Employee handbooks are vital communication resources that guide employees and employers on expected conduct and corresponding actions when regulations are violated. Handbooks are not punitive but are intended to remind employees about improper conduct and get them back to conducting themselves following set rules. According to DeCenzo and Verhulst (2019), a handbook may include the company’s mission, culture, policies, rules, and guidelines that cover forms of harassment, drug use, and social media use. Policies covered in the AIG Employee Handbook and discussed in this report are discipline, social media use, and intimate relationships.
Discipline
Discipline is the most detailed component in the AIG employee handbook. The handbook elaborates what AIG expects from employees and outlines forms of discipline such as personal appearance, conduct with other employees, and conduct with clients. The expected conduct is applicable within and outside AIG premises as every employee is expected to portray a good image of the company while on and off duty. The following sections are part of the guidelines on employees’ discipline and conduct.
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Discriminatory Harassment and Bullying
AIG has a policy guideline that seeks to protect employees from harassment and bullying subjected by fellow workmates at the same level or senior positions. The section on harassment and bullying requires that employees refrain from sexually harassing or bullying others in all forms, including verbal, gesture, written, and physical harassment (American International Group, Inc., n.d.). Provided that an action denigrates or is hostile to another employee, it amounts to a violation of this section and becomes an indiscipline act. The company identifies that these actions are, in most cases, directed to an individual's race, color, gender, sex, religion, nationality, age, marital status, disability, or genetic information. These indiscipline acts also amount to discrimination and go against the company’s mission that commits to doing the right things for people and communities where they work and live (American International Group, Inc., 2020). In summary, this section prohibits actions that create hostility, intimidation, and an offensive work environment to other employees or clients. It also guards against actions that purposefully or unintentionally interfere with other employees’’ work performance or affects their employment opportunities.
Sexual Harassment
The AIG Employee Handbook gives sexual harassment special recognition as misconduct that attracts harsh Corrective Actions. Acts categorized under sexual harassment include unwelcome or unwanted advances and requests for sexual favors from an employee. The requests may be verbal, written, gestures, or any form of communication that can be interpreted to mean sexual advances (American International Group, Inc., n.d.). The handbook explains that victims may identify forms of sexual harassment when their submission or rejection affects their employment status or working conditions. Also, sexual harassment conditions may create offensive, intimidating, and hostile environments that interfere with employees' work environment and performance.
Solicitation and Distribution
According to the AIG Employee Handbook, it amounts to an indiscipline act when one engages in any form of asking for or seeking to obtain objects or services using one’s status as an employee of AIG. Similarly, distributing services or products within and outside AIG premises while using employee status amounts to unauthorized distribution. This section also covers non-AIG employees who solicit or distribute products and services related to those of the company with approval from an AIG employee without official authorization. The handbook elaborates further on this area of indiscipline by singling out company emails, boards, equipment, and resources that must not be used without authorization. However, collections, sales, or distribution of items for non-profit initiatives such as charity is permitted. The charity may target schools, youth clubs, or vulnerable persons in the community. Employees who engage in this form of soliciting and distribution must seek advance approval and conduct the distribution within their working areas and outside their work time. Also, all funds and objects solicited for that purpose must serve the intended purpose and should not be subjected to other personal benefits.
Use Alcohol, Drugs, and Tobacco
At AIG, the use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco is prohibited in the company’s handbook. It is considered misconduct when an employee uses these substances within the company's premises or when conducting company duties outside official AIG premises. Persons who use these substances outside company premises should do so outside official working hours. Using these substances while out of AIG premises and outside working hours is considered a disciplinary issue when the employee is within other AIG resources such as automobiles. However, the AIG allows authorized use of alcohol in events such as holiday parties organized and sponsored by the company (American International Group, Inc., n.d.). Also, AIG has an awareness and counseling program called the AIG Employee Assistance Program, in line with the Drug-Free Workplace Act (DeCenzo & Verhulst, 2019). This program provides counseling and helps employees who seek to terminate addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Criminal Offenses
The AIG Employee Handbook recognizes the need to respect employees’’ privacy outside the company premises and working hours. However, criminal offenses can affect a company's image if they are of considerable magnitude. Therefore, the handbook mentions that due to the negative impression of the company that may arise from crimes committed outside company hours and premises, such crimes may attract Corrective Action in the company.
