Ask yourself: How can you do what you're doing more efficiently? Your vendors have the same objective as you: to sell their product, be successful in their work, and maybe have some fun while doing it. You bear some of the burden of helping to maintain a safe and healthy workplace for all by following safety and health rules, and by reporting accidents, injuries and unsafe equipment, practices or conditions. They are the foundation of your company culture. But it's there. Practical insights for compliance and ethics professionals and commentary on the intersection of compliance and culture. Lets be friends! If we want to continue to stay ahead of our competition, we must continually change and keep them guessing. Embrace and Drive Change 3. If the trainee does not want to join the company after this process, Zappos offers them $2,000 compensation. To quote Tony Hsieh, "Just because you cant measure the ROI of something doesnt mean you shouldnt do it. Service to Zappos should never be subordinated to personal gain or advantage. http://blogs.zappos.com/blogs/ceo-and-coo-blog/2009/01/03/your-culture-is-your-brand This Code of Conduct applies to all employees and consultants of Zappos.com, Inc. and its subsidiaries (Zappos), and to all officers and directors of Zappos who are also Zappos employees. Hello, Savings. Zappos is a leading online retailer and presents an interesting ethics case as it copes with the challenges of remaining competitive. Further, we dont promote work-life balance in the traditional sense. Zappos also respects the intellectual property of third parties. You may not pay or accept bribes of any type. If you are not prepared to deal with constant change, then you probably are not a good fit for the company. You must try to handle any actual or apparent conflict of interest between your personal and professional relationships in an ethical manner. In any case where you are unsure about the propriety of an event or action, please seek out your supervisor, the director or Vice President of your department or business division, or the Zappos Legal Department for further guidance. Hsieh did not approve of abandoning the customer-centric model that Zappos was founded upon, and decided he must take action. In most companies, new ideas have to be approved by a manager or a chain of managers. Source: Zappos.com, inc. Code of business conduct and ethics That "more" is providing the very best customer service, customer experience, and company culture. Do you view new challenges optimistically? If you are unsure whether a contemplated action might violate any of the antitrust laws, you must review it with the Legal Department prior to implementation. For example, there is nothing improper about having dinner with a vendor when the vendor is in town, even if the vendor visits regularly because there is a legitimate business purpose servedyou are developing a strong relationship with the vendor. We must never lose our sense of urgency in making improvements. This way the company can work around what needs to be done instead of around the people who do it. Yessica Najarro. Zappos has addressed some critical challenges, handling them with agility, strength, and precision. But really, companies should focus on their culture because it matters. There are many stories regarding the remarkable things that Zappos employees have done for their customers. One of the things that makes Zappos different from a lot of other companies is that we value being fun and being a little weird. Zappos was able to keep its unique culture and core values. Gifts include not just material objects, but also favors that go beyond common courtesies usually associated with accepted business practices and that potentially place the recipient under some obligation to any person soliciting or doing business with Zappos. Honesty requires you to be candid with your consumers, business partners and coworkers. Please let your supervisor know of any safety or health concerns so that they can be addressed. How do you encourage more change to be driven from all areas of the organization? By having the freedom to be creative in our solutions, we end up making our own luck. Employees performing services in the United States or other countries governed by at will employment rules should be aware that this Code of Conduct does not alter an employees at-will relationship with Zappos. Accordingly, all political contributions with Zappos funds are coordinated and approved by the Zappos Finance and Legal Departments. Zappos attempts are carried out with good intentions, but implementing this system on 1,500 employees will not be easy and may have some consequences. Despite the fact that these actions are not easy to address and could be extremely costly, Zappos accepted the blame and guaranteed that their customers personal credit card numbers were safe. As a result, employees and managers will not have official job titles. We set and exceed our own high standards, constantly raising the bar for competitors and for ourselves. This means the best leaders are servant-leaders. B. http://tbo.com/news/business/zappos-hacking-could-cause-consumer-problems-later-348177 At Zappos.com, we decided a long time ago that we didnt want our brand to be just about shoes, or clothing, or even online retailing. This list was further narrowed down, and on February 14, 2006, the Core Values were introduced. The brand is just a lagging indicator of the culture. What new relationships can you build throughout your company beyond just the co-workers that you work with on a daily basis? Second, if the company begins to ship products abroad, will they have to abandon their policy of free shipping? Zappos code of ethics is written for employee reference in decision making. Strong relationships allow us to accomplish much more than we would be able to otherwise. Strong, positive relationships that are open and honest are a big part of what differentiates Zappos from most other companies. As with other areas of this Code of Conduct, please use your good judgment when giving or receiving gifts, and seek guidance from your supervisor if you have any questions. Ask yourself: How do you