an ethical honest corporation rather than burn out quickly like a profit driven supernova.

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Tags: business, ethics, workplace, code, professional

Businesses prosper when all involved do their best. Giving employees leading-edge task related knowledge and paying them well, however, are only two elements in helping people strive for company success. Studies show that companies that look after workers holistically often emphasize the verboten word in business circles – “spirituality”. If the top 100 companies of 2009 can do it, so can your company!

Spirituality tends to be associated with religion. The image is one of gurus, nuns and friars meditating. Religious people are not necessarily spiritual. Spiritual people are not necessarily religious.

No one can deny that things exist outside the experience of our five limited senses. Spirituality is the personal relationship with this “something”. Spirituality includes developing: a sense of happiness, self-confidence, enthusiasm, ethical behaviour, honesty, self-esteem, positive attitude, aesthetics, awe, sense of wonder, togetherness, loyalty, respect, sensitivity, caring, love, understanding, forgiveness, friendship, trust, drive, reliability, empathy, and more. Do business owners not want to nurture these qualities in employees?

If a holistic – intellectual, physical and spiritual – approach is used, employees will benefit greatly because their workplace offers something that is personal and inclusive.

I do many group retreats each year. The alienation and disconnection from the earth and others is often very noticeable. People are alone in the crowd. “Me, myself and I” are the most important people there. Some entertain themselves to death and fill their lives with noise to escape issues. Some show a jitteriness and restlessness that is evidence of lacking and detachment. Meaning and purpose in life or work have been lost.

In the business world, there are all of the above along with stress, tension, pressure to sell, produce and meet quotas. Why don’t employers recognize these as causes of many problems? Looking after people more can get the same or better results than whips or constant surveillance. Add value to people. They will add value to their work.

Attention to the spiritual needs of employees reduces illness and absenteeism, makes work more satisfying, improves motivation and encourages general wellness in the workplace. Try it. It works!

Check the Fortune 500 Best Companies list for ideas on how to really look after employees.

For a custom-designed spiritual, secular retreat or workshop, please get in touch. Try it. It just might make the difference you are looking for.

by Otto Schmidt, Education Consultant, Accent on Skills Consulting, Toronto, visit this web

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Tags: ethics, workplace, work, business, office

Business must be tampered with heart and care for environment and others. Failure to do so, will lead to all kinds of problems.

Take for example, the global warming and earth changes are direct effects of this lack of care. Many of us simply did not cared enough to keep the environment from deteriorating. Businesses focussed purely on profit-making are just not good enough.

In my view, we should not assume that mankind is central to the world. A human-based economic system should ideally also take into account the well-being of the entire ecosystem.

Perhaps, economy should not be only about human beings. We tend to see from a rather narrow perspective and believe that money-making has little or nothing to do with the welfare of the Earth and the ecosystem. But the fact is we humans do take sustenance from the atmosphere, animal and plant kingdoms; therefore we are dependent upon other species and the conditions on Earth for our survival. As such, human activities should be accounted for within a equation that does not place Mankind upon a pedestal; but rather assigns mankind objectively with other species and elements of this diverse planet.

The current human activities are simply too self-absorbed within our own kind. In the past, we can afford to be so. But the industrial revolution has exponentially worsen the effects of mankind’s expansionist activities.

My view is that in order for our future generation to thrive comfortably into the future, our entire mindset about making money must take on a paradigm shift. Profit making must be balanced with a healthy regard for other people, lifeforms and the environment. Myopic and purely expansionist concepts will not work well in the future. The world functions on a dynamics of cause and effect. The effects of our disregard for others and the environment has been playing out and will continue to play out its unpleasant outcomes. The only way to reverse the effect is to change our ways now.

Thank you for reading.

The author runs Idea Cosmo, a website which provides Business ideas and solutions amongst other subjects.

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Tags: ethical, value, business, core, workplace

An interesting piece of news turned up today about how much nations trust their media. Indians fare quite high up on the charts. Going by the number of News Channels and Newspapers the country has today it seems that the people still have faith in the various newscasters in the country.

