Business Ethics & Social Responsibility

Lesson: Common Practices in Business

There are a number of valid reasons for an employer to have such written workplace policies and
procedures in place. Such policies and procedures are useful documents to rely on when a legal dispute arises
between the employer and an employee.

Legislative Requirements
Some employment-related laws include a requirement for a policy to be in place and that the policy
fulfils certain specifications. For example, occupational health and safety laws require an employer to be put in
place a rehabilitation policy outlining the responsibilities of the employer. No having such a policy constitutes
offense under WHS statutes.

Codes of Conduct
Policies that deal with employee behavior at work (and out of office hours) as well as their
responsibilities towards the employer and to company property are usually incorporated in a code of conduct.
Setting policies in these areas indicates to employees the standard behavior that is expected of them at work and
what the consequences of a breach will be.
Policies can deal with such matters as fighting, language, dress standards, alcohol, drugs, confidentiality,
other employment, maintaining the workplace, the borrowing of company property, theft, and statements to
media.

Conditions Included in Policies

There are a number of different conditions of employment that may not be prescribed by law, but which
are agreed to by the employer and the employee at the commencement of the employment contract. Some
companies issue policies on such matters so that employees are clear on what their rights and responsibilities
are. Conditions which may fall into this category include:
1. Attendance,
2. Absenteeism,
3. Punctuality,
4. Transfer,
5. Training,
6. Promotion,
7. Probation,
8. Performance review,
9. Discipline,
10. Abandonment of employment,
11. Exit interviews,
12. Notice, and
12. Termination of employment
Employment Entitlements
It is useful to develop policies on employee entitlements which are prescribed by a modern award or an
enterprise agreement or employment legislation so that employees and management are able to ascertain those
entitlements. Where greater entitlements that legally prescribed are given, these should set out in policies. These
entitlements include:
1. Redundancy pay,
2. Annual leave,
3. Long service leave,
4. Compassionate leave,
5. Parental leave,
6. Personal/career’s leave,
7. Jury service,
8. Special leave,
9. Overtime,
10. Shift work, etc.

Employee Benefits
An employer may provide a number of different benefits as part of their contract of employment. These
are often not prescribed by legislation or an industrial instrument but are provided by the employer for the
benefit of the employees—sometimes as incentives aimed at increasing productivity and with the intention of
attracting and retaining competent and qualified employees. Employee benefits that fall into this category
include: company car, mobile phone (including private use), employee assistance programs, salary packaging,
career breaks, and study assistance.

Breach of Company Policy

Failure to comply with an employer’s policies can be a valid reason for termination of employment.
However, the termination for such a breach may be, in particular circumstances, harsh, unjust or unreasonable.
Consequently, reasonableness of the policy and its application by the employer are taken into account in
determining an unfair dismissal claim. Inconsistency in application of a policy may be a relevant matter for a
tribunal to consider. The circumstances in which policies and procedures documents are not discretionary
because they form part of a contract employment are complex and developing around case law.

