Lack of accountability and follow-procedures-when-it-suits-me approaches don’t encourage teamwork in the work place. In fact, such issues can result in poor or even incomplete service to customers, as well as additional work for employees who pick up the slack. To encourage teamwork, excellent and complete service, and an overall satisfied workforce, firms must enforce accountability.

  Additionally, without accountability to enforce OSHA and FTC standards, firms are at risk for more than unhappy customers and employees – namely, fines and the bad publicity that comes with them. And, at least in regard to OSHA and FTC standards, firms even have clear guidelines. OSHA specifically exists to instill and enforce healthy work environments, and when an employee does not follow his firm’s OSHA policy he could affect other employees – and the public – with a contaminated or unsafe workplace.

  Quite often, when an employee stops doing his job properly other employees eventually follow. This happens because the other employees don’t want to do someone else’s work. For example, if an employee does not clean properly after an embalming procedure, other employees get frustrated doing the extra work. Finally, everyone leaves the embalming room a mess. It’s contaminated and can result in cross-contamination throughout the funeral home!

  Further, customers may be affected with incomplete service when policies aren’t enforced. For example, management wants all families served in the same manner, including being offered different memorial items. Whether this offering happens at pre-arrangement or at-need conferences, offering different memorial items gives the family different options as well as helps the bottom line with incremental income. But when an employee decides not to offer all items to every family, he is making a decision for them and denying them all opportunities.

  These two examples demonstrate why accountability is necessary. But to enforce accountability for all management policies and procedures, open communications must exist between management and staff. Consider that while management wants some procedures done a particular way, the staff knows in actuality it may be better accomplished with another method. By listening to staff, management members promote a culture of teamwork and accountability.

  Optimal accountability also takes a willingness of all employees to hold their peers accountable: If one employee does not follow the firm’s policies and procedures, his actions – or lack thereof – must be brought to his attention. Otherwise, he will most likely continue with the when-it-suits-me approach.

  Remember, a business is in the business of making a profit. Many times, when employees are not accountable it costs the business money from lost revenue – or someone else has to follow behind and complete the unfinished work.