What’s also interesting to note is that channels like Star News and NDTV score lower than a channel like Aaj Tak in the trust factor. Why? May be the people prefer to accept a channel that does not seem as slick or that has the look and feel of an international channel. I say this because Doordarshan scores quite high as well. They also are not known for their slick presentation either.

It could also be the sum total that increases the trust people have in a publication or a TV channel. In the case of the News Channels the presenters play a big role. The way they deliver the news. Many reporters in the field give in to the temptation of getting too excited and dramatic. I think the pressure of keeping the ratings up has something to do with it. Just sounding sensational without actually backing it up by solid hard facts is what viewers can now see through. They have now been educated enough to filter out the “Spin”.

I am not saying that Star News and NDTV are not good news channels but it is quite an eye opener to find out, that the leading news channels are not scoring high with the viewers when it comes to trust. In fact trust is all you have when it comes to news, without it news becomes only entertainment.

Still I have not given up just yet. Our TV industry is still young. It is constantly evolving. Which is good. At the moment may be we are trying to ape the west a little too much. What works for Sky News in the UK may not work for Star News in India. Formats need to be developed within the country that involves the viewers and mere replicating of shows from the US and UK will not work in India in the long run. Even in the entertainment channels you can see that that the last Indian Idol series on SET was not as successful as the first one.

Our culture is rich enough to get good ideas from. I Think.

Sasha Masand the founder of Indian Voice Overs is an award winning Television Producer who has been part of the Indian media industry for over twelve years.

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Tags: ethical, value, business, core, workplace

There are many parasites of the Business World and they range from Lawyers to Professors to the Bureaucratic Scum of over-regulation. If we could eliminate many of these folks via some new type of high-heat, high-energy Laser Weapon then the business community would be a better place you see?

Some of the Business Professors are so arrogant and assign their students projects in different industries and those student bother businesses for information to do meaningless, crappy and BS papers. Oh the kids think they are all brilliant and a bunch of smarty pants, but they give themselves away by asking the dumbest questions in the World.

The only thing worse than academia is the BS regulators wasting the time of business owners pretending to be industry professionals and buyers, they should all be deported with the illegal aliens to Zimbabwe as farmers, screw em. It is amazing their BS entrapment techniques, playing games and they have never done anything in their lives, never made a payroll or created a single job. Scum of the Earth really, except for lawyers, although sometimes they are both. Death is not an option, but put them to work in Africa as farmers so they can produce something. Make em’ work. HA.

If you are a student then well, good luck on your class project, and re-read this several times, it is probably worth more than your entire MBA class. If you are the Professor assigning such crap, get a life and stop wasting businesses time. If you are regulator go shoot yourself and help humanity. If you are a Lawyer, well you have already been told where to go. Consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; WorldThinkTank. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

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Tags:work, ethics, article, workplace, social

Is it business ethics or just the golden rule? The golden rule holds a universal theme. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. Do it at work, at home, in life and in Hong Kong. It is a bedrock principle of any good company. Keep focus on transparency and emphasis on doing the right thing. This will become your primary reason for superior performance and success.

Every reputable profession needs to hold a special position of trust within society. That is to recognize that continued public trust is based on the commitment to high ethical standards within the company and that speaks to the equally high standards of the individuals within the company. This all begins at the top. If integrity is not there it will not exist long at the lower levels. It is the responsibility of the person at the top to make it known by example and character that nothing less will be tolerated.

It is important that all the people in the company believe that is critical that all its employees act at all times in an honest and ethical manner in connection with their service to the company. The principles of integrity and accountability are the cornerstone of success.

Each employee should deal fairly with all counter-parties, vendors, competitors, and other employees at all times. It all goes back to the golden rule. There are no ethics that apply here sometimes but not there sometimes. There are no ‘business’ ethics. Around the world religious and cultural differences may vary but the golden rule stands solid.

As an individual in the company making these correct decisions is imperative. In raw everyday life it all comes done to the decisions made with that simple but basic golden rule, do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. By definition deception is out or any attempt to mislead.

