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Eight ways to encourage employee honesty
By Jennie
L. Phipps • Bankrate.com
It's not hard to make honesty an integral part
of your company's operation. Honesty expert David Cherrington, professor
of organizational behavior in the Marriott School of Management
at Brigham Young University, offers the following fundamental management
tools for encouraging employee honesty.
1. Say upfront that
you expect honesty. Some employers emphasize this by administering
an honesty test when an applicant applies. These tests, however,
are controversial and may be illegal depending upon where your
business is located. Check with your company attorney beforehand.
2. Ask potential employees to provide
the name of a family member or friend who can vouch for his or
her integrity. That simple measure can weed out people whose reputations
are shaky.
3. Verbally lay out the rules to
every new employee and keep a written copy posted in a prominent
place. Some examples might include: No eating the food; no taking
home the videos; no copying anything personal on the company copier.
4. Let there be consequences. The
first time an employee breaks the rules, give a warning. The second
time, fire him.
5. Don't be deceptive yourself. Be
honest in your advertising messages and with the customers. Don't
ask employees to report things in ways that aren't accurate.
6. Don't bend the rules for family
members. It's hard to tell an employee to keep his mitts out of
the cash drawer if you just plucked out a $20 and handed it to
your spouse.
7. Don't allow the customers to be
dishonest either. Be firm when the customer wants to bend the
rules.
8. Value honesty and praise employees
who demonstrate integrity.
Jennie L. Phipps is a contributing
editor based in Michigan.
-- Posted: June 8, 2001
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