Corporate Policy: How Valentine’s Day Could Put Restrain On Your Brand
For most businesses, the 14th of February might be “just another day at the office”. This might not be the case for their customers and their employees, though. According to a recent study by Glassdoor.com, almost 1/3 of employees have received a Valentine’s Day gift from a colleague. Did you see that coming?
Your people are in constant interaction with co-workers and customers and they could be exposed to inappropriate behavior – or even behave inappropriately. Flirty comments and emails, comments on personal social media walls, jokes that can be considered sexist, and behavior that could be interpreted as sexual harassment are more common in the workplace than we might think. Except for your employees, customers can also be the target of inappropriate comments: While shopping a valentine’s gift at a popular retail shop, arranging a courier delivery for the 14th of February, or booking a romantic weekend with a well-respected hospitality brand. In most of the cases, the intentions are innocent and harmless. But the results might be catastrophic for your working environment or even your brand.
So how do you make sure your employees –even the ones at remote sites– understand that your ethics conduct is not abolished on Valentine’s Day?
Many employment law consultants insist that enterprises would better remind their employees of any corporate policies against sexist behavior and harassment frequently. Sales trainings are important, but corporate trainings should also include update courses that help your staff understand, respect, and remain aligned with your corporate policy. Trainings that motivate employees to interact with your brand, their team leaders and their co-workers, while setting up a fun and engaging environment, can provide an effective platform for your eLearning and corporate training, without your employees feeling restrained or “punished”.
Last but not least, when developing your eLearning material for your multi-national organization, take under consideration the cultural differences. For some geographical areas, sexism and inappropriate behavior can be commonly “acceptable”. Your corporate policy is global, respectful, and applies to all, though; and that should be regularly reinforced with both formal and informal online training.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