And lastly and just as importantly pay prompt attention to and act on all complaints. This includes but is not limited to customers, suppliers and employees. They will do their part in keeping you honest!

Mary Barrett President The European Hardware Company (EHC) & Lynn Cove Foundry and Forge. The website is here.

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Tags: business, ethics, workplace, code, professional

To many it feels that bullying is something that happens to a few unlucky kids at school, and has no place in the adult world. It can be very difficult to understand what is happening, to realise that it is not the worker’s own behaviour or attitude which is at fault. It is very usual for the victim of this kind of prolonged harassment to suffer from self-doubt, and to wonder what he or she is doing to deserve this treatment. Constant, petty criticism, and failure to meet impossible deadlines, eats away at self-esteem, eroding perhaps years of positive reviews and appreciative managers, stripping away layers of experience and competence, exposing our vulnerabilities. This is particularly the case when one worker is selected by a boss for victimisation, and becomes isolated from co-workers, who are too frightened themselves to take the side of the victim.

Bullying often starts when management selects a worker who they no longer have any use for, and who they want to force to resign. Work will be scrutinised and monitored, as the manager has been ordered to find ‘legitimate’ grounds for dismissal. There is desperate pressure inflicted on a person in this situation not to make mistakes. It becomes a nightmarish battle which the worker has no chance of winning, unless support from a union is sought.

The effects of bullying on a worker can be crippling. Feelings can include fear, impotence, powerlessness, anger, hatred, rage, and the desire to seek revenge. Workers may be so fearful of going to work that they may vomit and feel physically ill before leaving for work each morning. In many cases, a person’s self-respect, among colleagues and co-workers, and the means of his or her livelihood are under siege by constant bullying and intimidation. This is particularly the case when a worker feels trapped, and loses all hope of securing further employment, due to age or a lack of skills and training. When our basic survival needs are threatened we usually experience feelings of terror. When our self-respect is being systematically destroyed, and we feel powerless to do anything to stop it, thoughts of suicide often enter the victim’s mind. Actual suicides have occurred as a result of workplace bullying.

Effects of Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment infringes the basic dignity of the individual, and can have a devastating effect on the health, competence, morale and self-esteem of those affected. Workers who are being sexually harassed often feel powerless, frightened, demeaned, angry, humiliated, and isolated. Many feel they will be blamed for causing the unwanted behaviour if they report the abuse, so they remain silent. Others feel frightened that they will be demoted, suffer further victimisation or dismissal if they speak out. Feelings of anxiety and stress, loss of confidence, and bouts of illness are common experiences of those who are sexually harassed. A person’s social life and personal relationships may also be adversely affected.

Victims often report feeling ‘dirty’, ‘demeaned’, and ‘used’, particularly if the harassment has been physical in nature. Those who are coerced into giving sexual favours, for fear of losing their jobs, frequently feel angry, guilty, and violated. Often the victim is forced to leave employment without having secured another position, which can cause short and long term financial hardship. Where the harassment is particularly vicious or prolonged, including sexual assault and rape, the victim may experience bouts of severe depression and suicidal thoughts.

Although the majority of victims of sexual harassment are women, men may also find themselves becoming the butt of sexual jokes, and unwanted physical contact. Men have also reported being groped and teased at work by male and female colleagues. It can be particularly difficult for a male victim of harassment to come forward and seek support, due to the fear of appearing ‘weak’ or ‘un-macho’ to workmates.

Effects of Violence

Bullying may involve physical violence being perpetrated against a worker, such as pushing, punching, kicking or slapping, by a colleague or superior. Emotionally, victims of violent bullying often feel deeply shocked, angry, frightened and out of control. There are workers who have been intimidated by employers with the threat of physical violence to self and to relatives, if they dare to involve a union, or to take a case against the firm. This type of bullying is criminal, and the effects on those concerned are long-lasting, severely damaging and deeply traumatic.

