Ethics
In Fleet Management
Dave Head
County of Sonoma, CA
Fleet Manager
John S. Hunt, CPFP
City of Portland, OR
Fleet Manager
Ethics, Stewardship,
Trust & Accountability
• Understand your role in creating an ethical work environment
• Know how to ensure you are a good steward of resources
• Know the steps you can take to encourage ethical conduct
• Understand how to build and, if necessary, repair trust
• Know how to be accountable in the workplace
• Know how to help your employees to be more accountable
Trends in Workplace Ethics
and Compliance
In 2007, a National Government Ethics Survey conducted by
the Ethics Resource Center (ERC) highlighted trends
in workplace ethics and compliance in government employees:
Bad:
• 63% observed at least one form of misconduct in the last 12 months
• One in four works in an environment conducive to misconduct
• Without effective interventions, misconduct is likely to rise
Good:
• More than 80% feel prepared to handle a potential misconduct situation
• 70% who observe misconduct report it to management
• A well-implemented ethics and compliance program and establishing
a strong ethical culture reduces misconduct by 60% and increases
reporting by 40%, mitigating loss of public trust
Formula for Loss of Public Trust
In the 2007 National Government Ethics Survey, the Ethics Resource
Center (ERC) identified a formula for how ethics violations can lead to
losing the public trust:
HIGH RATES OF MISCONDUCT
+
ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO MISCONDUCT
+
LACK OF AWARNESS AMONG TOP MANAGEMENT
+
FEW EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS IN PLACE
= HIGH RISK TO PUBLIC TRUST DUE TO ETHICS VIOLATIONS
Ethical Standards
Conduct yourself in a manner consistent with ethics rules and codes
• Follow state or local laws or regulations
• Follow organizational policy and procedures
• Do you set your own ethical standard?
Personal Performance Sets
Ethical Behavior
• Be a good steward of public funds
• Be transparent
• Be honest
• Have integrity
• Stay objective
• Doing the job right
• Being fair with colleagues and employees
• Set standards for business transactions
Types of Government Misconduct
The 2007 National Government Ethics Survey conducted by the Ethics
Resource Center (ERC) ranked local government ethics violations from
highest to lowest:
1. Abusive behavior
2. Putting own interest ahead of the organization's
3. Internet abuse
4. Lying to employees
5. Misreporting of hours worked
6. Improper hiring practices and safety violations
7. Lying to stakeholders
8. Discrimination and environmental violations
9. Providing low quality goods and services and stealing
10.Sexual harassment
11.Alteration of documents
12.Alteration of financial records
Reducing Ethical Misconduct
• Provide ethical leadership
• Set a good ethical example and encourage ethical behavior
• Encourage peers' commitment to ethics
• Embed and promote ethical values in your work unit
• Review ethical commitments on an annual basis
• Publicly acknowledge good role models
• Identify ethics violations and take appropriate action
Encouraging Ethical Behavior
When do employees feel comfortable seeking advice about ethics?
• When they receive positive feedback for ethical conduct
• When they feel prepared to handle situations that invite misconduct
• When they feel that they can question the decisions of management
without fear of reprisal
• When they are recognized for following ethics standards
• When they feel positive about the organization's efforts to
encourage ethical conduct
• When they feel that their organization is an ethical workplace
Trust
Trust is an expectation that another party will not allow you to be
harmed at a time when you are vulnerable.
Characteristics Used to Create Trust
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Integrity
Reliability
Fairness
Caring
Openness
Competence
Loyalty
Promote open communication
Behave in an ethical and socially responsible manner
Repairing Broken Trust
1. Acknowledge that a violation of trust has occurred
2. Determine, from the impacted employee's perspective, the
exact nature of the violation and what event caused it
3. Admit that the event impaired trust
4. Accept responsibility for the violation. Debating or denying
responsibility impedes repair.
5. Offer to make amends
Accountability
Accountability is an obligation or willingness to accept
responsibility for one's actions.
Six elements for creating the right conditions for an environment
that encourages accountability:
1. Trust
2. Know and communicate your strategic direction
3. Get your processes and measures aligned
4. Work with individuals
5. Monitor progress
6. Be consistent
Ethics
The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or a group.
– Merriam –Webster
1. What would you do if you discovered that an employee was taking
office supplies from work for use at home?
2. If you found $100 while walking down the hall at work, what would
you do?
3. Is it okay to conduct personal business on company time?
4. Would you spend taxpayer dollars for anything other than what the
money was intended for?
5. A vendor has won a competitive bid through the normal
purchasing process. After delivering of the product the salesman
offers you a weekend at the corporate condo in Lake Tahoe
including travel of the corporate aircraft. What is your response?
Conclusion
• Take personal accountability for your actions
– Be a good role model
• Establish credibility with your leadership, colleagues,
employees, customers, and vendors
– They need to know that you’ll treat them fairly
• Trust in the community
– Community trust is a huge issue in most local government agencies
• There are many “grey areas”
– You may need guidance from time to time
• It’s the law
– It’s not worth ending your career or going to jail
Any Questions?
THANK YOU!
Dave Head
County of Sonoma, CA
John S. Hunt, CPFP
City of Portland, OR
Fleet Manager
Fleet Manager
David.Head@sonoma-county.org
John.Hunt@portlandoregon.gov