Anyone in control of a company’s logistics process has a responsibility for the reputation of the company. Sure, your job is to get things from A to B, but your job is also to protect the Brand (with a capital B). Some executives are losing sleep over this, and in our world of 24 hour news coverage, blogging and social media, there’s no question why.
So how can we protect ourselves from the midnight phone call or that doomsday email? Well, unfortunate situations are going to happen, and mistakes are going to be made, but here’s three things that are strong protection against some of the serious liabilities we face:
KNOW YOUR DRIVERS
Let’s say a financial institution has it’s own delivery fleet and has never run background checks on their drivers. This is a recipe for disaster. Any employee or contracted courier can steal a batch of checks, but if that person also has a criminal history of stealing checks, someone in the executive suite is in trouble. Every company should know their drivers, and that means criminal background checks, drug screening, previous address history, and whatever else your specific industry demands.
NEVER COMPROMISE STANDARDS FOR CONVENIENCE
A painfully obvious example of this is the Walmart incident with comedian Tracy Morgan. A driver awake for 24 hours straight is illegal, but we all understand the tendency to stretch the limits to make things work. Develop a culture that looks at standards as a “must,” and doesn’t look to cut corners regardless of the payoffs. The risks far outweigh the rewards, and no brand can afford to be a negative news story.
BUILD A CULTURE OF CHARACTER
A large company in the midwest created a grant system for the employees that works like this: if someone is in a bad situation (be it family, health, or finance) they can apply for a grant from this fund to help them financially through the situation. What do you think that says to employees? And, how much less of a risk are employees to the company when they know the company cares? When you build a culture that treats people well, you’ll find that you attract the kind of character that you want.
