Zero Tolerance and Business Ethics
One size never fits all
Sometimes we are so mired in technicalities that we lose touch with the basics. Before we scrutinize the situation, let us remind ourselves of some fundamentals that constituted our current policy.
Yes, there was an unfortunate incident where an armed man stormed into the office premises with demands that lead to general discomfort of all employees. The HR department then formulated the "Zero Tolerance" policy for Applied Devices. A comfort for the HR department would be that it enjoyed strong executive support, but what exactly were they trying to prevent?
The list of not tolerated "doings" added on from then on to a comprehensive one which defined a standard of behavior at Applied Devices. The proportion of the wrong doing to the damage it would lead to was not of concern and the punishment remained the same; immediate termination. One size fits all!
The history of "Zero Tolerance" can be traced back to controlling drug abuse aboard sea crafts, to schools that adopted such policies to control drug and ammunitions (Russ Skiba and Reece Peterson [Available Online :Last access 29-12-2006]). The persistence with such policy is due to fear of random occurrences and hence trying to send a strong message to potential violators. Although zero-tolerance policies are rules enacted by school districts for the purpose of addressing problems such as safety and discipline, they can sometimes be interpreted or used as an excuse by officials for not taking responsibility for the environment in which inappropriate conduct occurs. This happens when behavior is addressed without exploring the circumstances of the situation and the root causes of the attitudes stimulating the behavior.(School Mobbing and Emotional Abuse: See It, Stop It, Prevent It, with Dignity and Respect:Book by Gail Pursell Elliott; Brunner-Routledge, 2003)
The results however have not proved to be conclusive. Skiba and Peterson also cite Pedro Noguera who wrote in the
Sometimes we are so mired in technicalities that we lose touch with the basics. Before we scrutinize the situation, let us remind ourselves of some fundamentals that constituted our current policy.
Yes, there was an unfortunate incident where an armed man stormed into the office premises with demands that lead to general discomfort of all employees. The HR department then formulated the "Zero Tolerance" policy for Applied Devices. A comfort for the HR department would be that it enjoyed strong executive support, but what exactly were they trying to prevent?
The list of not tolerated "doings" added on from then on to a comprehensive one which defined a standard of behavior at Applied Devices. The proportion of the wrong doing to the damage it would lead to was not of concern and the punishment remained the same; immediate termination. One size fits all!
The history of "Zero Tolerance" can be traced back to controlling drug abuse aboard sea crafts, to schools that adopted such policies to control drug and ammunitions (Russ Skiba and Reece Peterson [Available Online :Last access 29-12-2006]). The persistence with such policy is due to fear of random occurrences and hence trying to send a strong message to potential violators. Although zero-tolerance policies are rules enacted by school districts for the purpose of addressing problems such as safety and discipline, they can sometimes be interpreted or used as an excuse by officials for not taking responsibility for the environment in which inappropriate conduct occurs. This happens when behavior is addressed without exploring the circumstances of the situation and the root causes of the attitudes stimulating the behavior.(School Mobbing and Emotional Abuse: See It, Stop It, Prevent It, with Dignity and Respect:Book by Gail Pursell Elliott; Brunner-Routledge, 2003)
The results however have not proved to be conclusive. Skiba and Peterson also cite Pedro Noguera who wrote in the
Bibliography: Ewing, C. P., & First, J. (2000) Available online < http://www.edletter.org/past/issues/2000-jf/zero.shtml> Last access 29-12-2006 6. Management and the use of business ethics: Towards an investigative ethics. International Journal of Value-Based Management: Volume 7, Number 3 / October, 1994 7 8. Getting Justice Wrong: Myths, Media and Crime:Book by Nicholas Cowdery; Allen & Unwin, 2001