1. Brief Company Description
Pitney Bowes is a U.S. company that manufactures hardware and provides a variety of services such as software, document management, communications, and shipping and packaging. They are a “leading provider of customer communications technologies” and work with large and small businesses, nonprofits, and independent enterprises (Pitney Bowes website). Although Pitney Bowes works with businesses of all sizes, they operate in over 100 countries and have 29,000 employees worldwide.
2. Code of Ethics for Employee Behavior
Pitney Bowes code of ethics is called a “Code of Conduct” and extends not only to their employees and senior executives but to suppliers and other third party business partners. The Code of Conduct, alternately called “Business Practice Guidelines” contains the rules for employee behavior and covers topics such as: conflict of interest, corporate opportunities, compliance with laws and regulations, encouraging reporting of unethical behavior and compliance procedures Other general guidelines are captured under these five headings: Put customers first, be passionate, be collaborative, be accountable, and act with integrity. These rules of conduct seem more geared toward employee-customer relations than guiding employee-to-employee behavior.
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3. Ethical Issues Addressed
The 48-page “Business Practices Guidelines” highlights other resources, methods for handling unethical conduct, and HR measures the company takes. The company has a 24-hr anonymous ethics hotline to make complaints or report unethical business conduct, supports fair and equal treatment, a harassment free workplace, opposes child labor in the countries it operates in and secures a safe work environment. Also, under the unethical reporting guidelines, there is a clause of confidentiality and no retaliation, so that employees can freely report suspicious behavior and not be afraid of the consequences.
4. How confident do you feel in the company’s code of ethics?
Pitney Bowes business ethics handbook focuses more on complying with the law than creating a corporate culture of respect and mutual ethical behavior. This gap leaves room for unethical behavior to slip by the radar. Also, clear ethical guidelines create a stronger corporate culture that can foster respect, equality, diversity and innovation. Therefore, I do not feel 100% confident that Pitney Bowes has a sufficiently developed code of conduct, especially considering their global staff reaches 29,000 people.
5. Changes to the organization’s code of ethics & outline changes
The only two major changes I would make to the code of ethics is to place more emphasis on corporate culture and develop guidelines of employee-to-employee behavior that support the company’s values. It is fine to have purported values that sound good on paper, but if there is no organizational structure to support the growth of those values, they might not grow. Additionally, the company could instill an incentives department that includes team building, collaborative interdepartmental activities, to increase employee satisfaction and encourage innovation. The current values and ethics are very outcome driven, and too focused on legal compliance and customer satisfaction.
6. Would you be comfortable working for this organization?
I would be comfortable working for Pitney Bowes, but in the long run, I believe I would not be happy. I think I would enjoy working for organizations that are more process oriented and invested in professional and employee development, of which ethics is a part. While Pitney Bowes does offer trainings, it seems they are only open to certain staff levels, and are skills based rather than communication or values-based.
7. Advantages & Disadvantages of working at Pitney Bowes
Advantages: wide array of work experience with government, business, and private entities, strict adherence to laws in each country it works in, clear if not short list of values and ethics, strict rules against bribery and accepting “gifts” for work rendered.
Disadvantages: low corporate culture of ethic and employee satisfaction, little incentive to comply with ethics, huge company in over 100 countries can lose its direction in relation to ethics and values.
8. How would you feel if a firm for whom you work implemented the other policies described?
It is interesting that Pitney Bowes does not dedicate one publication to their Code of Conduct or Ethics, it is simply included in “Business Practices Guidelines.” In my opinion, this reveals their focus on business, not on the employee. I would feel more satisfied, safe, and more invested to uphold the ethical guidelines if Pitney Bowes incorporated more employee-focused guidelines and practices. Firms are more productive and successful when each department and member of a company is invited to be a part of the solution and creating a culture of integrity, respect and equality, which begins and ends with strong ethical guidelines.
