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This Just In…
Bonus Tactics commentary: Resolve to reconsider your company ethics
January 16, 2008
Copyright © 2008 PRSA. All rights reserved.
By John J. Bailey
The new year is here and it’s time for fresh starts, resolutions and important decisions. As we kick off the 2008 fiscal year, I urge you to consider your company ethics.
As a business owner and ethics officer for PRSA’s Detroit Chapter, I expect honest, accurate and timely communication from my John Bailey & Associates, Inc. PR staff, PRSA members and from all those in the PR profession. Like dedication and creativity, good ethics are needed to achieve success both personally and as a company.
The dictionary defines ethics as a system or set of moral principles and a branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of actions and the goodness and badness of motives and ends.
Right and wrong, good and bad — ethics seems elementary in theory, but when faced with decisions both big and small, ethics can prove more difficult.
For example, in our daily lives, is it ethical to eavesdrop on a conversation? Tell your spouse you like his or her outfit even though you find it unflattering? Exaggerate losses on an insurance claim?
In business, is it ethical to run personal errands on company time? Call in sick when you’re feeling fine? Put lunch on your company expense sheet even though you did not discuss business?
Often it is the intent of a decision or action that determines its ethical nature. While there is no clear-cut guide to making an ethical decision, many rely on “gut tests,” and asking questions like the following:
- If what I just did (or neglected to do) was reported in tomorrow’s New York Times, would it embarrass my organization, my family or myself?
- Would I tell my children to act the same way?
- Would I share my decision with my mother?
For PR professionals, the PRSA Member Code of Ethics lists a set of values and provisions that members are expected to adhere to in daily business. But more important than what’s expected of us is what we actually do.
My personal guide to ethics is the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Whatever you choose as your personal guide, if you follow the simple rules of accuracy and honesty, ethics are easy. Mark Twain once said, “Always tell the truth; you’ll never have to remember what you said.”
If you haven’t already, now is a great time to create a code of ethics that you and your employees can discuss and apply. If you currently have one, be sure that your employees are aware of it and, more importantly, that your company consistently follows it.
Use discussions of your company code of ethics as an opportunity to encourage your employees to examine their own personal values. These values should be clear and consistently used as the basis for everyday strategic planning and decision-making.
While it may not always be easy, honesty is always the best policy and practicing good ethics in business will prove to be one of the best things you can do for yourself, your family and your company.
John J. Bailey is president and CEO of John Bailey & Associates, Inc. Public Relations. He was inducted into the PRSA/Detroit Hall of Fame in November 2006, a prestigious honor awarded to PR practitioners who have made significant contributions to the profession.
Comments
Bill Sledzik, APR, Fellow PRSA says:
Nice essay, John. And we're all looking forward to seeing you in the Hall of Fame when we come to Detroit this fall! I will answer one of your dilemmas. Yes it is, indeed, ethical to tell your spouse you like his or her outfit even though you find it unflattering? It is also efficacious, and to do otherwise is "ediotic." After 31 years of marriage, I've finally figured it out. Be well, old friend.
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