PILLAR FOUR

Managing Pressure

PILLAR FOUR

Managing Pressure

What it is we aim to measure:

In this pillar, we measure the strength and source of pressure employees may be experiencing to compromise standards to hit goals. Does the “what” matter more than the “how” within the organization? Are employees encouraged to circumvent standards to achieve business objectives? If so, where do they feel this pressure is coming from? Is it driven by leadership, customers, or is it innate?

Topics covered in the assessment:

How often someone feels pressured to compromise the standards articulated in the Code to fulfill work responsibilities
The root cause of the pressure experienced

Why it matters:

In a push for proﬁts, an organizations can sometimes unintentionally elicit risky behaviors that are unethical and illegal. An organization that emphasizes results ‘at any cost’ lives on borrowed time. Organizations that encourage and reward efforts to achieve business objectives while adhering to the company’s values and legal obligations set the stage for sustainable operational excellence.

ETHITOONS

A Range of Cartoons to Spark Conversations About Ethics

Manager discussions with teams can be instrumental to setting appropriate expectations. Learn more about how to use videos, scenarios and other communications to engage employees.

Learn more

PILLAR FOUR

Managing Pressure

What the data says:

This pillar tends to be an area that reveals critical insights and opportunities for improvements. Sources of pressure to compromise the Code can vary wildly across teams, suggesting the need for tailored approaches depending upon where employees feel the most heat.

25%

of respondents feel pressure to compromise the Company's Code, policies, laws, rules or regulations to achieve business goals (or declined to answer the question).

Those in positions of authority are most often cited as the source of this pressure:

36%

Senior Leadership

30%

My Immediate Manager

32%

Middle Management

The key takeaway from these statistics is that organizations – speciﬁcally, leaders within the organization – may not consistently – or ever – discuss “how things are done” when discussing what needs to be done. Rarely are senior leaders or managers explicitly stating that employees should achieve their business objectives by whatever means necessary. However, often missing in directives is the encouragement to achieve objectives in accordance with company standards.

The Bottom Line:

When organizations reward performers (either through promotion or bonuses), that implicit pressure can lead employees to make compromising decisions that allow them to meet their targets.

PILLAR FOUR

Managing Pressure

How Ethisphere clients have used the data/insights:

Managers play an important role in how employees work to achieve their objectives. Quite often, managers who are not talking about how to achieve objectives in the right way aren’t opposed to doing so – they just see it as someone else’s job to share that part of the message (looking at you, E&C professional). In other cases, managers are instigators of bad behavior, particularly in regions where actions, such as bribes, are an accepted norm.

Our clients use numbers like these to drive home the message that this is everyone’s job. When talking with managers, E&C teams emphasize that conversations around goals and objectives must include reminders that the way in which something is done matters just as much as whether it is accomplished. They also share communications and tactics to support this message.

An individual company’s approach to addressing this challenge will vary by industry, since the potential sources of pressure can be different. For a tech company, pressure may come from a customer like a reseller or distributor. In retail or hospitality, customers are often a source of pressure, and the response there may be to deploy de-escalation training to help employees deal with overzealous guests asking for upgrades to which they are not entitled. Once a company is armed with their data, identifying how to support employees who are feeling pressured or ways to remove the pressure with better communications becomes an easier exercise.(Note we don’t say easy. Just easier.Managing pressure is always a challenge).

Top Tips for Your Program:

While some level of pressure is natural in a business environment, it’s crucial to focus on how goals are achieved, not just what is achieved. Encourage executives to emphasize the substance behind performance, not just the performance itself.

Celebrate moments where an employee elects to do the right thing and protect the organization’s reputation versus making a sale by unethical means – preferably in front of colleagues if possible. Public praise matters.

If survey data indicates where employees feel the pressure to compromise is coming from, use this information to pinpoint specific teams or processes contributing to the issue. Tailor remediation strategies to address the unique challenges faced by each group, as the sources and solutions may differ significantly across teams.