15 MINUTES

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Jayve: Good afternoon, Philippines! To our live audiences and those watching us

worldwide, you are tuning in to 15 Minutes! This afternoon, we are going to be

blessed by the presence of two notable heads of a well-known business in the

tourism industry, and they will be sharing with us the code of ethics in business.

I am so excited to introduce our guests, Miss Maria and Miss Andrea! Welcome,

ladies!

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Mary: It's so great to be here! Hello, everyone!

Andrea: Good afternoon!

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Jayve: Good afternoon, ladies! Thank you for coming to our show. Miss Maria and Miss

Andrea are travel agency business owners. They have been providing travel

services for years now, and, well, I’ve heard that you decided to have another

branch in Manila. Tell me, how are you able to make this possible?
Mary: Thank you, Jayve. Actually, it still feels surreal. We started at the bottom, providing

different services to our clients with us doing all the work because we didn’t have

employees yet. Until we got to hire great employees who truly helped us widen

and broaden our connection to the tourism industry.

Andrea: As most of you know, we are sisters, and ever since we were young, I and Maria

have wanted to travel to different places around the world. As we get to discover

the wonders of the world, it truly is a lifetime experience, but behind that experience

is the feeling of inconvenience while traveling because we all do the work, like

planning our itinerary, accommodation, and what so ever. That is why we started

our travel agency to be able to help tourists travel to different places without

worries. In addition, I think what made all of this possible was our dedication and

the support of those around us, especially our families and friends.

Jayve: Uh-huh. This is interesting, I also heard that you treat your employees like siblings.

How true is this?

Mary: Oh, this is actually true. To be honest, we are the type of employers who are not

overly strict with their employees because we ensure that when screening and

hiring, we select those who are not only academically smart and high achievers,

but also people smart and street smart. This means that these are people who

know how to get along with others well.

Jayve: Do you let them do anything they want?

Andrea: We have heads and managers for each department in our business, and we

organize training and orientations every month. We allow them to do other things

as long as they do not neglect their responsibilities. We not only care about sales

and profits, but also for the well-being of our employees. Their condition reflects

on how they get to negotiate with the clients, so we believe that instilling rules, with
 not much restrictions, could help them do their jobs efficiently, and so far, this

actually works for them.

Jayve: This sounds great! Now, let us talk about the code of ethics. Why is this important

in business?

Mary: Well, I think in any sector, there is a code of ethics. This keeps an organization, a

company, or a department intact and to go over the basic things so that people

working for a certain area or field would know how they are to build a harmonious

relationship and make their workplace conducive for employment.

Andrea: Yes, the code of ethics is a guide for them, and even for us, to maintain the way

we manage the business. It is composed of different information such as our

mission, vision, and core values. It also has our policies, rules, and other things

which we make sure are in line with the laws that we want to apply and for our

employees to abide by as well.

Jayve: Great! Can you tell the audience more about it?

Mary: Indeed! First, we have the Confidentiality and Privacy Policies. These policies

imply that employees need to keep information from our business confidential

because these are very important and valuable documents, and also because a

series of hacking and stealing have been rampant due to the vast scope of the

internet and different platforms these days. As owners of a business, we have the

responsibility to require our staff to always be mindful of their actions and to avoid

problems.

Andrea: There is also what we call the Professional Appearance Policies. This tells us

more about the dress coding or dress policy where most companies require their

employees to wear uniforms. In our case, we have six days of letting our

employees wear uniform outfits and one day of letting them wear formal attire. We

call this our Wash Day. This policy also indicates that this keeps their
 professionalism because as they say, when one wears a uniform, it gives off a

certain feel of pride and confidence because you are carrying a trademark, which

I think is a genius take on the idea.

Mary: I would like to add that it is also very essential for the employees to keep

themselves presentable when dealing with clients so wearing uniforms gives them

an identity as well.

Jayve: Oh, wow! So far, we are learning a lot from these ladies, and I am in awe of how

much you know your stuff. All right, when it comes to Promoting Green Business

Practices, how do you keep track of this?

