I’ve just now been able to review the responses from Norm Augustine, Pat Harned, and Scott Avelino to your Dangerous Silence blog. Having served for twenty years as an ethics officer for Lockheed Martin, both for operating units in the field and at the corporate headquarters, I would like to share my perspective on the dangerous silence of employees who know of misconduct, but who choose not to report it.
Surveys, not only by Ethics Resource Center and KPMG, but also within Lockheed Martin and other companies, show that people don’t report wrongdoing principally because there is a lack of trust and confidence that anything will be done. And, of course, surveys show fear of retaliation as a second major factor. Also, some employees don’t report issues, simply because they don’t want their work group to be seen in a negative light.
Norm Augustine is right to say that the majority of issues are human resources related, with most being very minor. But, I don’t think it matters in the long run, whether or not unreported issues are minor or major. An organization must work everyway it can to eliminate the reluctance of employees to report matters on a timely basis, no matter how minor.
An organization must work diligently to gain the trust and confidence of its employees, so they feel free to make reports to the ethics office or external hotline or to their managers and supervisors. It’s a trust issue, a company loyalty issue, a mark of good teamwork, caring, taking responsibility, being a good citizen and so on. This is what must be instilled in employees.
This is, of course, a two-way street. If the company wants this kind of support from its employees, the company must be willing to treat its employees in the same fashion. The old saying “if the company takes care of its employees, the employees will take care of the company" is true about ethics and trust. The payoff in this drill is that, while you get a lot of nickel and dime stuff to deal with, you stand a great chance of capturing the showstopper or “stop the presses” issue, almost as soon as it happens.
I would also remark that, while many of the human resources issues are minor, they aren’t usually minor to the employee. So, of course, it is important to act on these matters, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but you gain the employee’s confidence and win over another supporter for the program. And, you can be sure the employee will be sharing his or her experience at the water fountain during the next work break.
I would add that many of the employees who are reluctant to report wrongdoing are not just rank and file employees. In many cases, they occupy leadership positions and are supposed to be setting the example for subordinates. Their trust in the company and its ethics office is critical. Their leadership, or failure, here becomes known over time and will strengthen--or devastate--the program.
Robert "Bud" Reid
Ethics Officer (retired)
Lockheed Martin, Inc.
From CurrentLMManager on
The problem I find with LM HR is not that employees don't report things, but that they are encouraged to contact HR/upper management without working through local leadership. Once HR is in the mix, you can count on it taking weeks to get whatever issue resolved. Should the idea of disciplining an employee come up you are looking at a month at best. It is also a regular occasion that LM's legal department will overrule HR in favor of the employee. Everything revolves around risk mitigation with the appearance of no regard for competitiveness in the marketplace. Frankly, it is easier to discipline a federal GS employee than it is an LM employee.
From Terrance W Elliott on
In April 2006 I was fired by Lockheed Martin Technology Services at Wallops Island, VA. On February 25, 2006 I was suspended for six weeks while the situation was investigated. The paper trail created by Allison Derrickson did not convince the VP in Mt Laurel that I had committed any transgression that warranted my dismissal. Consequently my suspension was extended until Ms Derrickson could come up with a reason to fire me. Unable to prove any misconduct on my part Ms Derrickson simply lied by stating that I had lied in her official investigation by saying it was my duty to send out the minutes of the 2/14/06 CCB.
The fact is I did send out the minutes in question and I provided a copy of these minutes to the Ethics Department. I also can provide CCB agendas and minutes dating back two years prior to 2/14/6 all of which were generated by me.
Please explain to me how an employee with a letter of commendation from every Commanding Officer who served at SCSC and over twenty five customer initiated lightning awards can be fired without the opportunity to answer the charges levied against him.
My livelihood and retirement were stolen from me with malice and forethought and no one seems to care. Surely there is someone in the Ethics Department can see the irony in the fact that the ones that lied are still gainfully employed while the poor sap who believed in Lockheed Martin’s Ethics Policy is out the door.
f Lockheed Martin"s Ethics Program