Volume 5, Issue 3, March 2006

DO THE RIGHT THING

Many of you know that I am an advocate for the Golden Rule, which is another way for saying that we need to do the right thing.  We all know how we want to be treated and of course that leads us to treat others in the same way.  That gets me to the point of this month’s issue.

In Montreal a 10 year old girl found a Tim Horton’s coffee cup in a trash can at school.  She tried to open the rim to see if she won anything, but it was too difficult, so she went over to a 12 year old friend of hers and that friend assisted with the unveiling.  Low and behold under the rim was a new SUV.  The 10 year old won a car.  She was so excited that she and her friend made a deal that they could share the car.  My associate, Pierre calls that “School Yard Justice”.  Kids seem to be able to see some things very clearly and usually work it out.

Now comes the fun part; the parent’s get involved.  Yep!  The grown ups come into the picture and everything becomes confrontational.  It began with the 10 year olds’ father stating that he thought the best thing to do is sell the SUV and then give some of the money to the 12 year old for helping.  It began well with the father offering to share some of the money; I think it was about $5,000, not bad for a few seconds work.

Well that was not good enough for the mother of the 12 year old, she wanted half or all of the money because she said that it was her daughter who actually rolled up the rim.  Once the father of the 10 year old got wind of the greed of the 12 year olds’ mother, he said she gets nothing now.

Then we get the third twist in this comedy of errors.  The teacher who originally threw the cup away (so he claims) now wants the cup back and of course the prize.  This really sets a good example for the students in his care. 

What the heck is wrong with all of these adults?  Why are they not doing the right thing?  What kind of lesson is this for all of the students in that school?

The law is clear.  The prize belongs to the 10 year old.  While writing this article I don’t know the outcome of this little adventure, but let’s examine what should have happened.  The father of the 10 year old was right and generous by offering a “finders fee” to the 12 year old.  That should have been the end of it.  And when the mother of the 12 year old wanted more, the father of the 10 year old should have stood his ground and held to his original offer.  When he decided to renege, he just made things worse.

I know many of you come in contact with people who do not do the right thing.  I find that it generally comes down to a combination of ego and greed.  Either the person believes that the entire world revolves around them and that they deserve everything and more than others or the person has a greedy evil streak.

When it involves either of these personalities, it is very difficult to deal with as these people honestly believe that they are entitled to get what they want.  They rarely feel any empathy for the others involved.  These people are so consumed with the concept that it is all about them, that they cannot see how they are affecting others.  As many of you know, we call these people 2%ers.

So, what does “doing the right thing” actually mean?  It is very simple.  Before you take any action, think about how you would feel as the recipient of that action.  It is called the Golden Rule.  I call it my One Law Society.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you…ALL ELSE FOLLOWS.

If I don’t want to be cheated, I won’t cheat others.

If I don’t want to be hit, I don’t hit others.

If I don’t want to be discriminated against, I cannot discriminate against others.

If I don’t want to be yelled at, I cannot yell at others.

If I want to be respected, I need to respect others.

I think you have the picture.  Before you do something, ask yourself this simple question.  Am I doing the right thing?

Peace…

Ted

SIDEBAR

By Pierre R. Ouellette Hon.B.A., LL.B.

Most people know about the concept of ‘wrongful dismissal’. That is where an employer can be sued for damages for improperly terminating an employee. Employers and employees should also be aware that liability can occur for the “wrongful hiring” of an employee. Suits for improperly hiring someone are obviously less common than those for wrongful dismissal but they do occur.

Wrongful hiring occurs when an employer misrepresents, whether intentionally or unintentionally, a significant aspect of a job or its benefits to an applicant. If this induces the employee to accept the position then the employer has created a problem.

The Mouradian Group is currently involved in a case where a manager was enticed to leave a full-time position to work for another charitable organization. He was let go when the funding supposedly ran out. The problem was that he was never told that he would be leaving a permanent position for a contract position! Instant litigation!

Employers and employees are in a special relationship. The employer owes prospective employees a duty to exercise reasonable care and diligence in making representations regarding the employment opportunity being offered. If they do not, they are at risk.

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