Your actions, professional and personal, DO affect how your company and associates are perceived. Almost no one can remain anonymous anymore. The ubiquity of smart phones and social media has allowed for every facet of a person’s life to become public. The consequences of bad personal character on company reputation can be far-reaching. Here are some actions that indicate poor character.
Negative Reviews
If you’ve ever taken a look at a job-posting board, you will notice a section with company reviews, written by former and/or current employees. Those reviews certainly have an effect on one’s willingness to apply to or work with said company. Always take into account what you say about a company. Are you speaking from a point of rationality or emotion? Scorned former employees may think they’re getting even, but they rarely consider that future employers can see how they act with previous employers and take that into considering when hiring. Are you exhibiting an image or professionalism or pettiness? Your actions in the personal and social sphere will reflect upon your conduct and reliability in the professional world.
Inappropriate Content, Cyberbullying, or Harassment
Maintaining a professional and courteous social presence can be crucial to the reputation of your company. You may think that your actions in your personal life and professional life should be mutually exclusive. While that may be the ideal, it just doesn’t work that way. What happens in your personal sphere, especially in the exhibitionism of modern social media, nothing stays in the dark. It’s easy to think that your personal behavior is your own business, but keep in mind that everything you do and say also reflects upon your company, for bad or good. The character of a company is built and maintained by the actions of its employees and leaders. It can take years to build a good reputation but sometimes only a single bad decision to ruin one.
Repercussions of Poor Character
Loss of Customers or other Business Opportunities
Reputation is everything; research has shown that close to 90% of customers read company reviews online before making purchasing decisions. It follows that larger customers do the same research when looking into trucking companies to hire.
High Employee Turnover and Recruiting Difficulty
As a driver, you come into contact with lots of other drivers, from within and outside of, the company. Showing integrity and good personal character is a great way to recruit as it shows other drivers who may want to find a new company what they can expect.
How to Foster Good Character in Employees
Employers should focus on creating a workplace where employees are comfortable sharing feedback with managers as opposed to public displays of grievance. Not only does this allow the company to address issues in a constructive manner but it also avoids opportunities for reputations, of both company AND employee, to be damaged in a fit of anger.
Employers should also set clear expectations in regards to employee behavior. Because drivers are the public face of the company, so to speak, it’s essential that managers should outline what behaviors are acceptable in order to maintain a positive environment and good reputation. Always keep in mind, you never know who may be watching your behavior and associating it with your company.