On Notice: Bad Behavior
A Compliance Case Study
The People:
Carol, an administrative assistant in the School of Social Work
Maya, an academic advisor in their department
Dontrell, the office manager
John, an employee from University Mail Services
The Setting:
The administrative offices in the School of Social Work
The Event:
Carol and Maya stood talking in the center of the office when Dontrell walked in.
“Hello, Team! Why so serious?”
“Hey, Dontrell. We’re talking about the guy from Mail Services. He made a delivery and it happened again,” said Maya. “Tell him what he did, Carol.”
Carol began telling Dontrell that just a few minutes earlier, John, the employee from Mail Services who delivered the mail twice a day, delivered some packages. “It was those boxes over there – the really big and heavy ones. I was sitting at my desk and he came in, rolling his dolly, heading right for me, and he didn’t say hi, or make eye contact, or anything. He just rolled right up and started piling the boxes on my desk. Slam! Slam! You know I had that back surgery and I’m not supposed to lift anything heavy. So, I said, ‘Excuse me. I’m sorry, but you can’t leave those here. Those were ordered by Dontrell Johnson, and his office is down the hall.’ And guess what he did?”
“What?,” asked Dontrell.
“He slammed the last one down on my desk and said, ‘Of course! Un-be-*&$#-ing-lievable!’ I was stunned. I mean, I didn’t know what to say. By then, Maya had poked her head out of her office, and she asked if there was a problem.”
Then Maya chimed in. “Yes, I did! And he turned around and scowled at me and said, ‘YEAH, there’s a problem! I don’t know who Dontrell is or where his !$%*ing office is, but y’all are gonna be the death of me! Dontrell can come and get his own $#@!ing packages! I am NOT moving them again!,’ and then he took his dolly and rolled it right out!”
Dontrell couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was not the first time John had acted this way when delivering mail to their office. He couldn’t think of anything that had happened between the employees in their office and John that would cause this kind of behavior, and he was worried about what might happen next time. He wanted to be empathetic; maybe John was going through some challenges, or maybe there was something wrong at home. But even if that was the case, should they ignore his inappropriate and offensive behavior?
Dontrell decided that the best thing to do would be to call the VCU Helpline. He spoke to an agent who asked questions about what had happened, and she opened a case so there could be an investigation. Soon after that, Dontrell noticed that John’s behavior seemed to improve – there were no more profanity-laden outbursts when he delivered the mail.
When he checked back with the Helpline several weeks later, Dontrell learned that the case had been closed and consequences that fit the offense had been issued. He was not able to learn the details about what happened to John since personnel matters are confidential.
“…it’s never appropriate to display anger or aggression, and certainly never appropriate to use profanity on the job.
The Takeaway:
While John may have been experiencing some personal challenges that affected the way he performed his job and interacted with colleagues, it’s never appropriate to display anger or aggression, and certainly never appropriate to use profanity on the job. The investigation determined that John was guilty of an ethics violation due to his disrespectful and unprofessional behavior. He received written counseling and was assigned an improvement plan.
The VCU Code of Conduct states that, “We are committed to an environment of uncompromising integrity and ethical conduct. Our ethical standards are the foundation for our decisions and actions.” It names respect for individuals as one of those standards. The Code also addresses the additional responsibility of managers and supervisors to “[Support] a civil and professional working environment.”
Through his actions, John did not uphold the ethical standard of respect for the individuals he interacted with at work. As the office manager, Dontrell did the right thing by calling the Helpline to foster the civil and professional work environment we are each entitled to enjoy under the Code. If you and your co-workers are experiencing bad behavior from a colleague, remember that you deserve to work in an environment where you encounter respect and professionalism from everyone you work with. It’s time to put the bad behavior on notice.
The names and details in this case study – including the department or business unit – have been changed to protect the identity of the people involved in the actual case investigated by our office.
If you or someone you work with is experiencing something that’s having a negative effect on the way you interact with colleagues, and if you’re enrolled in a health plan through the university, you can access support through the (EAP) Employee Assistance Program at www.anthemeap.com.
Learn more about what students want in this month’s Compliance Corner!