We have long preached that without ethical training, some employees tend to take advantage of any opportunity when no expectations are in place. Contrary to popular opinion perhaps, the tendency for those without ethical training to make bad choices is not necessarily the exclusive domain of “for-profit” companies, but may affect those in nonprofits and governmental agencies at all levels. This article deals with political ethics and what happens when no one seems to be watching the dollars being spent.
The Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is about as altruistic agency as you can get. This is the department charged with helping families in great need cope with financial and social burdens. One would think they would be most sensitive to fiscal responsibility and being good shepherds of taxpayer budgets.
In an article by Sarah Whitten for CNBC.com (December 28, 2015) entitled: “L.A. agency criticized for $153 tape dispenser,” the author explains:
Office supplies are essential for any business, but one government organization is facing a backlash after purchasing $374 headsets and $153 automatic tape dispensers.
The Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is under fire for poor fiscal oversight by county auditors after the organization spent more than $709,000 in 2015 for supplies and equipment, according to the Los Angeles Times.”
The head of DCFS claims that because they spend a lot of money on worker’s compensation claims (an incredible $14 million over the past two years!), they spend a lot of money to keep their office workers happy.
“The department’s spending included outfitting employees with iPhones, ergonomic furniture and dictation technology. In addition, one employee’s request for a $49 doze alert — a device that wakes someone who has dozed off — was approved.”
Also quoted in the article was Aubrey Manual, president of a foster parent association who stated:
“In a time when foster children and foster parents struggle to have their basic needs met, we should be buying solid, cost-effective office equipment — not some of the most expensive stuff on the market. I think it’s appalling that money meant to keep abused and neglected kids safe and improve their lives is instead being wasted on this stuff.”
She has a point, especially when expenditures for office supplies doubled from 2014 to 2015. One would think that office supplies such as tape dispensers would not have become worn out due to overuse in a 12 month period.
Also of interest was the following:
“This isn’t the first time that county auditors have criticized the DCFS’s fiscal practices. Previously, the organization was blamed for the loss of thousands of dollars in bus tokens which had gone missing from an open cabinet that was accessible to the whole office.”
Entitled “Because of What We Do”
Excessive salaries are not the only benchmarks of some “for profit” employees taking advantage of a situation. I have often seen this pattern in nonprofits and semi-governmental boards as well. There is a feeling of entitlement, a feeling of: “Well, we’re working for the common good of families or agriculture or poverty or whatever cause, we should be entitled to some kind of creature comforts.” These examples are when political ethics run afoul of rational thinking.
There is the bureaucratic supposition that as an agency, because the money is there, and paid for by the state or industry or promotional board, that the money must be spent by years end, even if it is on frivolity. The agency loses sight of its purpose and instead, its purpose is often to satisfy a sense of personal creature comfort.
More troubling is a lack of oversight. Unless a hierarchy is in place that oversees how funds are being spent, funds will be spent by those who lack a sense of connectedness to those they are supposed to serve.
Given this culture, it is no wonder that bus tokens were stolen or that headsets were purchased at nearly $400 a pop without someone questioning what was occurring. I am also sorry to say that these excesses are frequently in place in an agency where some employees have been on the job for many years. This is where another fallacious mindset occurs: “So, the state or city won’t give me a huge raise? I’ll show them!”
No matter the root cause for the lack of controls, oversight and fiscal responsibility, it all comes down to ethics. No matter the cause for the fiscal abuse, the purpose of the organization is much more important than the unethical self-indulgence of the employees. No one can justify a $153 automatic tape dispenser any more than excessive funds spent on lavish diners with expensive wine or stealing bus tokens for personal use.
Ethical training must be a part of any employee training, and it must be regularly reinforced. In addition, it cannot be selective, but must be taught to every employee in the organization.
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