The High Cost of Values

Much is written today about the need for values in the workplace. It sounds so fine and noble to call ourselves people of high values, but are we always aware of the high cost of such a commitment? I remember a situation years ago where my commitment came under fire.

I was a recruiter for a non-profit organization. We, like so many employers, had a new hire drug screening policy. I had an applicant for a finance department opening who had previous experience working for a major competitor. The head of finance really wanted to hire this person, even after he failed the drug test. Our organization had never hired anyone who failed, so I felt confident my decision not to hire would be supported by our CEO. It wasn’t. The CEO felt the financial information the new employee had from his past employer was too valuable to pass by, and legal counsel suggested that it was unlikely that our decision would be discovered and successfully challenged. It was never considered that the information this person had was confidential and sharing it with us would not only have been unethical, but would most likely have violated a confidentiality agreement he would have signed upon taking his job.

Not only did I lose that argument, I paid a greater price. Shortly after this incident, a position opened up at a sister facility in a location to which I wanted to relocate. A member of management at my facility said I would not receive a favorable recommendation for the position because I was seen as “inflexible” in my stance that we abide by our drug-free policy regardless of the candidate.

While that was demoralizing at the time, thankfully the story did not end there. The employee was hired, but soon developed an attendance problem and was ultimately fired. (There is a reason employers screen out drug users!) The financial situation of our facility did not improve dramatically as a result of this person being hired, and eventually the head of finance was also let go. The sister facility in my desired location closed within a year or two and I did relocate there on my own, having accepted a lateral position with a competitor.

It took a while for all of this to occur. It was a very difficult period in my professional life, yet I wouldn’t do it any differently. If you’ve been working a while, you’ve probably experienced similar things, and you may not have had the vindication I had. Still, without our values, what do we have that is lasting?

What Does Your Organization Stand For?

All forward-thinking companies today have either vision or mission statements (or both) and defined values. Typically these are posted at the entrance in the main lobby, discussed at new employee orientation, and included in the employee handbook. More sophisticated organizations incorporate the values into the employee and management performance appraisal process. But how well do people really understand the values and more importantly, how effectively do they live them?

In my career, I worked in manufacturing, state and federal government, insurance (both property/casualty and health), healthcare, and consulting. While everyone of these organizations had values statements (except perhaps government, but that was a long time ago), the best example of living the organization’s values came in Catholic healthcare. Not only did the hospital do all the things I mentioned above, it also had a senior level leader assigned as the mission director. She did annual training on the values which every employee was required to attend. The hospital held a yearly recognition program identifying employees who especially demonstrated one of the values in their daily performance.

The most powerful reinforcement of the hospital’s values came from the placement of triangular tent cards with the values printed on them that were placed on every conference room table. As various groups, departments, and committees met, the group members routinely referred to the values (which were right in front of them) when making decisions. Leaders in particular modeled this behavior and would often ask, “How well does this suggestion align with our values?” With the values as a guide, the organization’s decision-making was stronger and more consistent than it would have been without them. What a powerful message it sends to employees when management chooses to take a more challenging action that is in line with its stated values than an easier one.