Hello again,
It's been a few months since I posted a scenario on the list, so now seems
like a good time.
For those of you who haven't seen these before, we're "What's Working In
Human Resources," a twice-monthly newsletter for HR professionals.
In every issue, we have a feature called What Would YOU Do? It presents a
hypothetical human resources dilemma along with responses from real managers
and HR pros.
I've always gotten interesting and educational responses from the members of
this list, so I'd like to get your input again.
Below is a scenario we'll run in an upcoming issue. Read it over and let us
know what you'd do and why. Please explain answers thoroughly - your peers
can benefit only from detailed responses.
As always, I'll post a summary when all the responses come in.
Send your responses to
T_Gorman@pbp.com
When the scenario appears, I'll send a copy of the issue to anyone who
responds, so don't forget your:
name
title
company, and
address.
This will be used for purposes of mailing free copies ONLY.
BTW: Last time I did this, I think I accidentally deleted a couple responses.
If you responded and didn't get a free copy, please let me know.
Here's the scenario:
"Kathy, I'm worried about ethics in our sales department," said Sales Manager
Tim Ross.
"Why, Tim," asked HR Director Kathy McGuire. "What's been happening."
"Well, for example," Tim said, "I'm always telling reps that integrity is the
key to success, so this morning Joe West comes in my office and tells me,
'Boss, you're going to be proud.' He says a customer assured him we'd get his
business if we 'took care of him' the way our competitors do.
"So, Joe tells me he told the customer 'No way.' I was glad he resisted the
temptation, but he also lost the account."
"Did you talk to him about ways he could have helped the customer that didn't
involve kickbacks?" Kathy asked.
"I was about to when I got called into a meeting. Joe and I are supposed to
meet later today. But that's not the end of the problem.
"An hour later, Christine Smith is in my office to get her expense account
approved. She explains that it's high because one of her accounts told her
our competitor would buy him a VCR. So Christine bought him one instead. She
spent $700 to get a $45,000 account.
"It makes good business sense, but it's not ethical," Tim said. "I'm
troubled, Kathy. Idealistic reps who show integrity sacrifice sales.
Meanwhile, reps who bend the rules are driving in the revenue. Isn't there a
way we can have both?"
If you were Kathy what would you tell Tim?
Look forward to reading your answers. Have fun!