DHML FOURTH QUARTER TRAINING WEEK

ADMIN DEPT LECTURE ON: ORGANIZATIONAL ETHICS, RULES AND REGULATIONS  

 

Delivered by: Maryam H. Sabo 24th October,

2013

1. An organization is a social entity where two or more persons work together to achieve a collective goal. The word is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon which means "organ" which is a compartment for a particular task. There are a wide range of different organizations

INTRODUCTION

within our social structure that allow our society to function and fulfill their public duties. These social duties could be in the areas of health, education, religion, security, etc. Also, an organization could be private or public in outlook depending on its mission, goals and objectives.

2. In any organization, there must be people who work as a whole for a common purpose, so there must be a defined purpose. If an organization does not have any purpose, it will not survive in the long run. To achieve organizational purposes, procedures must be put in place to guide the conduct of its human resources.

Therefore, for these goals to be achieved, some rules and regulations must be put in place for the human resources (the people working together in an organization, their experiences, talents etc.) to conduct themselves in a particular ethical manner in order achieve a common objective which is already defined by the organization. This leads me to the topic of the day which is ORGANISATIONAL ETHICS, RULES AND REGULATIONS.

3. The aim of this lecture is to acquaint ourselves with some organizational ethical values, rules and regulations with particular reference to Defence Health Maintenance Limited (DHML).

AIM

4. This lecture will cover but not limited to the following:a. Organizational Ethicsb. Important Rules and Regulations in DHMLc. Comparative analysis of DHML Rules and Regulations with other Organizations

SCOPE

5. In any organization, work ethic is a value which is based on hard work and diligence. It is also a belief in the moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance character. A strong work ethic is vital to a company achieving its goals. Every employee, from the CEO to entry-level workers, must have a good work ethic to keep the company functioning at its peak.

ORGANIZATIONAL WORK ETHICS

Therefore, a work ethic is a set of moral principles an employee uses in his job. Richard Pryor – in his book titled “The Company and Law” (published in 1989) referred to work ethic as a branch of philosophy that addresses the questions of morality through a set of behavioral guidelines.

Also, The Chambers Diction (Vol. XIII- 2012 Edition), defined work ethic as “a cultural norm that advocates being personally accountable and responsible for the work that one does. It is based on a belief that work has intrinsic value and reward”.

6. The term “work ethics” often applied to characteristics of people, both at work and at play. In a corporate organization for example, good work ethic is frequently mentioned as a characteristic of a dedicated staff while in sports; it refers to a good player.

Regardless of the context, work ethic is usually associated with people who work hard and do a good job in their chosen profession. Understanding ethics in the workplace is of utmost importance, as the congregation of people from myriad strata and cultures makes the environment volatile and subject to unnecessary differences, which can hamper productivity and lead to irreparable damages.

This is because a workplace is a cluster of individuals, where an amalgamation of attitudes and imaginations exists, which often leads to a diluted understanding of ethics. Thus, in civilized environments, work ethics are not left to the sole interpretation of man because moral attitudes vary from one individual to the other.

7.The following factors come together to create a strong work ethic:

a. Integrity. Integrity stretches to all aspects of an employee's job. An employee with integrity fosters trusting relationships with clients, coworkers and supervisors.

Management value the employee's ability to give honest feedback. Clients trust the employee's advice. Supervisors rely on the employee's high moral standards, trusting him not to steal from the company or create problems.

b. Sense of Responsibility. A strong sense of responsibility affects how an employee works and the amount of work that is does. When the employee feels personally responsible for his job performance, he shows up on time, puts in his best effort and completes projects to the best of his ability.

c. Emphasis on Quality. Some employees do only the bare minimum, just enough to keep their job intact. Employees with a strong work ethic care about the quality of their work. They do their best to produce great work, not merely churn out what is needed. The employee's commitment to quality improves the company's overall quality.

d. Discipline. It takes a certain level of commitment to finish your tasks every day. An employee with good discipline stays focused on his goals and is determined to complete his assignments. These employees show a high level of dedication to the company, always ensuring they do their part.

e. Sense of Teamwork. Most employees have to work together to meet a company's objectives. An employee with a high sense of teamwork helps a team meet its goals and deliver quality work. These employees respect their peers and help where they can, making collaborations go smoother.

f. Respect. Treating people with respect - irrespective of creed, race, gender or position - is very important. Showing respect to your superiors at work is also vital for the Company’s operation since authority comes from them. In addition, you need to have an immense amount of respect for the work you do, as opposed to being paid for simply existing in an office.