Theft
The AIG handbook points out that the company has a mandate to create a safe environment by ensuring all employees can be trusted. All forms of theft, including theft of employees’, company’s, and client's property, are disciplinary issues. The handbook defines theft as all forms of unauthorized transfer, use, ad storage of employees', company's, or client's property. Theft covers intellectual property, owned mainly by the company, and personal identity. The handbook lists a non-conclusive list of items whose unauthorized use may amount to theft, including waste materials, personal identification details, software, personal possessions, and company secrets.
Attendance
The AIG Employee Handbook explains that individual contributions are essential in realizing company goals. As such, employees must attend to their workstations and perform their duties to meet these common goals. An individual may be obstructed from achieving this goal through absenteeism and tardiness. Absenteeism and tardiness reduce efficiency and deters individual and team goals. Under this guideline, employees are expected to report to work regularly and timely and refrain from abandoning their workstations earlier than indicated in their terms of employment. According to the handbook, all cases of absenteeism and tardiness should accompany valid and authorized reasons, failure to which they become a disciplinary issue. Despite the validity of authorized incidences of absenteeism and tardiness, the handbook notes that a high rate of these cases adversely affects productivity and may lead to other disciplinary issues related to performance.
Personal Presentation
Failure to follow AIG's dress code is a disciplinary issue because it believes that appearance affects the professional environment and the productivity of those around them. Due to this reason, the company has a set of dress codes and tidiness rules that employees must follow to provide colleagues and clients with a professional environment. The dress code of the company is described as a casual business code. The casual business code is preferred because it is globally accepted and has become the standard dress code for most multinationals. Additionally, the business dress code is comfortable, gives room for multiple personalities, and provides a suitable work environment. Attires prohibited include hats, flip flops, gym attires, shorts, miniskirts, sneakers, stretch pants, revealing attires, and slippers (American International Group, Inc., n.d.). Besides the dress code, employees are expected to show proper body, hair, and mouth tidiness.
Insubordination
AIG is interested in creating a work environment that is productive and respectful. The company achieves this goal by setting guidelines that ensure a harmonious and effective working relationship among employees and their supervisors or managers. When an employee speaks or interacts with their supervisors, managers, or other senior personnel, they are expected to do so with respect. Any communication or interaction that shows disrespect is considered insubordination and indiscipline. Examples of insubordinations include refusal to complete work, purposeful and unreasonable delay in executing duties, cursing, physical or verbal intimidation, loud arguments, and violations of any other set of rules.
Violence and Disruptive Behavior
In its employee handbook, AIG strives to create an environment that is free from threats and acts that disrupt others from executing their duties. The handbook states that employees should not disrupt, impede, or obstruct the productive environment that the company creates for its employees and clients. Activities that employees are expected to refrain from include yelling and excessive noise. The handbook also explains that AIG’s working environment is expected to be free from threats, violence, and intimidation. When employees guard themselves against potential violence or physical threats, they are expected to do so with precautionary and reactionary measures that promote safety for themselves, those around them, and the company’s property.
Social Media
As defined by the handbook, social media broadly refers to websites, applications, and online tools that allow users to interact with each other. The interactions include creating and sharing information, knowledge, opinions, and interests. The social media policy covers internal employees, agents, consultants, representatives, contractors, and contract workers whenever they perform duties for AIG or its affiliates. The company notes that social media may cause adverse effects on its reputation when employees and act in unbecoming ways. The company has restricted access to most social media platforms using its internet and computers. Still, it follows up on private access and use of these sites within its premises and outside work environment or time. When privately accessing social media, employees and the affected stakeholders must avoid disclosing propriety, materials, or confidential information owned by AIG and is considered non-public information. Such information includes trade secrets, clients’ details, and the use of the AIG logo and trademark for private functions or personal gain (American International Group, Inc., n.d.). Harassing other users on social media, threatening, discriminating, and use defamatory language are all prohibited. Violation of other rules such as federal and state laws also amounts to a violation of AIG's Code of Conduct.
Despite the restrictions imposed on the use of social media in private and company space, the handbook has provisions for authorized users that display company information, logo, and trademark. An employee or the affected stakeholders must apply and get approval to become Authorized Communicators. The authorization is initiated by filing a Social Media Authorization Form assessed by relevant authorities before granting permission for authorized use. After the authorization, social media use must be constrained to advertisements and sales for the company's benefit.
Violations of Social Media Policy
Employees who violate the social media policy may receive Corrective Action. The Corrective Action may be a warning or up to termination from AIG. Employees with information about unintended violations caused by themselves or others are encouraged to report such issues to their legal managers. Retaliation to those who willingly disclose such violations is prohibited.