Policies a Term of Contract of Employment

The terms set out in a written contract of employment may cover a number of different statements or
documents including a reference to the company policies and procedures. Whether a handbook of company
policies and procedures is incorporated into a contract of employment will depend on the circumstances
surrounding the making of the contract.
A common term in employment contracts is a general statement that ‘company policies do not form part
of the employment contract’. However, the employer must be careful that the terms of the policy exclusion
should not be undermined by other specific terms in the contract which could imply the incorporation of
policies. Restricting employees' speech and political activities. If an employer wishes to restrict employees’
political activities or public comment, any restriction must be a reasonable and lawful direction. The reason for
introducing such a policy usually is to preserve the company's reputation and maintain workplace harmony.
Any restriction should relate to the employment relationship and any disclosure of confidential information that
could potentially damage the employer. Such a policy should not curtail an employee's right to make legitimate
private comments.
 But let us all be a real person here for a moment and unlike all these rules and regulations, we non robots
would just like to have colleagues in the work place that has manners.
Do manners matter at work? Should you really be expected to be polite all the time, or can you bend the
rules in the name of efficiency or self-preservation?
When your boss calls and you are in the middle of a meeting with a colleague, you answer it. It must be
important-after all, he is your boss! Never mind that your colleague and the meeting are important too, it is your
boss on the phone!
Or what about when you’re running behind? It's 3:50 p.m. and the report you're preparing has to be out
by 4:00 p.m. sharp. You print it off and the paper jams in the middle of your job. There is no time to fix it so
you resend the print job to another printer, but you do not go back and sort it out once your report is delivered.
Instead, you just leave the jam for someone else to discover and fix. Sure, it is an inconvenience for them, but it
was not exactly your fault that the printer jammed, was it?
You know that behaviors like this are rude. You would not behave in this way outside of the office. So
why do we then allow ourselves to behave inconsiderately at work?
There is a definite double standard when it comes to workplace manners. It is common to see people
doing things at work they would not dream of doing in a social setting.
Disrespectful and discourteous behavior makes members of your team unhappy, and damages the
cohesion of your team. It works against all of the efforts you make to motivate team members, and thereby raise
productivity. With this in mind, there is simply no excuse for bad manners. Whether you are interacting with a
person higher or lower on the corporate hierarchy, giving feedback, issuing instructions or exerting power; good
manners are an absolute necessity.
To make sure your workplace is free of rude behavior requires a two-pronged approach:
1. Encouraging Good Manners
Most of the time when bad manners surface at work it is unintentional. It is easy to get caught up
in your own tasks and projects. People's focus gets so narrow that they forget to consider the impact that
their words or actions will have on other people.
In an attempt to be efficient and productive we take a few liberties with our manners at work.
Perhaps, at one time, we apologetically said, "I'm sorry, we have to stop the discussion and move onto
the next point." But now we blurt out, "Next!" or "Let's get on with it, people!"
While the intention may be the same, the degree of bluntness, or even rudeness, used nowadays
is unacceptable—at work or anywhere.
If good people are bruised by someone else's rudeness once too often, you risk losing them. How
long is it going to take to find an equally good replacement, and bring them "up to speed?" How much is
this going to cost? And what opportunities will you have lost in the meantime?
When disrespectful conduct starts surfacing throughout a company, or when it is used by
executives or other key people, it can become part of the organization's culture. Poor manners can be
quickly absorbed into cultural norms, especially when no one stands up and demands courteous and
polite behavior.
So, what can you do if rudeness is endemic the culture of your organization?
In conjunction with your colleagues, focus on the problem behaviors and create a list of the
behaviors that are expected within your team. Be specific so that people really understand what
constitutes good manners. Depending on where the problems lie, you may want to include these items:
a. Email and Internet expectations.
b. Where people eat.
c. What people wear.
d. Meeting routines and etiquette.
e. Physical state of individual workstations.
 f. Working in close quarters.
g. Communication style—tone, manner, language
h. Use of supplies and equipment—common and co-workers' own.
i. Telephone manners.
j. Demonstrate all the appropriate behaviors in your own actions, whatever your place in the
corporate hierarchy. Acting as a role model is one of the most effective means of reinforcing
what is acceptable and expected.
k. Until things improves, consider adding a "Manners” heading to the agenda of your regular
team meeting to emphasize and entrench the importance of change.
l. Recognize people for demonstrating polite behavior. Make a point of thanking people for
turning off their cell phones before entering a meeting, or making a new pot or taking the last
cup.
m. Until things improve, consider adding a manners category to your performance review
process. This elevates manners to a core competency level in your organization and underpins
how important it is to effective performance.

2. Stamping Out Bad Manners

Encouraging good manners is one side of the coin. The other requires developing mechanisms
and strategies to eliminate poor manners from your workplace. When workplace manners begin to slip,
it can be hard to stop the slide and regain control. Open communication and empathy are perhaps your
strongest weapons for controlling discourtesy in the office. When people stop talking or sharing their
experiences and concerns, or when they stop considering how their actions make others feel, poor
behavior can start to work its way into the fabric of the organization’s culture

Office Protocol Specialist

An office protocol specialist is a consultant to businesses. She advises clients on matters such as conflict
resolution and sexual harassment procedures. Office protocol specialists create training programs that help
employees learn the boundaries of politically and socially acceptable behavior and thus help a company
function more efficiently, as well as to avoid lawsuits.

Preventing Conflict
Preventing conflict and properly addressing it when it occurs in the workplace are the goals of office
protocol. A good set of Written procedures, along with training and proper implementation of conflict
resolution policies helps achieve this goal. Employees must have clear avenues in which to address conflict with
step-by-step written procedures for management to get involved when needed.