Mary: In our company, we have a project called “Earth First”. This mini project lets

everyone in the company be responsible for their consumption of materials. For

example, recycling the papers they used like old calendars for creative decorations

in the offices, and being donated to printing shops to be made as small pad papers

for more note-taking purposes. We also remind them to lessen the use of plastics

and to always segregate their waste.

Jayve: I really admire these simple projects that show how much you care for the

environment. How about Obeying the Law and Caring and Consideration

Policies? Could you tell us more about it, Ms. Andrea?

Andrea: Certainly! Obeying the Law is pretty much self-explanatory, but this is crucial in

every sector. There are circumstances where employees decided to break the laws

and regulations that could tarnish the name of the company. This is applicable

during or after their shift and duty. For example, in our company, employees are

expected to have a clean record and this includes everything. If we ever find out

that someone got into a fight and they were the ones who initiated the said fight,

then, this would mean that this person might be a threat to other employees and

even to our valued clients.

Jayve: That makes sense.

Andrea: As for the Caring and Consideration Policies, we mostly train our staff and

employees to deal and handle the clients in a proper manner. When we were just

starting as a small business, we used to have complaints from clients because of

poor service, as they say. It turned out that some employees were being rude and

inconsiderate, so we immediately took action regarding the situation. This does not

only apply to our valued clients, but also to our fellow people who work in the same

field as us.

Jayve: Thank you so much for your explanations. It is indeed important for them to follow

the rules and be very respectful not only to their clients, but also towards each

other. Let us shift to the Barriers that affect Ethical Business Practices at the

Organizational Level. What can you say about these barriers and how could

these bring change to an organization?

Mary: Ahh, these things are inevitable, especially that we are in a huge industry. Well,

first, when it comes to the attitude of those who work for a company or any

institution, I think we are able to see this through the way the managers, team

leaders, and the heads work. For example, they will serve as the role models of

those lower in rank. If a leader holds great value towards their work and complies

with the company guidelines, then we believe that those who work with them will

follow suit. However, if it is the opposite, then it is mostly likely that the whole team

will have poor performances. Now, how do we change this attitude from the

negative side? In our case, we impose disciplinary actions on those who do not

abide by the regulations. This includes suspensions and terminations.

Andrea: If we have the personal barrier, we also have structural barriers. These are

barriers that involve either the things happening in a workplace or it could be a

dilemma coming from the workers themselves. An example of this is when an

 employee is working for a small-scale business and that business needs to make

a profit. There is a possibility that worker might do unethical things that could affect

them and the business in the long run, just to satisfy their owners or heads. To

solve this problem, we have to change the structure. Changing the structure

might take a long time and require further preparations, but one way to do this is

to look for strategies and different approaches for making a profit. Also, resorting

to reassignment of employees to different posts could help them find what is most

suitable for them.

Jayve: Thank you so much for your answers. Regarding the Code of Ethics and

Professional Conduct, what are the things that you do and how do you apply

these in your business?

Mary: We are in a world where technological advancements are observed and more

ideas are being brought to light. One thing that is very hot in society these days is

the blossoming of the members of the LGBT community. In business, being

inclusive is essential. We are open for people from different backgrounds and this

includes those who are part of the LGBT. We do not discriminate through sexual

orientations, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, culture, educational

attainment, mental and physical ability and many more.

Andrea: Being considerate is also one thing. As owners, we should think about the welfare

of our staff because at the end of the day, all of us belong to one company. This is

the reason why we should depend and help each other in terms of making

decisions, plans, and solutions for specific concerns in the business. All these will

affect the clients and workers alike. Next is being respectful. We can all agree

without being disagreeable. There are times when our opinions are different from

those around us. With this, respecting their opinions despite frustrations could still

create a wonderful working environment and avoid disputes and personal attacks.
Mary: This leads us to choosing one’s words carefully. We should always bear in mind

to be kind to others. There is no need for us to insult or degrade one another. Some

of these unfavorable behaviors are threats of violence, insubordination,

discriminatory jokes and languages, personal insults like racist or sexist terms, and

the like. We encourage our employees to not harass others and their fellow

workers because the administration will not hesitate to terminate their contracts.