encourage more teamwork? However, Zappos will keep some hierarchy and keep the Big Bosses who set the pay structure. Are you learning something every day? A remaining pioneer of the dot-com boom and now a subsidiary of Amazon, Zappos has thrived and innovated under the leadership of Tony Hsieh, known not only for the selection of products it offers, but also for its customer services standards and social media engagement. Zappos' leadership has succeeded in developing a culture characterized by ethicalness by identifying and integrating core values into the organization, which place great emphasis on the employees' and customers' happiness. Our ten core values are: Looking to implement Design Principles with your team or organisation? At Zappos, we embrace diversity in thoughts, opinions, and backgrounds. To this day, Zappos is still trying to recover from these ethical challenges. It is your responsibility to protect as best you can Zappos assets and ensure their efficient use. Change can and will come from all directions. One of the main perks of working for Zappos are the vast and numerous benefits. Employees receive full medical cover, life insurance, an on-site fitness center, a 40% employee discount, paid volunteer time off, monthly team outings, car pool program and a lot more! We use mistakes as learning opportunities. We are more than just a team though -- we are a family. We know that companies with a strong culture and a higher purpose perform better in the long run. Before making any payments to any foreign government officials or employees, please obtain approval from the Zappos Legal Department. 20092023 - Zappos.com LLC or its affiliates. However, if the vendor tells you to have a night out without the vendor present and submit your receipt for payment, you should decline as that arrangement is akin to a cash gift. A strong culture means lower employee burnout and therefore, lower turnover. Since our humble beginnings, Zappos has been a customer-obsessed company that focuses on delivering a WOW experience. We have designated our CEO, COO, and CFO as our official spokespeople for all matters. Zappo's Design Principles. Over the years, Zappos has taken strides to eliminate the common fates that most companies of our age and size contend with: slowing innovation and evolution, too many management levels, bottle-necked decision making, and disengaged employees. Since adopting Holacracy in 2014, we've evolved how we use self-organization to find ways to layer our culture, core values, and focus of people into the system in a way that works for us. A. http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/markets/zappos-milestone-timeline-2121760 A bribe is defined as giving anything of value, directly or indirectly, to influence an act or someones decision, or inducing such person to use his or her influence. Lets be friends! That's a bit scary, but you can take comfort in knowing that nobody else knows how to do what we're doing either. In order to stay ahead of the competition (or would-be competition), we need to continuously innovate as well as make incremental improvements to our operations, always striving to make ourselves more efficient, always trying to figure out how to do something better. Each has had its own twists and tricks to surprise and delight partygoers. Wouldn't you rather be a company where your employees easily combine their full self into everything they do? Great culture leads to employee happiness. s. Truebut the happiness hippie is a major factor in ethical decision making. Instead, the best team members are those that strive to create harmony with each other and whoever else they interact with. This self-inflicted evolution can lead to positive growth and a more forward-facing structure that is built for the future, but it can also be destructive to a corporate culture that people rely on for consistency and security. This vision led Zappos to deliver happiness through the four Cs: Commerce, Customer Service, Company Culture, Community. The company offers free shipping, a 365-day return policy and 24/7 over the phone assistance. In addition, you must remain alert to the many other ways in which outside business relationships, other professional or consulting activities for compensation, including directorships, and other activities might give rise to other conflicts of interest. You can set values and identify the behaviors that you want to be the core of your culture. How can you improve those relationships? It is important to consider how these two principles are embodied in the actions of others. And that's where we're breaking new ground. You may make legal personal contributions, but you may not represent that youre making any such contribution on Zappos behalf. Is Zappos's supply chain ethical? Our culture would not be what it is today without Zapponians past and present. The program promotes environmental awareness through outlets including cleaner water, recycling, reusable packaging, air quality, and energy conservation. We may not be able to answer these questions with certainty, but we do know that human resource practices will be crucial in meeting these challenges. Zappos is an effective learning organization because they establish from the first day a commitment to learning. When in doubt, imagine that your conduct or the words you are using will be fully disclosed in the media with all details, including your name and picture. The current board of directors did not want the company to focus on their clients but to shift focus exclusively to product sales. mariaquintana, Monday 2 June 2014, by Alysia Echevarria, This was a hard decision as the company cherished every employee. The hard part, is committing to the values once they are set. A companys culture and a companys brand are really just two sides of the same coin. Paradoxically, one way leaders try to retain relevance and stay appealing to both customers and employees is to embrace change. Sometimes, it's the little things that make the biggest difference. Work can be fun! Price fixing, customer and market allocations, bid rigging and other arrangements with competitors that are unlawful must be