Relationships
Personal Relationships
The AIG Employees Handbook commits to creating and maintaining a work environment free from conflicts of interest and favoritism. The favoritism, as outlined in AIG’s codes, must not be proven to be prohibited. Actual and perceived favoritism are undesired and prohibited. The company policy on relationships identifies areas that may cause actual and perceived favoritism and prohibits them from promoting equity at work. The policy prevents conflicts of interest and favoritism through control of personal relationships. The policy acknowledges the right to privacy but prohibits romantic and sexual relationships among employees. These relationships create platforms that may fuel cases of sexual harassment, conflict of interest, discord, and interference with the productivity of teams and individuals.
Intimate Relationships
Despite the general prohibitions on personal relationships, AIG permits some intimate relationships with reservations. Coworkers may engage in an intimate relationship in their private life provided that neither of the parties involved holds a company position where one reports to the other or where one influences the working of the other. Suppose the provision is fulfilled, an intimate relationship is valid. In that case, the company still has the right to take appropriate actions when there is a potential conflict, actual conflict, or perceived conflict. The company may also take further actions against valid intimate relationships if they adversely impact the work environment at AIG.
Besides the provisions that allow intimate relationships, restrictions are made to all other employees who engage in intimate relationships while occupying positions in the same department or under the same line of influence, such as supervision or management. These intimate relationships are perceived to possess an actual conflict of interest. Undue influence is a high possibility because the senior person in the relationship is in a position that affects the junior's working conditions and performance ratings.
Disclosure of Intimate Relationships
According to the AIG policy, actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest may occur in intimate relationships that are authorized. When the conflict of interest is potential or perceived, the policy mandates the parties involved to disclose their relationship with the human resource department. In such incidences, the human resource department may assess the relationship to determine the impact on the performance of the persons involved and coworkers. If the department determines that the relationship has an actual or potential conflict of interest, the employees involved in the relationship are accorded an opportunity to determine who is to be transferred to a different station as suggested by the human resource department. An ultimatum of 30 days is accorded to such cases. If the period expires before the two employees give a resolution, it is at the discretion of the human resource department to enforce the changes (American International Group, Inc., n.d.). The changes may include transfer or termination. If the transfer is made, further violations may result in severe Corrective Action steps with possible termination of either or both parties.
Corrective Action
AIG is committed to creating a work environment that promotes productivity and eliminates forms of discrimination. The company has a Corrective Action policy that addresses employees’ performance and conducts to get them back to their expected levels. If inappropriate conduct or unproductivity is identified, Corrective Action is initiated to resolve the issue. The plan includes counseling, verbal warning, and written warning. All Corrective Actions issued as a warning are accompanied by a written document filed to track the frequency of similar incidences or improvements on past incidences. The Corrective Actions also identify the next course of action if the employee does not improve in performance or conduct. Issues related to unsatisfactory performance and violation of items on the Code of Conduct such as absenteeism and improper dressing may initiate Corrective Action. AIG’s Corrective Action does not use the progressive corrective steps of a verbal warning, written warning, suspension, and dismissal as outlined by DeCenzo and Verhulst (2019). Instead, the company gives summary dismissal when the misconduct is considered severely damaging to the company.
Helping
Helping is part of the initiatives outlined in the AIG Employee Handbook to assist those who seek to end prohibited behaviors. The handbook discloses the AIG Employee Assistance Program (EAP) existence that assists those addicted to drugs or alcohol (American International Group, Inc., n.d.). The program is confidential and assures privacy to employees who call in to seek help. Also, it encourages this route by ensuring that those who seek help are not subjected to Corrective Action that may lead to other disciplinary actions or termination. However, violation of rules related to alcohol and substance abuse, such as using these substances in the company premises, is not tolerated even after seeking help. Such actions may result in corresponding Corrective Actions.
References
American International Group, Inc. (2020). About us . Retrieved June 20, 2021, from https://www.aig.com/about-us
American International Group, Inc. (n.d.). AIG employee handbook . AIG. https://orgn-aigsan.dmp.aig.com/content/dam/aig/america-canada/us/documents/careers/employee-handbook.pdf
DeCenzo, D. A., & Verhulst, S. L. (2019). Onboarding, training, and developing employees. In Fundamentals of human resource management (13th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
DeCenzo, D. A., & Verhulst, S. L. (2019). Employee rights and discipline. In Fundamentals of human resource management (13th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