Andrea: We can also make differences into strengths. Instead of contradicting someone

because you have different views on things, we should instead take this as an

opportunity to work better and come up with more productive plans for the

business. We believe that focusing on how to resolve issues is better than being a

divided team.

Jayve: Okay. Do you think all these things are present in your business situation now?

Andrea: We can say with confidence that we are able to practice these things and that our

employees are kindly observing these things, too.

Jayve: In your perspectives as owners of a business, what are the things to be

considered in Outlining the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct in the

Company?

Mary: In outlining the code of ethics and professional conduct, we thoroughly draft out

the areas of concern. First to be considered is the work environment. It is

important for employees to act accordingly and follow the rules and policies. They

have to be prim and proper when dealing with clients, colleagues, and everyone

they engage with. Next is the conflict of interest. In this area, the reputation of

the company depends on the way the people working carry their relationships with

their colleagues and clients in a way where no one gets hurt and to always be

objective and professional.

Jayve: How about the protection of company assets and the anti-bribery and

corruption?

Andrea: When it comes to the protection of company assets, employees should act to

protect the properties against those who plan ill for the business. For example,

making sure that devices used for business are always in good condition.

Meanwhile, for the anti-bribery and corruption, employees are discouraged from

receiving money from clients in exchange for a more VIP service. We aim to treat

everyone fairly and to maintain the mutual trust between the company and its

clients.

Jayve: Can you tell us about the rest?

Mary: It is also important to consider the attendance and punctuality of the employees,

because this reflects on how dedicated they are in their duties. Absence without

notice is a big no and could be considered a job abandonment if it was not notified

beforehand to their supervisors or team leaders. It is a form of respect for the

company as well. One very important thing that we should not overlook is the

general harassment and sexual harassment. We yearn for the people to work

at ease and away from all possible uncomfortable situations. We do not tolerate

discrimination and racist remarks to all our employees.

Andrea: Also, the cell phone use at work is only allowed if it is an emergency, to avoid

distractions. As for the dress code, we had tackled this a while ago and it is really

important that everyone is well-dressed and have pleasant personalities that are

appropriate for business. We totally do not condone those who are involved in

substance abuse because this could affect one’s performance and could also

inflict harm to others. This is also the same with tobacco products. Lastly,

internet use at work should only be for information or data gathering needed for
 one’s duty. This is also to ensure that the files for the company will not get

corrupted by other files and will not lessen the employee’s productivity.

Jayve: Thank you so much, ladies, for sharing your thoughts with us, and we will be right

back after a short break!

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THE LAST MINUTE

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Jayve: Welcome back to 15 Minutes! Now that our elegant guests have discussed and

shared their opinions on the topic for this afternoon’s episode, we shall now

proceed to the last part of the show. This is called "The Last Minute."

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Jayve: Within a minute, I shall ask you a set of questions, and you shall answer as fast as

you can. Are you ready?

Guests: Yes! -random laughter/adlib here-

Jayve: Is the Business Code of Ethics important to the Tourism Industry?

Mary: Yes.

Jayve: Do you think that this Code of Ethics influences the growth and development of

tourism here in our country?

Andrea: Yes!

Jayve: Is there a chance for tourism to flourish if businesses cease to exist?

Mary: None!

Jayve: Describe the connection of the Business Code of Ethics to the tourism

industry in three words.

Andrea: Uhhh, Development, Advancement, Movement.

Mary: Protection, Determination, Implementation.

Jayve: All right! Thank you so much to our guests for being such sports!

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Jayve: It was indeed a very engaging topic that we have today. Thank you, ladies, for

coming to our show! Our dear viewers, we will see you next week for a new fifteen

minutes episode. This is 15 Minutes! Good afternoon!

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