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Give thanks!
By Lauren | November 27, 2009
Continuing my Friday series on keeping your business out of court, let’s talk about a seasonal message with surprising litigation risk implications. Yesterday was Thanksgiving, America’s designated day for expressing gratitude for the blessings in our lives. You may have heard from the self-help gurus who tell you that maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” is good for the soul. But did you know that expressing gratitude can also help keep your business out of court? Here’s how.
Lawsuits get filed by unhappy people - dissatisfied customers and clients, disgruntled employees, angry contractors, you name it. A mistake can engender a lawsuit if the financial consequences of that mistake are big enough, but lawsuits often have less to do with money than with hurt feelings. If a customer, client, employee or contractor feels unappreciated, he may be more inclined to file suit than to work with you to set matters right when inevitable mistakes occur.
That’s where expressing gratitude comes in. If you regularly thank your clients and customers for their business, they may cut you more slack when something goes wrong. If you routinely thank your contractors and suppliers, they may be more willing to work with you to informally resolve billing issues or contract disputes. And if you often take time to thank your employees for their efforts, they’ll be more inclined forgive bad things that happen at work.
People who think that business is all about the bottom line should think again. Good business relationships are essential to successful litigation risk management. Be grateful for what your customers, suppliers and employees bring to your business, and make sure they know how much you appreciate them. It will improve your business relationships, and that can help keep your company out of court.
Topics: Business Ethics, Professional Ethics, Social Ethics, business communications, customer relations, ethics |