Accepted violations become acceptable

I read the following quote in an article this morning:

“Employees will do what they witness routinely: what is common is moral.”

This pithy sentence explains why we should not tolerate inappropriate jokes, unwanted “light touching”, padded receipts, taking short breaks without clocking out, etc. When accepted, they become acceptable. Once normal, they open the door to more serious violations. It’s a downward spiral to the next scandal.

It also reinforces the importance of recognizing good behavior. Not for the sake of the one person who did the right thing but for the sake of the organization, so that everyone recognizes what good behavior we want to witness routinely.