Monday HR Minute: Importance of Established Company Values

Monday HR Minute: Company Values

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Importance of Established Company Values

One employee’s actions can impact the whole company regardless of size. Starbucks, a company with over 8,000 locations and 175,000 employees and an established business model with a commitment to social responsibility, is now in damage control over the actions of one employee.

The integration of their values throughout the company has given Starbucks a strong foundation so, while facing negative PR and accusations of similar situations, their popularity and stock price have remained relatively stable. As part of their commitment to reinforce their values, they are closing all of their stores and offices on May 29^th to conduct company-wide “racial bias education” training they are having developed by high-profile civil rights leaders.

Other companies can learn that integrating strong company values throughout an organization will help guide day-to-day operations and help in a crisis.

Clearly outline your company’s values and integrate them into company policies, practices, procedures, and evaluations so there is no conflict between what needs to be done and what is “right”. Use them to set the expectations of how employees should perform their job duties and interact with others. Make sure supervisors or managers understand they have a greater accountability for their behavior and how they manage their employees.

Recruit employees who will uphold your values. Find out about the whole person not just their experience and education. While there are some questions you cannot ask, you can use some creative questions to find out more about a candidate (some examples here and here). Consider conducting personality and behavioral assessments, especially on your management candidates, to make sure they fit your culture.

Train all employees, from executives to the front-line employees, that discrimination and harassment (whether intentional or unintentional) are not only against company policy but against the law and will not be tolerated.

Enforce these values through continuous training, disciplinary action, and performance management. Act right away on unacceptable behaviors.

Starbucks is trying to mitigate the damage to their reputation for one employee’s action by taking swift action based on the values they have built into their company. By having your company’s values in place and having a strong commitment to those values, your company will be in a better position to handle, or better yet, avoid a crisis completely.

That Affinity HR Group is an endorsed HR provider for more than a dozen national trade associations? And that we can help you recruit for your next rock star employee for a fraction of the price of a typical recruiter?

"Affinity HR Group helps us hire the right people for our fast growing organization. We have a great working relationship with the Affinity HR team. It’s a true partnership."

Leslie O’Bryan, ERPA
Chief Operating Officer |
Benefits Administrators

And Affinity can ensure your HR practices & policies are compliant and costs a fraction of the price of other national providers, such as Paychex & ADP.

"We have Affinity HR Group on a monthly retainer. They back-stop our HR team and have enabled us to delay hiring a senior HR professional. They are always responsive and helpful. We would recommend them to other building service contractors."

Michael Diamond, CBSE
Managing Partner | Affineco

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The Monday HR Minute, brought to you by Affinity HR Group, is designed to provide you with practical, applicable human resources and management advice and information in a format that will take you 60 seconds or less to read. We believe that by dedicating just one minute a week to thinking about people management practices, business owners and managers can make enormous strides in improving workplace performance.

Affinity HR Group is a full service human resources consulting firm that specializes in advising small and medium-sized enterprises. Our services include recruiting and selection, HR policies and compliance, ad hoc HR support, compensation and performance management, and training and development. We are an endorsed HR partner of a number of leading national trade associations and offer free initial consultations and discounted services to their member companies.
Email us at contact@affinityhrgroup.com or call 877-660-6400.

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This e-mail may contain general information about legal matters. Affinity HR Group does not provide legal counsel. The information provided should not be considered legal advice and should not be relied on as an alternative to legal advice from your attorney or other professional legal services provider. If you have any specific questions about this content or any legal matter you should consult your attorney or other professional legal services provider.