Growing up, I liked to bounce a hard rubber baseball off the brick of my parent's house to practice my fielding.
Without a brother or sister to play with, this was entertainment when my friends were not around.
Unfortunately, there was a window just above where I threw the ball. As you may have already guessed, I made a spectacular, but errant, throw to first base and broke the window.
When my father arrived home from work, I explained I did not mean to break the window. While he was sympathetic, I was reminded I shouldn't have been throwing under the window to begin with.
For the next few weeks, the allowance from chores was saved to pay for the broken window. I had learned a valuable lesson about failing to consider the consequences of my acts.
That same lesson applies to the workplace.
Very few of us plan to do something wrong or violate the rules and regulations when we come to work. However, sometimes we engage in acts resulting in unintended consequences, which we should have thought about before we acted.
Let's consider the coworkers who get bored, engaged in a little harmless horseplay or decided to challenge each other to a silly contest. Eventually, the activity gets out of hand. The competition gets heated, leads to harsh words, hurt feelings and soon they are threatening one another.
Both parties have to be separated, security is called and each employee faces discipline for conduct unbecoming.
While neither party wanted this outcome, both failed to consider the consequences of their actions. Unlike the broken window, this unintended consequence could lead to a suspension.
In another scenario, an employee sees some scrap metal in a dumpster. He decides it is simply trash and no one really wants it. He fails to notice the recycling or government property logos on the container.
Without asking permission, he takes it, puts it in his vehicle and heads for the gate. However, security notices the items and ask about their origin.
Once it is determined to be government property, the employee is charged with theft. While the employee may not have intended to do anything wrong, he failed to consider the consequences of his actions. That failure could lead to losing the best job he ever had.
Finally, consider the employee who decides to make sexually explicit comments and jokes in the workplace.
He or she may think no one will mind, that all he or she is doing is being funny and everyone enjoys it.
Once again, the employee has failed to consider the consequences of his or her act of disrespect in the workplace. The consequences of that failure to think ahead can result in adverse actions.
The key point is that there are legitimate reasons we have rules governing our behavior on the installation.
The prohibition of horseplay in the workplace is designed to prevent unintended consequences like physical confrontations and injuries.
The requirement to obtain proper authorization before removing government property, even scrap, is designed to prevent pilferage and reduce our cost of doing business.
The prohibitions against harassment and creating a hostile environment are established to ensure there is a safe and respectful workplace where employees will enjoy coming to work.
So, the next time you want to act on impulse, remember the lesson of the kid who broke the window. Think before you act and consider the consequences of what you are about to do.
Remember, you will be responsible even for your unintended consequences.
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