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And that goes for your employees, too!
By Lauren | November 4, 2009
On Monday, I wrote about the importance of having a personal life to making good ethical choices at work. This topic is important enough to make a corollary point. You need to have a life to keep a reasoned perspective on your work … and so do your employees.
In all too many industries, the farther down the corporate ladder people get, the less their supervisors worry about their physical, mental and moral health. Overwork is the exclusive ticket to professional success, so only those who are willing to sacrifice their private lives in the name of their careers are likely to thrive. (The legal profession is certainly that way, especially in private law firms. Young attorneys who don’t work late every night, come in every weekend, and forego holidays and vacations rarely become full partners in their firms.)
Trouble is, when you work your subordinates too hard, you run a couple of serious risks. Even the healthiest, most energetic young people tire eventually, and tired people tend to overlook important information and make bad decisions. And, whether you like it or not, your employees have things they must do outside the office from time to time. If you force them always to book ridiculous hours, you create a commensurate risk that they’ll start lying to you about the work they put in just so they can get to the doctor and the drycleaner. Yes, you’re getting a lot of their time - but are you getting quality work?
In all too many companies, there’s an unspoken but universally understood assumption that employees who have lives outside the office are less “dedicated” than those who don’t. Not only is that assumption false, it can leave your employees resentful, exhausted, and prone to error. Yes, get a good day’s work out of them, but then let your people go - home. Ultimately, your business will be better, and more ethical, for it.
Topics: Business Ethics, Corporate Governance, Professional Ethics, corporate responsibility, ethics |