Pleasant, Productive Workplace

Small behaviors are an important part of office protocol. They include simple and universal acts like
saying "thank you" and "please", cleaning up after yourself in common areas, and refraining from gossip. These
behaviors also extend to not selling products to colleagues, not interrupting others, using good personal hygiene
and treating everyone with respect.

Decorum
Decorum is essentially the suitable way of presenting something for a given circumstance. The word has
definitions for everyday usage and a specific definition relating to the field of rhetoric. In ordinary usage, the
word decorum basically means good taste and appropriate propriety in both dress and conduct. Within the field
of rhetoric, it is the practice of ensuring that the words used are suitable for the subject matter, the audience
being addressed, the occasion, and the person who is speaking the words. Overall, the word means to be
presented in a way suitable for the given occasion.
 The word decorum has origins in Latin, coming from words like decor and decorus which have to do
with beauty or what is pleasing to the senses. In ordinary English, the word is used to mean the appropriate
conventions of dress and conduct required in specific situations. For example, anybody who attends the opera is
expected to have a particularly high level of decorum.
Most of the time, the usage of the word in modern English is mainly synonymous with manners and
being well-presented. The rules of decorum can be thought of as the rules of etiquette, which tend to be
different for different situations but are generally intended to show respect to the host and the other guests
present in any formal situation. If somebody is unaware of these codes. he or she is said to have "no sense of
decorum."

Marketing Management
The application, tracking and review of a company's marketing resources and activities.
The scope of a business marketing management depends on the size of the business and the industry in
which the business operates. Effective marketing management will use a company's resources to increase its
customer base, improve customer opinions of the company's products and services, and increase the company’s
perceived value.
Marketing management is the organizational discipline which focuses on the practical application of
marketing orientation, techniques and methods inside enterprises and organizations and on the management of a
firm's marketing resources and activities.
Globalization has led some firms to market beyond the borders of their home countries, making
international marketing a part of those firms’ marketing strategy. Marketing managers are often responsible for
influencing the level, timing, and composition of customer demand. In part, this is because the role of a
marketing manager can vary significantly based on a business's size, corporate culture, and industry context.
For example, in a large consumer products company, the marketing manager may act as the overall general
manager of his or her assigned product. To create an effective, cost-efficient marketing management strategy,
firms must possess a detailed, objective understanding of their own business and the market in which they
operate. In analyzing these issues, the discipline of marketing management often overlaps with the related
discipline of strategic planning.

Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions, and is part of the process of accounting in
business. Transactions include purchases, sales, receipts, and payments by an individual person or an
organization/corporation. There are several standard methods of bookkeeping, such as the single-entry
bookkeeping system and the double-entry bookkeeping system, but, while they may be thought of as "real"
bookkeeping, any process that involves the recording of financial transactions is a bookkeeping process.
Bookkeeping is usually performed by a bookkeeper. A bookkeeper (or book-keeper) is a person who
records the day-to-day financial transactions of a business. He or she is usually responsible for writing the
daybooks, which contain records of purchases, receipts, and payments. The bookkeeper is responsible for
ensuring that all transactions whether it is cash transaction or credit transaction are recorded in the correct
daybook, supplier's edger, customer ledger, and general ledger; an accountant can then create reports from the
information concerning the financial transactions recorded by the bookkeeper.
The bookkeeper brings the books to the trial balance stage: an accountant may prepare the income
statement and balance sheet using the trial balance and ledgers prepared by the bookkeeper.

Reportorial Requirement and Documentation

If you are a sole proprietor, you may not believe you need to keep reports or develop them on a regular
basis, since no one else is involved in running your business. Even if you have partners or a board, reports may
not be high on your priority list when you have so many other details you need to take care of to keep the
business running smoothly, but business reports can actually save you time and money, and play a dramatic role
in the future of your company.
 However, in the professional world, writing well is a key to being a success though the format for
writing has changed, people are doing as much writing (if not more) than they ever have. Writing effectively
allows you to express your ideas clearly and coherently, and it is an essential part of corresponding with others
in the workforce.
Most jobs require writing—e-mails, letters, memos, reports, analyses, project summaries, product
descriptions, and the list goes on. The ability to write well is essential in obtaining a job (think résumés and
cover letters), in performing the job, and in being promoted. Those who do not write well and who make
obvious grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors are at a disadvantage in the corporate world.
To preserve your professional image, make sure that your writing is as effective as possible by following
these guidelines:

