Moving Company Insurance Tip: Five Ways to Defy Negative Industry Stereotypes
Over the years, a few bad apples have tarnished the reputation of the entire moving company industry. We’ve all heard stories of bait-and-switch pricing, bogus moving scams, and the undercover TV shows that reveal terrible moving services.
It’s time to defy the negative stereotypes and go beyond consumer expectations with a hyper-focus on ethical business practices. After all, wouldn’t it be great to be known as the “honorable” moving company whose word was as good as gold?
Use these five ideas to emphasize ethical practices at your moving company:
1. Lead by example: As the leader of the company, you must be the first to demonstrate ethics by making decisions based on what is right. If you are a credible, honest role model, you can steer more employees in the same direction. A workplace ethics article at the Graziadio Business Review states, “Values drive behavior and therefore need to be consciously stated, but they also need to be affirmed by actions.”
2. Set clear standards: Write an ethics policy that establishes appropriate behaviors for the workplace – in the office, while driving and at customer’s homes. With clear instruction, employees know exactly what the expectations and consequences are in ethical situations. The Houston Chronicle offers more advice in the article, “How to motivate ethical behavior in the workplace.”
3. Enforce consequences: Know how you will respond to violations – before they occur. If a star employee is caught lying, what will you do? It’s easy to let the standards slide if someone you really like is the violator. However, consistent reinforcement is key.
4. Train with real life scenarios: Discuss and role-play common ethical dilemmas with your employees. For example, What if an elderly customer offers an employee something valuable as a token of appreciation? How should your employees respond to tipping? What if something is slightly damaged in transit – should the employee point it out or wait to see if the damage is noticed? Ask employees to contribute to the discussions with possible scenarios and solutions.
5. Welcome feedback: Create a comfortable and inviting environment for employees to give feedback to supervisors, managers or bosses. Make it known that any individual at the moving company can speak up, air a grievance or file a complaint without the fear of retribution from peers. Keep complaints anonymous to avoid backlash.
Becoming a trustworthy and reliable moving company can lead the way to greater success. Not only does it help attract more business, but it also creates a positive work environment where employees want to stay, decreasing turnover rates and hiring costs.
And, while you’re focusing on best practices, don’t forget to protect your company and your customers with Full Value Protection insurance. We now offer $250 deductibles!