Violence may also be inflicted on workers by members of the public. The physical effects of violence can range from cuts and bruises, to broken bones and life-threatening injuries, which may leave the victim scarred, or disabled. Serious assault, even resulting in death, has become a real fear for many types of workers in the course of their duties. Occupations most vulnerable to attack are those who enforce the law (e.g. gardai, army, wardens, social workers), those who handle money (e.g. security workers, cashiers, bus drivers, shop assistants), and those who work in the caring professions (e.g. nurses). Working in areas where there is a likelihood of violence can lead to low staff morale and high levels of stress. (Guidance on the prevention of violence at work: 1995).

The psychological effects of violence on employees include anxiety, helplessness, irritability, soreness, hyper alertness, sadness, depression, and shock. This type of reaction is referred to as post traumatic stress disorder, and can include constant thoughts about the incident, muscle tenseness, fatigue, increased use of alcohol, nicotine and food as a means of coping (Poster and Ryan: 1993).

The Health and Safety Authority has reported injuries to workers which necessitated surgery, and which led to long term disability. A major psychological effect of violence is the loss of self-confidence. Unless this is adequately treated, it may develop into behavioural problems, anxiety, depression, or post traumatic stress disorder. (Violence at work).

Effects of Stress

According to the Health and Safety Authority, workers who endure excessively stressful conditions often experience anxiety and fatigue. They are more prone to making mistakes and having accidents. They are more likely to indulge in excessive smoking, drinking, eating or drug-taking. High levels of stress over a long period of time have been shown to contribute to heart-disease, reduced resistance to infection, digestive problems and skin problems. Striving to meet impossible deadlines or to complete excessive amounts of work often leaves workers feeling anxious, inadequate, frustrated, depressed, and out of control (Workplace stress: Cause, effects and control).

Summary

In summary, the following psychological effects have been reported by workers who have experienced sexual harassment, bullying, violence and stress in the workplace:

· Physical problems manifesting, such as aches and pains, migraine, backache, ulcers, skin disorders, stomach problems, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, which may necessitate periods of sick-leave

· Difficulty sleeping

· Obsessive thoughts about work

· Emotional exhaustion

· Bouts of uncontrollable sobbing

· Palpitations, panic attacks and mood swings

· Feeling inadequate, powerless and out of control

· Loss of sex-drive, sometimes leading to impotence

· Emotional withdrawal from family, friends and colleagues

· Feeling unmotivated, lethargic and apathetic

· Increased reliance on drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol

· Feeling anxious, fearful and irritable

· Lacking confidence and self-esteem

· Feeling shocked and bewildered, humiliated and demeaned

· Fear of making mistakes, which leads to a decrease in job performance

· Feeling depressed, accompanied by thoughts of suicide, attempted suicide or actual suicide

· Feeling alienated, frozen out and isolated

· Feeling anger and hatred towards the harasser

· Daydreaming of taking revenge and getting even

· Unfair dismissal

· Constructive dismissal due to severity of harassment

· Leaving employment before another job has been secured.

Lucy Costigan’s book, Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace, (Columba Press, Ireland, 1998), was written for employees, management and employers, to help them deal with the problem of bullying, intimidation and sexual harassment in an appropriate manner. It is also hoped that the book will help to raise awareness that bullying does happen and is happening on a daily basis in work places all over the world. For those who are experiencing bullying or harassment at work the book will help them to identify unfair and unlawful treatment and provide them with the names of organisations where support and help can be obtained. The book will also prove invaluable to managers and those responsible for formulating policies to combat bullying and harassment in the workplace. It will help them to improve staff-management relations. This book also contains many case studies and interviews with Ireland’s top industrial relations organisations. visit this website

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Today’s workplace is very dynamic, sometimes very stressful, and too often not very civil. We certainly observe the lack of civility in the workplace with people calling each other names, engaging in personal attacks on each other, exhibiting rude and disruptive behaviors and the lack of respect for one another or ignorance of how behaviors affect others. I believe there is a real desire for the restoration of civility in the workplace.

Your strategic thinking business coach offers some tips on how to achieve civility in today’s workplace.