1. Know the purpose and scope of your document. Before you begin writing, know the purpose for
which you are writing and what you want your document to accomplish. As you write, keep your
primary objective in mind (you could even type it at the of top of your document and refer to it
throughout the writing process, if needed; you can delete it when you are it finished with the initial
draft), and never stray from it. However, if in the course of your writing you discover that your focus has
changed, that is okay. Simply make sure to revise your writing as needed to reflect your new purpose in
order to maintain a clear, coherent document.
2. Tell readers early on how they will benefit from reading your document—what they will be able to
accomplish, what information they will be able to gain, what product or service they will be able to
purchase that will make their lives better or easier, or in what other way they will be able to benefit from
reading your document.
3. Identify (and write to) your audience. Knowing to whom you are writing will help you determine the
tone and content of your document. If you are not exactly sure who your audience is, ask yourself who
you are writing the document for or who is most likely to benefit from what you are writing. If you are
writing with the intent of selling a product or service to someone or promoting a cause, you may want to
ask yourself: What age are my intended readers? What's their background? Where do they live? What
stage of life are they in? What are their interests? What is important to them? These and similar
questions will help you to target and write to your audience.
4. As you write, do be careful of technical and other jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations. Unless you
are writing for a very specialized field, it is best to avoid jargon and to spell out acronyms and
abbreviations on their first use. No matter your audience, you generally do not need to be overly stuffy
or formal; a normal, conversational tone will usually do the job.
5. Understand the needs of your reader. Once you have identified your audience, try to anticipate the
information that your reader will want or need, and identify and include that information in your
document as you write. Also try to address any potential arguments or concerns readers might have, and
address those, as well.
6. Organize your document. Follow the standard format for the type of document you are writing,
whether it be a memo, letter, e-mail, résumé, report, advertisement project summary, or other
communication.
7. For longer documents, start with an outline, and work from there. Creating an outline helps you
determine early on if you are including all of the information that you need to. To help you be as
complete as you need to be, ask yourself who, what, where, when, why, and how. "Who am I writing
to?" "What is my purpose?" And so on. Though you will not always need to answer all of these
questions in your documents, you will probably want to include information to answer most of them
most of the time.
8. In your introduction, tell the reader the purpose of your document and what you want him or her to
do. In subsequent paragraphs, group related information together, and generally includes only one key
point in each paragraph or section. When listing information in paragraph format, use first, second, third,
and so forth, or use a bulleted list, in order to help your reader easily follow the organization of your
document.
9. For longer works, also use headings and subheadings to indicate the sections of your document.
Such visible structure allows readers to find the information that they need quickly and easily.
 10. In your conclusion, restate the main purpose of your document, and tell the reader what you want
her or him to do with the information you are providing, whether that be to buy a product or service,
change or adopt a company policy, give you a promotion, etc.
11. Identify the benefits to the reader. Especially for advertising, sales copy, and other documents
meant to persuade, identify and emphasize the benefits of a product, service, or policy, for example,
rather than just its features.
12. Be concise. Write concisely. Busy people in the workforce do not have time to read any more than
they have to. Use short words and sentences rather long ones when possible, and eliminate unnecessary
information.
However, do not be so brief that you neglect to include necessary information. Make sure that
you do not inadvertently leave out any important instructions, deadlines, contact information, statistics
or other evidence, or the like.
13. Substantiate your claims. Make sure that your information is complete and accurate. Check your
facts before you submit your information, and use statistics, examples, dates, and similar information to
back your claims. However, if you use graphs, charts, tables, or other graphical elements, make sure
they add meaningful information to your document and are not just needless filler.
14. Proofread. After you have used a spell checker and grammar checker (though grammar checkers are
not completely reliable), take the time to proofread your document. Look for omitted words, misspelled
homonyms (it's for its), and wrong punctuation. Check that sentences are grammatical. Make sure the
document is error free, clear, and concise. It may be helpful to have a colleague, co-worker, or even a
professional writer or editor review your work before you deliver it.
If in proofreading you find omissions or organizational problems, do not be afraid to revise your
document substantially if needed. Having a more effective document is usually worth the extra time and
effort.
If possible, leave enough time (a day or more) to set your document aside and come back to it
later to review it one more time with fresh eyes and greater perspective before you submit it.

Reference:
Siquette, C.V. MAT. (2016) Common Practices in Business. Business Ethics & Social Responsibility (pp. 35-
47). Mindshapers Co., Inc.