Yet I have observed a small but rising number of people and companies in the relocation industry that do not follow the generally accepted business principles of behavior and ethical standards established by industry organizations such as the American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA), International Association of Movers (IAM) and Worldwide Employee Relocation Council (ERC).  I am not referring to the unlicensed “Rogue Mover” making news by ripping off consumers and being prosecuted by the FBI (see more at Movingscam.com).  Thankfully, those giving the industry a bad reputation do not last long and hopefully get what they deserve.  The good news is organizations like AMSA have a very aggressive program to improve industry quality (Pro-Mover Program) and initiatives to rid these rogues from the industry. 

Infected Companies

I am referring to a growing list of previously good licensed movers, relocation companies and corporations worldwide that have lost their way because they have been infected. If you see dishonesty, unresponsiveness, bad business decisions and focus on the company before the customer, then your company may have been infected and it could be deadly.  It is rarely talked about publically because of the negative stigma.  It is like a mole on the tip on your nose; everyone knows it is there but refuses to acknowledge it exists.  It is lowering overall customer expectations to unacceptable levels in my opinion.  Too many companies promote “quality service” and publish a Code of Ethics; yet in reality it is only window dressing. Some employees may ignore policy and others may not even know they exist.  One reason for this may be because of the priority by senior management to cut costs & make profit in a poor economy.  Unfortunately, these decisions result in poor service and the relocating family suffering most.  Another reason could be due to lack of exercise; no emphasis on implementing its Code & policies by management.  Bad practices can also be imported into a good company by hiring bad apples from bad companies.  Regardless of the reasons, if the infection exists, it must be cured starting from the top down for a company to succeed and keep customer satisfaction levels high.  Having a written Quality Control Program and Code is not enough.  It takes constant monitoring and must be followed from the CEO to the floor sweeper in every organization.

What Should a Consumer Do?

There are over 8,000 licensed movers in the USA and approximately 38% are members of AMSA.  Internationally, there are 2,000 members of IAM in 165 countries that handle over 50,000 international relocations per year.  In addition, Worldwide ERC has over 12,000 corporate and relocation service industry members in 65 countries focused on the corporate relocation market. Because these organizations insist that their members uphold to high standards of performance & push to improve industry quality through training, certification and government action committees, anyone purchasing relocation services should only consider companies that are active members of these organizations.  They are working to help raise the bar of services provided for relocating families.  Diamond Worldwide is proud to be an active member of all three of all these organizations.

AMSA’s Code of Ethics

AMSA’s Code of Ethics starts with: “We the members…stand united in the sincere beliefs that honest, ethical, efficient and quality services to the public are the ultimate goals of this organization”.  It goes on to say that the membership pledges:  “To be conscious and considerate of consumer needs and to continually promote the progress, fraternity, education and dignity of our industry so that the public will be better served.”  All the above mentioned relocation industry organizations have similar standards, bylaws, Codes of Conduct and strict membership requirements.  Shouldn’t all relocation service providers strive to reach these simple goals?  Unfortunately, this is not the case in the USA, where the industry customer satisfaction ratio hovers in the low 70’s.   I am proud to report that Diamond Worldwide consistently has a rating in the high 90’s and “a cut above the rest”.   

Summary

To fellow relocation service business owners and senior management, I suggest that you publish a “Code of Ethics” that fits your culture and philosophy within your organization.  If you have one already, make sure all your employees have read it, agree with it and adhere to it every day.  Your customers, vendors and peers will all benefit from this critical part of every successful business.  We were all taught as children to:  Be honest, act with integrity, trust your friends and treat everyone with respect.  If you work with Diamond Worldwide Relocation as a customer or vendor, you will be treated like family.   

To learn more about Developing and Managing a Code of Ethics, contact:

Websites:

 The International Business Ethics Institute:   www.business-ethics.org

AMSA:  www.promover.org

IAM:      www.iamovers.org        

ERC:       www.worldwideerc.org

Diamond Worldwide Relocation Contact Info:              

Web Address
www.diamond-worldwide.com

Phone
828-251-9903

E-Mail  

phil@diamond-worldwide.com

Subject Related Books:

Bowie, Norman E., and Patricia H. Werhane.  Management Ethics.  Malden, MA:  Blackwell, 2005

Chryssides, George D., and John H. Kaler.  An Introduction to Business Ethics. Florence , KY.  Thompson, 1993

Subject Related Journal Articles:

King, Hans. “A Global Ethic in an Age of Globilization.”, Business Ethics Quarterly 7:3 (1997); 17-32.

Navran, Frank.”12 Steps to Building a Best Practice Ethics Program”.”   Workforce 76:9 (September 1997): 120-22