+ Always respect the value of everyone’s time by showing up for meetings prepared and on time.

+ Keep your cell phone turned off or in silent or vibrate mode whenever possible.

+ Use an appropriate volume of speaking when talking in the office, at meetings or on your cell phone.

+ Greet everyone with “hello” and a smile.

+ Avoid multi-tasking when you are talking on the phone or on a conference call.

+ Pay attention in meetings and do not constantly check your personal electronic devices for emails, test messages, etc.

+ Respect someone’s request for a “quiet zone” or “do not disturb” time.

+ Say please, thank you and/or I am sorry.

+ Communicate in a professional and courteous manner in all forms and at all times

+ Respect all people, policies, rules and regulations.

+ Take responsibility for one’s choices and actions.

+ Accept consequences of one’s inappropriate choices and actions.

+ Demonstrate acceptable etiquette and manners.

Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering. Glenn is the Founder and Chief Executive of two Lancaster, PA based consulting practices: The Renaissance Group, a creative marketing, public relations, strategic planning and business development consulting firm and J. G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing, and management consulting firm. He is a Certified Facilitator and serves as a business coach and a strategic planning facilitator and consultant to a diverse list of clients. Glenn is also the author of a monthly newsletter, “Glenn’s Guiding Lines – Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach” and has published more than 250 articles on business.

To find out more about the benefits & rewards of effectively working with a strategic thinking business coach, please visit Glenn Ebersole through his web site.

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Are you worried that your employees or outside contract workers have access to confidential information about your business that could do potential harm to your business if employees or contracted workers use it for their own gain or disclose it to your competitors?

If you are not worried or concerned in the business world we live in today, then I suggest you become concerned now, not later! Technology and business information have continued to expand exponentially in today’s business environment. Employees and contract workers are more likely to be exposed to a significant amount of proprietary information and therein lays a potential threat to your business. It would be very naïve and not very “business savvy” to believe you can automatically trust an employee or contract worker with trade secrets, innovative ideas, and other confidential information. The threat or risk is higher today because of digital cameras; cell phones with built-in cameras and flash drives used to snap a picture or download documents.

Due to the erosion of business and personal ethics over the last several years, I have observed several examples of the consequences of employees sharing confidential information with competitors, employees stealing business ideas and using them for personal gain; and taking proprietary information and starting a new business. My belief is that much of the above could have been prevented and/or at least made less likely to happen if everyone had signed a non-disclosure agreement in each case.

What can be done to protect you and your company from experiencing these negative and harmful actions? I would recommend one tactic be to require non-disclosure agreements be signed as part of your hiring process. The reasons for the signing of an agreement should be explained to employees at hiring and at staff meetings. These agreements are designed to legally protect proprietary information, such as a new product design or a marketing strategy, from a competitor or friend of a competitor who could steal it and then realize the benefits. Please understand that the non-disclosure agreements don’t ensure your business will always have the competitive advantage, but you will have a lead-time advantage on your competition. The agreements cannot protect someone from stealing your secrets, but it will aid your legal counsel in representing you.

Please remember this. You and your business have proprietary information. You have invested time, financial resources and creativity into the development of new ideas, products, processes, systems, etc. and you deserve to be the first to benefit. My business suggestion to you is to contact legal counsel and seek legal advice to develop the non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement(s) that will work best to protect you and your business. And after the agreement(s) are developed and approved, have everyone in your business read and sign the agreement(s). To paraphrase that old American Express Commercial –

“Your Non-Disclosure/Confidentiality Agreement – Don’t Leave The Office Without It”!

Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering. Glenn is the Founder and Chief Executive of two Lancaster, PA based consulting practices: The Renaissance Group, a creative marketing, public relations, strategic planning and business development consulting firm and J. G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing, and management consulting firm. He is a Certified Facilitator and serves as a business coach and a strategic planning facilitator and consultant to a diverse list of clients. Glenn is also the author of a monthly newsletter, “Glenn’s Guiding Lines – Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach” and has published more than 225 articles on business.

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