By Philip Gordon, Director, Conroy Group
Ethics is an interesting concept. Its interpretation often varies depending on where you are in the world. There are also generational differences in how ethics is viewed. Add to that the financial pressures facing businesses today, and it becomes easy for some to justify blurring the lines.
Too often, ethics cases that come before the committee appear straightforward when viewed from a distance. However, there is often history behind them. Previous interactions between the companies may have created underlying tensions, and the issue being reported is simply the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Financial stress is a reality. Our industry appears to be experiencing a downturn across much of the world, and this can lead some businesses to bend the rules. As a result, the ethical considerations can become clouded. Is it right to submit a low upfront price, knowing full well there will be opportunities to increase the cost later? Is it fair to burden customers with additional charges that may not have been fully explained at the outset?
Conversely, if you are aware of potential additional charges at destination, is it acceptable to avoid discussing them openly with the customer during the quoting phase, and instead rely on exclusions buried within a quote? Is that the right thing to do? There are countless situations where the ethical choice is overlooked in favor of business expediency.
One of the biggest issues facing our industry is that we have allowed control to shift to other parties. There are many theories as to how this happened. Were we excellent movers but poor businesspeople? Were we so focused on doing the work that we failed to look ahead and shape our own future? Whatever the reason, we now find ourselves in an environment where others are driving while we are simply along for the ride.
The result has been an unhealthy obsession with competing on price. There is only one destination in a price war: it’s a race to the bottom. Industrywide, we have seen declining service standards and a noticeable increase in customer complaints. Many of those complaints arise from additional charges being imposed on customers after the fact.
I encourage everyone to take the time to read the IAM Code of Ethics. Then, put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Ask yourself how you would feel if you discovered that a company knew about an additional cost but chose not to disclose it because they feared a competitor would win the business by remaining silent.
The reality is that you cannot control what your competitors do. What you can control is how you conduct yourself. At the end of the day, the person you see in the mirror is the one you have to live with. Ethics is not about what others choose to do. It is about the standards you choose to uphold when no one is watching.
So: would your company pass the ethics test?