avoided, and you may never exchange sensitive business information with competitors. Humbly speaking, creating a positive, productive culture is our bread and butter. Instead, we carry ourselves with a quiet confidence, because we believe that in the long run our character will speak for itself. At Zappos.com, our purpose is simple: to live and deliver WOW. This means that our work is never done. Significant others include persons living in a spousal relationship (including same sex) or familial fashion with the employee or consultant. We can all take great pride in the many wonderful things that Zappos stands for, and as long as everyone remains committed to the values that make us special, Zappos will never be just another company. Something unique that Zappos does is allow brand representatives access to all the same sales and inventory information on their products that Zappos has. We'd love to learn more about your shopping experiences on Zappos.com and how we can improve! Examples of such behavior include derogatory comments based on racial or ethnic characteristics and unwelcome sexual advances. Established companies seek to retain their footing or get a leg up on their competitors, both for customers and for employees, by reimagining management in unusual and often highly-conceptualized ways. Our company culture is what makes us successful, and in our culture we celebrate and embrace our diversity and each person's individuality. The thinking often goes that fixing things before they are broken is better than turning up one day and realizing suddenly nothing works. But it can also at times feel risky, stressful, and confusing. http://about.zappos.com/our-unique-culture/zappos-core-values Our philosophy at Zappos is to WOW with service and experience, not with anything that relates directly to monetary compensation (for example, we don't offer blanket discounts or promotions to customers).We seek to WOW our customers, our co-workers, our vendors, our partners, and in the long run, our investors. Confidential information may include, for example, information about Zappos strategy, plans, customers, suppliers, financial statements, credit card information, contracts, capitalization, proposed acquisitions or divestitures, as well as confidential information about other companies with which we do business. This abstract system eliminates managers and much of the corporate hierarchy in favour of esoteric, philosophical concepts and flat, self-directed leadership. Up to 60% off select boots, sneakers & outerwear. Like all enduring enterprises, Zappos faces the challenge of reinventing itself to strive for longevity and sustainability. And for anyone we bring on board, the best expertise they can bring is expertise at learning and adapting and figuring new things out -- helping the company grow, and in the process they will also be growing themselves. Your culture doesn't stay the same, it will continue to evolve. At Zappos, we think it's important for people and the company as a whole to be bold and daring (but not reckless). http://about.zappos.com/jobs/why-work-zappos/our-benefits A conflict of interest exists when your private interests interferes in any way or competes with Zappos interests. As we continue to grow, we strive to ensure that our culture remains alive and well. We believe that no matter what happens, we should always be respectful of everyone. However, Zappos has not limited itself to just selling shoes. 20092023 - Zappos.com LLC or its affiliates. The use of illegal drugs in the work place will not be tolerated. The giving of gifts to government employees, even gifts of low value, is highly regulated and in many cases prohibited. The efforts of Zappos to reinvent itself as a flatter, evolved organization with far-out corporate-speak structures, ambitious manifestos, and abstract solutions to common sources of modern employee dissatisfaction are interesting to study but challenging to implement. That Confidentiality Agreement remains in effect for as long as you are employed by Zappos and after you leave. Ask yourself: How much do people enjoy working with you? Principles help inform and influence values. Is there a sense of adventure and creativity in the work that you do? Values are more than just words, they're a way of life. Zappos has addressed some critical challenges, handling them with agility, strength, and precision. These modern visions of management seek to enfranchise the individual. Violence and threatening behavior are not permitted. Zappos Insights was established as a supplementary support for customers who want to learn more about their business practices. Every company has a unique culture that's all their own. These values guide everything we do, including how we interact with our employees, how we interact with our customers and community, and how we interact with our vendors and business partners. It exemplifies the honest and ethical values the company has built. And in our culture, we celebrate and embrace our diversity and each persons individuality. Are you afraid of making mistakes? The best leaders are those that lead by example and are both team followers as well as team leaders. Another challenge that Zappos faces in upcoming years is . You must not provide any false or incomplete information to the accounting department. It is real. At Zappos, we think it's important for employees to grow both personally and professionally. We value passion, determination, perseverance, and the sense of urgency. All rights reserved. As a company that uses a self-managed organizational structure, we encourage Zapponians to identify areas of opportunity within the organization and propose solutions. Part of being in a growing company is that change is constant. You must maintain the confidentiality of information Zappos, Amazon, and our business partners (e.g., vendors, customers, service providers) entrust to you, except where disclosure is clearly authorized or legally mandated. At Zappos, our 10 Core Values are more than just words. Zappos distinctive features and organization lies in their devotion to employees and customers. 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