Lack of respect makes for a chaotic workplace, where the quality of work is far below expected standard. Employees who walk into an office with a sense of ignorance or fear can never give their 100% to the job, no matter how high the financial remuneration might be.

8. In every community or group, rules and regulations are inevitable. When these rules make sense, they contribute to the overall performance and joy of life within the people. But when there are no rules or when the available rules make no sense, chaos, anarchy and disorder will prevail.

RULES AND REGULATIONS

“Rules are made by man, in the interest of man and ultimately to be broken by man; in the absence of rules, the strong do as they will,

while the weak suffer as they must; a lawless man is more

dangerous than a keg of gunpowder”.

According to Niccolo Bernardino Machiavelli in his book “The Prince” (published in 1532);

“ Rules and law are made to; quench the fear of the powerful whose main desire is to protect their possession; for a people to maintain order. In the absence of

rules and law to check the inherent excess of man, order and

prosperity is a mirage. In a lawless environment, life is nasty, brutish

and short”.

Similarly, Thomas Hobbs in his book “The Leviathan” (published in 1651) posited that;

9. From the above postulations by two renowned philosophers, it is evident that for a society to prosper or for a Company to achieve its goals and objectives there must be rules and regulations to govern the relationship between human and material resources, or else there would be lawlessness, disorder and chaos.

Rules and Regulations in any organization are templates for the attainment of good work ethics by employees. Rules and Regulations structure the activities of the employee in such a manner that would bring the best out of him. Total adherence to Company Rules and Regulations with minimal personal effort evokes good work ethics.

10. A Company whose staffs have good work ethics is more likely to achieve its goals and objectives compared with the one with a work force made of nonchalant or laissez-faire employees because the environment would be too disorganized for any constructive achievement. In other words, rules and regulations are put in place in different environments to structure the behavioral and moral conduct of people.

Rules and regulations are designed to coordinate activities of people within a work place and structured in harmony with the organization’s goals and objectives.

11. What are rules and what are regulations? Rules and Regulations are two words that are often misused since they appear to mean the same. Strictly, they do not mean the same. There are in fact some differences between them in terms of their usage and connotations.

RULES AND REGULATIONS EXPLAINED

One of the main differences between rules and regulations is that by rules you restrict and by regulations you control certain procedures. By ‘traffic rules’ you tend to understand that you should follow certain restrictions when it comes to moving in a traffic. By ‘traffic regulations’ you tend to understand that the traffic is controlled by certain procedures.

12. A regulation can become a legal rule. For example, a regulation issued by a Local Government or an administrative agency becomes a legal rule when it is backed up by the relevant laws. It becomes a restriction that has legal force and implication when breached.

On the other hand, a rule is traditionally defined as “an established and authoritative standard of principle; a general norm mandating or guiding conduct or action in a given type of situation”. It is important to note that in legal translation, the word ‘regulation’ is used to denote a set of rules that have legal connotations. Regulations are official in use whereas rules are not.

Another way of differentiating regulations from rules is that regulations are a set of standards that must be followed at any cost. These standards will not change. On the other hand, rules are followed for the betterment of a workplace or to address a concern. Rules are at times transgressed. Regulations cannot be transgressed for that matter.

13. Defence Health Maintenance Limited (DHML) is a Limited Liability Company which was established by the Ministry of Defence, Defence Headquarters and the three Services (i.e., Nigerian Army, Navy and the Air force) as a military Health Maintenance Organization (HMO).

SOME SALIENT FEATURES OF DHML RULES AND

REGULATIONS

It was established by the NHIS Act 35 of 1999 and incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission in 2005. DHML was accredited by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2006 with HMO Code 022.

14. The primary objective of the Company is to complement the military Medical Services in ensuring that the military personnel and family have access to comprehensive, high quality health care through regular disbursement of funds and materials to health care providers and regular monitoring of standards of health care delivery in the Armed Forces.

15. In order to achieve this objective, Management coordinates human and material resources available to it in a civilized manner. The interaction between employees and material resources as well as amongst employees is governed by a set of rules and regulations which were established by the Company.

The Company rules and regulations clearly spell out how these interactions should be conducted, with a reward/reprimand system for hard work or indiscipline respectively. This Policy Document dictates the conduct of staffs within the office premises from the day of employment to the point of disengagement.

Due to time constraint, we would be acquainted on only a few salient provisions in the DHML Rules and Regulations handbook. The selected ones are as follows;

16. Attendance: Employees must be ready to start work at the stipulated time and must not leave their work during business hours without permission. Employees must ensure they clock in not later than 8: am and clock out not earlier than 5: pm every working day except on Fridays when clocking out time is not before 4: pm.

