In the past few years, news headlines have been screaming about high-profile scandals involving big names and companies such as Martha Stewart, Enron and Tyco. Because of these eye-catching scandals, businesses and individuals are increasingly aware of the importance of ethics in the workplace and in everyday life. What role does ethics play in the clean business?
You often [and always do] will clean your customers & buildings at night, when no one came from the business. In addition, you can access areas with confidential or non-public type information. Therefore, it is critical that your customers trust your cleaning company and believe that you and your employees will be ethical.
Business ethics sets standards and establishes a value system for your business operations. It is important to remember that morality is more than just "illegal." They are the "right" and "wrong" standards that determine what people should and should not do. Deliberate misuse of company equipment and employee theft is a clear combination of ethics. However, there are many gray areas that are not easily categorized as correct or wrong behavior.
Here are some examples of issues your cleaning company and employees might encounter:
There is a box of old phones, calculators and small electronic devices marked with rubbish. Your staff should pick it up and throw it away. Since the box is marked as "junk", if the employee is out of the box for his own use, is it really easy to be stolen? After all, the products you are cleaning up no longer need these items.
One of your cleaning staff works alone in a building. The employee vacuumed the back of the copier. Hidden behind and covered by dust is a $5.00 bill. This bill has obviously been around for a while. What happens if an employee takes out a $5.00 bill and puts it in his pocket? After all, no one around noticed it was only $5.00.
3. One of your employees is cleaning the computer room and unplugging the computer so that she can plug in the vacuum and cause serious computer problems for the customer. Such mistakes can cause employees to conceal their mistakes and play dumbly. But as her employer, no matter how serious the attack, you need to encourage honesty.
4. You just received the customer's check and found that they not only paid the current invoice, but also paid the previous invoice again. They have a lot of money and you work so hard for you. Is it really too bad to just cash the check? They will never miss it.
You and your employees will know what is legal and what is not. Developing a written ethics policy covering these grey areas will guide those illegal employees and the tempting situation they may find themselves in trouble. An ethical policy can be just a few paragraphs in your employee handbook. And make sure your employees know your position on ethical issues from the first day of work to prevent problems.
What types of situations should your policy cover? This will vary from company to company; however, you may wish to include some of the following:
* Conflicts of interest [for example, working for two cleaning companies and leaking customer information to competitors]
* How to deal with floors, toilet counters and other properties [money, jewelry, etc.].
* Do not read information on the desk or through a file or desk drawer
* Handle chemicals properly
*Do not delete anything in the trash
* Do not let friends or family members enter the building while working
* Always respect building tenants, employees and visitors
* Respect other cleaning company employees
Studies have shown that if companies have a strong sense of integrity, they will have a positive impact on their earnings. In the field of cleaning, your customers know that it is important that you set high ethical standards for yourself and your employees. Remember, "The things around you will happen." Respect for customers and employees will pay off with less employee turnover and loyal customers. This is not only the key to your cleaning business. Survive, but it grows and your finances.
Copyright [c] 2007 The Janitorial Store
Orignal From: What role does ethics play in cleaning companies?
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