By ChinaCSR.com Editors
The Year of the Rat — in Western society a rat can connote unruly or dishonest business behavior, but in China the rat is seen as a catalyst for prosperity and a symbol of leadership. So with the Year of the Rat upon us, now is a good time to see how the attributes of the rat can best be applied to businesses in China.
Supplier Checklists
Intelligent and cunning, a rat is a leader. But because of their cunning and meticulous focus on details, they also are very selective of their friends and with whom they do business. When your company chooses a new partner, how do you decide with whom to work? Are you most interested in cheap costs, ability to cut corners, and the kickbacks you receive? Or are you interested in a relationship that can sustain itself via good business practices?
One idea for the new year is to re-visit any types of forms or protocols your company uses to verify supplier and partner details. Are your background checks thorough? Has your partner been accused in the past of graft or poor worker relations? Does your partner adhere to standards within their sector and are they proactive in educating their employees on best practices? A rat is meticulous in these areas, so this year you need to pay attention to these details.
Community Outreach
Rats like to hoard their food, but they are generous in dispensing that food to their needy friends. What sort of community outreach programs does your company involve itself with in China? And more importantly, are you doing it merely as a public relations stunt or is it a true integrated program that both builds your own company's morale and provides welfare and services to your community of stakeholders?
China is full of national-level and local organizations that can assist you with finding programs that suit your company's needs. If you are a healthcare company, think about providing health-related programs. If you are a textile company, a program that combines educational opportunities for the children of the workers who construct your products is a great idea. Within your organization, find a group of people passionate about these issues and put them in control of driving these initiatives. You'll find better long-term retention of your staff and better brand karma after you embed these practices within your company.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Finally, Western countries have a phrase, "to rat on someone", which means to report someone to the authorities. This is used often when a misdeed is observed and then a "rat" tells someone powerful of this infraction. In many companies, whistleblowers are sometimes thought of as rats because they give away information where the companies are operating poorly or illegally. So in this case, a rat should be encouraged to report misbehavior because they contribute to building a more responsible business.
How can your company encourage this? One way is to arrange a webpage where a worker can anonymously post information about infractions at a factory or office. Or in the absence of high-tech equipment, a simple box placed in a private location where workers can anonymously place notices inside can encourage worried workers that they are protected if they report misdeeds of their managers and bosses. In some companies where misdeeds are widespread, it's easy for a culture of suppression of rats to flourish. So for companies to get around this, managers need to pay attention to providing security and anonymity to people who "rat on their co-workers".
Don't let things rattle you this year. Remember that a rat ushers in a period of prosperity, so with keen planning and good management, your company should be able to do well. Happy new year!