No employee of the Company or any other person is allowed to clock in/out or sign the day’s attendance book for any other employee. Any such act is regarded as serious dishonesty and offenders will be punished accordingly.

17. Absence from Duty :Absence from duty without permission is a serious offense and will be regarded as a breach of contract. Offenders will be punished accordingly.

18. Conduct: Employees are not allowed, while they are on the Company’s premises;a. To bring or consume alcoholic drinksb. To smoke

h. To read during working hours, newspapers, books or other publications that are not relevant to the Company’s operation

i. To make use of the Company’s telephone unless it is for the Company business

j. To remove, deface, cover or otherwise damage any notice pasted on the Notice Board

k. To use Company’s equipment for private jobs

l. To make noise in the office, or argue unnecessarily in the premises

m. To physically assault or fight another employee or any person within the Company premises

n. To gossip or carry unauthorized information from one place to another

o. To breach the official channel of communication.

Any facts, figures or other information regarding the Company’s business which may come into employee’s possession during the course of his duties, are to be regarded as strictly confidential, and must not be disclosed to any unauthorized person(s) without the express permission of the MD/CEO.

19. Confidential Information.

Where an employee is convicted of a criminal offence (other than minor offences) he shall be dismissed instantly. In Addition such an employee shall be handed over to the Police for appropriate action.

20. Criminal Offence.

Employees are required to wear moderate and decent dresses during working hours. In all cases, every employee’s dress must be neat, smart and businesslike. No casual dress is allowed at any time during working hours except on Fridays when Company branded T-Shirt and cap are permitted.

21. Dressing.

22. Annual Leave. Annual leave with full pay will be granted to all established members of staff who have completed six months continuous service after the first appointment. Leave will be arranged at a time convenient for the Company and will be granted as follows subject to the exigencies of service:

LEAVE MATTERS

a. Junior staff (GL 02 – 06)- 21 calendar days

b. Senior staff (GL 07 – Above) - 30 calendar days

In case of emergency, and on compassionate grounds, casual leave may be granted to any employee at the discretion of the Management. Each case will be with full pay. The maximum allowed casual leave in a year is 7 days. However, casual leave may be deducted from an employees’ annual leave if he exceeds the maximum 7 days casual leave in the same year.

23. Compassionate/Casual Leave

Please note that compassionate/casual leave is not a right or an entitlement. This means that those 7 days are not allocated to employees to be used whenever they so desire. Request for Compassionate/Casual Leave can be denied by Management since it is not a right.

Subject to medical report from Government, Military Hospitals and any other hospital recognized by the Company; and further investigation, the Company may grant sick leave. Except in special cases, sick leave with full pay may be granted for a maximum of 21 days whether consecutive or not within 12 months.

24. Sick Leave

Such sick leave must be certified by the Company’s medical officer within three days of illness. In the absence of a medical advice to support application for sick leave, no payment shall be due to the staff. Provisions for employees who are sick for more than 21 consecutive days are as enumerated and illustrated below:-

a. An employee absent for one month after the initial 21 days shall be on half pay for the one month.

b. An employee who is absent for more than one month after the initial 21 days shall be retained without pay for another 2 months after which his appointment shall be determined by the Management.

c. If an employee is on sick leave without pay, he would have to produce an acceptable medical certificate of fitness from Government, Military Hospitals and any other hospital recognized by the Company on resumption of duties; otherwise, his appointment may be terminated.

Implication of an employee who is on sick leave for 21 days or more;

TABLE:

Sick Leave for 21 days

Sick Leave for One Month After 21 Days

Sick Leave for more than one Month After 21 Days

Sick Leave without pay Sick Leave for 21 days

The employee will be on full pay

The employee will be on half pay for one month

The employee will be retained for another two months without pay

An employee is required to produce a fitness certificate from a recognized hospital if Management decides to re-instate his pay on resumption

After the two months, the employee’s appointment would be re-considered by Management

Maternity leave with full pay shall be granted to deserving staff on application. In all, sixteen weeks (16) weeks shall be granted as maternity leave. Maternity leave shall not be taken with annual leave in the same year.

25. Maternity Leave

No maternity leave shall be granted to employees less than one year in service. Maternity leave in excess of sixteen weeks will be without pay. Maternity leave granted to unconfirmed staff shall be without pay.

On completion of the maternity leave, nursing mothers shall be allowed to close at 2pm daily for a maximum period of three months on resumption of duty after maternity leave.

Examination leave not exceeding one week in the first instance shall be granted to an employee who is taking a professional examination, which would be of value to him in the effective discharge of his duties in the Company. The leave is at the discretion of Management and depends on the merit of each case. Application for examination leave shall be supported with the necessary documentary evidence.

