How to Keep Your Holiday Celebration Ethical and Professional

Holiday music is in the air, and shoppers are looking for bargains everywhere.  But in the rush of the season, don’t forget, it is so easy to make a mistake that you will long regret. My post today provides tips to help you safely navigate the season.

What you say definitely matters, but it’s what you do that can cause real problems. When you cross ethical lines, you can ruin your reputation and your impact your credibility. Making the wrong decision could cause legal consequences for you and your company. So, my business partner, John, and I are here to help as you prepare for the holidays.

Issues and Standards

As I worked on the webinar on ethics, we presented last week at Roberts Wesleyan College, I made some notes about the most common social and ethical issues. I’ll discuss the standards some organizations are setting for social and ethical behavior, including gift-giving guidelines. This season is an excellent opportunity for you to begin creating your own set of standards of conduct.

Ethics, Morals, and Laws

It’s said that ethics is doing the right thing while no one is looking. However, what does that mean, and what is the difference between morals, ethics, and laws? Morals are derived from what your conscience believes to be right or wrong rather than from a law. Ethics is a system of moral principles that affect how people in a group or culture make decisions and lead their lives. A government’s legal system enacts laws and links them to specific punishments. 

Why define the difference? They are related and create gray areas. We face ethical decisions every day. What makes ethical decisions so challenging for us is what one person believes is OK; someone else may think is not OK. That’s why many companies have written policies to guide employees as they make decisions. They don’t cover every situation, but they do provide guidelines.

Gifts and Guidelines

Holiday thank you gifts to clients are a part of doing business. However, companies start to cross ethical lines when they present gifts that are expensive, personalized, or inappropriate. Many companies and government agencies have established guidelines for the value of gifts employees can accept. For example, many companies have a policy that a gift cannot exceed $25 per person; otherwise, it’s considered a bribe.

The U.S. government does not allow gifts from anyone outside the government to exceed $20 per occasion and not more than $50 in one year. Government employees cannot give or receive gifts between those of different levels that exceed $10. Both companies and the U.S. government can fire an employee for accepting a gift that is outside the guidelines. They can also remove you from the list of acceptable contractors if you do not follow the rules. You don’t want to lose long-term business because you wanted to impress the client with an expensive gift. https://ask.fedweek.com/federal-government-policies/rules-gifts/

Sometimes it’s the client that exhibits unethical behavior regarding gifts. I often sent holiday gift baskets to teams at my client locations. I arranged the timing to be during December planning sessions, and they were much appreciated. However, another consultant told me of a case where he sent a basket to the client team as a thank you gift.  Unfortunately,  the company president took it home in addition to the basket that the consultant sent to him. So, he was not setting an example of honesty and integrity for the employees. When possible, deliver the gift in person. When that is not possible, address the gift to a team leader or manager. Then follow up with a call to ensure the gift was delivered as requested, and the team enjoyed the contents.

Suggestions

A positive way to recognize a client and still follow the rules is to donate to a charity in the name of all of the employees.  I suggest giving to charities that help children.  A higher number of those surveyed view children’s charities more positively than charities that support obscure causes or even some endangered species.

Take care to check that the money is going to help the charity and not for high overhead expenses. I’ve surveyed companies and found some have regretted that they didn’t take time to check the financial information for the charity. You can check online at www.charitywatch.org. For example, you’ll find that Feed the Children spends 85%, and World Vision spends 92% of their donation on relief efforts. The Salvation Army spends 82% on aid, but during disasters, it draws 100% from its budget on relief. 

End of the Year Business Issues

Finally, the year-end push for business and pressure from managers can create an environment where some people make promises they cannot keep. Other people have overstated the capabilities of their product or service to get a signed order. Another unethical behavior is not including all of the accessories necessary for the recommended solution or level of performance. The salesperson plans to suggest adding the accessories in the new year when new funding is usually available. None of these are ethical.

Holiday Parties

Holiday parties may involve situations where you find yourself faced with some social and ethical decisions. For example, your company hosts a holiday party at an offsite venue. You invite clients as a thank you for their business. One of your clients has too much to drink at the party. He asks you to drive him back to his hotel or his home.

You may think you are helpful if you agree to be his driver. However, you could be in legal trouble if you are in an accident. You and your company could also be in legal trouble if you arrange and pay for a taxi. It is best to let the venue arrange for transportation as they usually have insurance associated with serving alcohol. Finally, take care when at off-site parties that you don’t find yourself in a compromising situation or fending off unwanted advances. The holidays are a friendly, social time of year, but a professional demeanor is essential, and no one should take personal liberties