Retail & Ethics

In retail, the intense interaction between employees and customers, and employees and different levels of management on a daily basis to achieve business goals can be ethically challenging. Examples:

1.      Do you follow return policy and upset a customer or bend the policy to satisfy the customer?

2.      Do you do “what’s right” or just “execute the direction”?

3.      Do you engage in “courageous leadership” or just “go with the flow”?

4.      If your manager keeps adding projects to your plate, what do you do?

5.      If you find yourself in disagreement with company’s philosophy, what do you do?

6.      If your direct supervisor is behaving against company’s stated leadership behaviors but you know he / she is well connected to upper management, what do you do?

7.      How do you integrate into a new culture?

8.      If your company appears to communicate conflicting messages to you, what do you do?

The correct answer to the above stated questions and / or similar ones can be challenging for many retail employees. While it is not recommended to give one simple answer to a list of questions that are “gray” in nature, always identify the purpose of policies, core organizational values, and accurate information about the situations.  Then choose integrity regardless of difficulties. Be courteous, thoughtful, and decisive.