26. Examination Leave.

27. The Company believes that discipline is necessary for success and progress. It also believes that as a corollary, every employee should have an ample chance of putting his/her grievances across to Management in order to ensure fairness and justice.

DISCIPLINE AND GRIEVANCES PROCEDURE

An employee who wishes to raise any grievances with which he is directly and/or personally concerned shall in the first instance, discuss the matter with his immediate superior and if the matter cannot be settled amicably it shall then be raised with the Head of Department/Zonal Coordinator who shall give his decision within five working days of the meeting.

28. Grievances Procedure

29. If an acceptable solution to the employee’s grievances is not forthcoming at that stage, he will be required to submit a documented case through his Head of Department/Zonal Coordinator to the Managing Director whose decision shall be given promptly not later than five working days of the submission of the documents relating to the case.

The ruling of the Managing Director at this stage is regarded as final.

30. Disciplinary Cases Procedure. There shall be two committees to handle disciplinary cases procedure:

a. The senior staff disciplinary committee

b. The junior staff disciplinary committee

31. The senior staff disciplinary committee shall handle all disciplinary matters on intermediate grade and above and shall be presided over by any such person(s) as may be appointed by Managing Director and three other senior members of staff (excluding the immediate boss of the offender and the MD).

The same also applies to the junior staff committee. In each case, the offender shall have the opportunity of defending himself/herself both in writing and orally before the committee.

32. The report of the committee shall be submitted to the MD within a stipulated time as may be directed by the MD. The ruling of the MD shall be final except in the case of termination of appointment or dismissal of a staff. In the case of dismissal or termination of appointment, the case shall be referred to the Board of Directors for determination.

33. The following are the disciplinary procedures, which may be taken against a staff:

a. Query: An employee who commits an offence, which in the opinion of his superior is serious enough to attract more than oral warning, shall be issued with a query by the superior or Departmental Head as the case may be.

The erring employee shall be given enough time but not more than 48 hours to explain himself in writing. If the explanation given by the employee is satisfactory, there shall be no disciplinary action taken against him. If the explanation is not satisfactory, the employee shall be given a written warning.

A copy of such shall be sent to the Managing Director. The Supervisor or Head of Department upon the receipt of the query may take action as follows:

(i) Issue an internal (department) warning to the staff concerned without referring to the disciplinary committee and copy’s the Administrative Department.

The third of such warning to the staff within a year should be referred to the Human Resources Manager The Human Resources Manager should be informed on three of such departmental warnings to the staff within a year.

(ii)Where the offence is of a serious nature or where a third warning has been served on the staff, the Human Resource Manager should refer the query with his own written recommendation to the MD for disciplinary committee necessary action.

Where a staff commits an offence which amounts to serious misconduct, or where the services or conduct of staff does not prove satisfactory, such member of staff will be warned in writing. If after three warnings a fourth offence is committed by the staff, his appointment maybe terminated.

b. Formal Warning in Writing.

35. All employees issued with a third warning have the right to appeal against such warning to the MD/CEO. In this case, a Committee will be set up on the order of the MD to deliberate on the query, response and recommendation, to determine the appropriate disciplinary action or otherwise to be taken.

If it considers it necessary, depending on the gravity of the offence, it may interview some or all the parties concerned including witnesses and take written evidence(s) from them before reaching any decision on the matter. Notwithstanding the above, Management may determine the suitability for retention or otherwise of an employee who has been given written warning on three different occasions.

The following are the provisions under the suspension rule of the Company:

a. Where a staff is accused of serious misconduct, he may be suspended from work until the case has been fully investigated and decided upon. All cases of suspension will be treated with dispatch.

36. Suspension.

b. Any staff on suspension will be on half pay

c. If a staff that has been on suspension with half pay is finally dismissed as a result of the offence for which he was suspended, he will not be entitled to receive the balance of half pay during the period of suspension. But if he is reinstated, the period of suspension will be paid in full

d. A staff under suspension shall be required to hand over any Account Books and Records, Keys and any other property of the Company in his charge to any such person as the Managing Director shall order and he shall be forbidden from carrying out his duties and from visiting his place of work except with the express permission of the Managing Director.

Any member of staff who absents himself from duty for a period of two consecutive days without official permission renders himself liable to dismissal. The onus will rest on him to show that the circumstances warranted that he absented himself in the manner he did.

37.Absence from Duty without official Permission.

Termination of appointment may be effected at any time by either party giving to the other the required notice in writing of the period of notice as specified in the employee‘s letter of employment or pay cash in lieu of such period.

38. Termination of appointment.

A staff may be summarily dismissed from the service of the Company on the ground of incompetence, gross negligence, misconduct or disobedience, which makes his continued employment prejudicial to the proper working of the Company. The areas of misdemeanors covered here include the following:

39. Summary Dismissal

a. Willful insubordination or disobedience, to lawful instructions by any authority lawfully placed by the Company or of any provision of the regulation laid down by the Company;

b. Theft, fraud or dishonesty in connection with Company properties. Any employee guilty of these offences may also be liable to prosecution, in addition to summary dismissal;

c. Drunkenness;d. Use of abusive or insultive

language;e. Demanding money or other

materials from Providers/Enrollees and other persons connected with the Company;

f. Fighting and assault, or engaging in riotous disorder or immoral behaviors during working hours, or on the Company’s premises or within its precincts;

g. Bribery and corruption or where an employee behaves in a way calculated to have corruptible influence on others;

h. Disclosure of confidential Company information.

40. The following are the actions to be taken against an erring member of staff:

a. Oral warning b. Written warning c. Reprimand d. Surcharge

e. Suspensionf. Deferment of Incrementg. Termination of Appointment

h. Dismissal 

41. In order to protect employees and Company properties, procedures have been established before an employee could gain access into the Company before and after business hours and on non-working days. These procedures include;

ACCESS TO THE COMPANY’S PREMISES

a. Authorization by an officer not below the level of a Manager

b. The Head of Department will inform the Chief Security Officer (CSO)

c. The CSO will inform the Security guards at the gate

d. The requesting Officer will fill the necessary information in the documentation notebook at the point of entering and exiting the office premises.

42. Under no circumstances should non-employees be admitted to the Company before or after business hours, unless authorized by an officer not below the level of a Manager.

NOTE

43. A comparative analysis of some provisions in the DHML Rules and Regulations with those of two related Organizations revealed as follows;

Xx U.N.O United Nations Organisation

W.H.O World Health Organisation

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ORGANISATIONAL RULES AND

REGULATIONS

S/N SUBJECT NHIS PREPAID HMO xx W.H.O DHML

1. Headship Executive Secretary Executive Director Director General MD/CEO

2. Staff Probation One Year Six Months One Year Six Months

3. Maternity Leave Sixteen Weeks Twelve Weeks Sixteen Weeks Sixteen Weeks

4. Official Work Hours

8am – 5pm 8am – 5pm(Drivers Close– 7pm)

8 hrs / day Cumulative

8am – 5pm(Except on Fri – 4pm)

5. Staff Retirement 60 yrs of age / 35 yrs of service

55 yrs of age / 20 yrs of service

60, 62 or 65 yrs of age based on yr of employment

60 yrs age / 35 yrs of service

6. Leave Allowance Consolidated 25% of Ann. Basic Salary

1/260 of Annual Basic Salary

Consolidated

7. Status of Organisation

Government Agency Private Company Agency of U.N.O Private Company

8. Annual Leave 30 days – Snr staff21 days – Jnr staffWeekends included

25 days - Mgt staff20 days - Snr staff15 days – Jnr staffWork Days only

2 ½ days / monthOr30 days/ yr for all staffs

30 days – Snr staff21 days – Jnr staffWeekends included

9.Promotion 3 yrs interval for non

executive position3 yrs interval on the job based on performance

May be promoted at any time based on performance

3 yrs interval on the job based on performance

TABLE

44. From the indices in the above table, it is clear that the provisions in the DHML Policy Document are a combination of the provisions in private Organizations, Public Companies and International Organizations.

45. In conclusion therefore, I have attempted to acquaint members of staff on the attributes of good work ethics and its importance within the office premises. I have also drawn the attention of members of staff to some salient features of DHML Rule and Regulation and the punishment that awaits breaches. For a Company like DHML to achieve its goals and objectives, there must be rules and regulations to guide the conduct, attitude and action of its employees.

CONCLUSION

46. The comparison between some DHML rules and regulations and those of similar Organizations was meant to expose us to the workings of similar Organizations and to justify the need for rules of conduct for members of staff as obtained in all civilized Organizations.

47. At the end of the lecture, it is hoped that members of staff would appreciate the spirit behind the establishment of rules and regulations in any Organization and not perceive it as a way to witch-hunt or infringe on their rights to freedom. Employees that refuse to shape into the DHML rules and regulations should be ready to be gradually but surely shipped out.

48. I want to use this opportunity to advise all members of staff to study and understand the DHML Rules and Regulations Handbook and to abide by them because as the saying goes “ignorance is not an excuse”.

49. Thank you.