The Ethical Barometer

A quote from the review panel report, requested by Ohio Governor Miek DeWine, just released on Friday:

“Documented systemic failures at both The Ohio State University and State Medical Board of Ohio prevented any tangible administrative or criminal consequences from ever being taken against Richard Harry Strauss during his lifetime.”

Dr. Strauss abused hundreds of students, and the Ohio State Medical Board took no action. However, the report also finds that Ohio State University employees also failed to take action. The result was that Strauss moved to California, with no warnings from Ohio officials about his medical board investigation, and began operating a clinic there. He committed suicide there in 2005. Because of inaction by too many professionals and administrators, this demon of a doctor was not stopped and was never held to account criminally for his actions.

So far? Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State have all had abuse going on on their campuses. And, perhaps it is a Big 10 thing, but action was either not taken, was insufficient, and/or was delayed. There are layers of lessons to be learned from all three schools and the medical boards.

There is an inherent conflict of interest between travel review sites and the targets of those reviews. Travel review sites depend upon those being reviewed for their revenue. So, when those who pay the site ask that a negative review be removed, well, some do succumb. TripAdvisor will delete negative reviews on, for example, facilities, if the hotel can show that the facilities have been updated or repaired. TripAdvisor does notify the poster that the review is being taken down.

Some companies pay people to write reviews. The online review sites have caught on and are now requesting proof of a stay or meal, depending on hotel or dining reservations. Sometimes the threat of suit causes the removal.

In short, you may not be getting either the most-up-to-date information or authentic reviews. Who knows? However, be aware when using travel sites — some are gaming that system.

The Wall Street Journalconducted a study of Glassdoor’s site. Glassdoor is a site that permits employees (current and former, happy and disgruntled, short- and long-term) to post feedback on their companies. Employers can then respond to that feedback. The WSJ found more than 400 employers with “unusually high single-month increases in positive feedback.” In the positive-surge months, the proportion of positive feedback was different from other months. Sarah E. Needleman, “Glassdoor Operating Chief to be CEO,” Wall Street Journal, August 27, 2019, p. B4.

Christian Sutherland-Wong, just promoted to CEO of Glassdoor from his position as head of operations, believes that there is a problem with employers trying to game the system. He says that “bad actors are always trying to find new ways to get around our system and around our rules.” Suffice it to say that this ops guy is on the case.

There is no limit to the human imagination when it comes to finding way to game measurements. In this case, the gaming was dumb. Just going on the Glassdoor site and loading it up with positive comments was not going to go undetected. The move was hardly shrewd. Beyond the data the WSJ collected, there is the intuitive ability to go on to employer sites and spot the fake posts — themes repeat, praise is over the top, and there is a stark contrast with real employee feedback on specific issues. Spelling and grammatical errors are laced throughout the negative employee feedback.

A word of advice for employers on Glassdoor. Forget gaming the system. Post meaningful responses to what employees say. More importantly, look into the issues that they raise. You can’t manipulate earnings, you can’t manipulate patient queues at the VA, you can’t fake finishes at marathons, you can’t make up new bank accounts, and you can’t pay bribes to get your non-athletic child as a special athlete admit into a top university. The list is much longer, but you get the idea. Sooner or later, someone finds the manipulation. Then you are back to the hard work of getting real earnings, taking care of patients, training for marathons, building customer trust, and studying. Also, the hard work tends to avoid fines, penalties, jail time, and disgrace.

The story of the Flint, Michigan unfolded as follows:
April 2014 – Switch from Detroit to Flint system; no corrosion control testing
May 2014 – complaints from residents about the water
August 2014 – E.coli and coliform bacteria found in the water
October 2014 – GM says it won’t use Flint water because it corrodes its machines (what was it doing to the innards of Flint residents?)_
January 2015 – EPA finds that the water violates federal law
February 2015 – high lead levels– 104 ppb vs. EPA maximum of 15 pbb
April 2015 – Corrosion controls still not added
July 13, 2015 – Flint residents told to relax
August 20, 2015 – Tests excluded lead levels from the sample
September 2015 – Virginia Tech study finds high lead levels
September 24 2015 – High lead levels found in children’s’ blood tests
September 25 2015 – Residents of Flint told to use bottled water
October 16, 2015 – Returned to Detroit system
May 2016 — eight officials charged as part of the investigation into the water switch
September 14, 2016. — Former Michigan official (epidemiologist) enters a no-contest plea to charges of willful neglect of duty by not disclosing dozens of cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the Flint area at the time of the water switch

Now, enter Newark. As it turns out, Senator Cory Booker (Spartacus and former mayor of Newark) was part of the water problem there. In 2013, Mr. Booker staffed the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation, a private-public agency. A 2014 investigative report found that there was “rampant abuse of public funds and scant oversight.” Nick Corasanti, Corey Kilgannon, and John Schwartz, “Newark Idled As Lead Crept Into Its Water,” New York Times, August 25, 2019, p. A1.

Eight people with the agency faced federal charges, and the head of the agency is currently in federal prison. Not to worry, the new mayor of Newark replaced her with a non-engineer (experts deem this type of appointment to be a dangerous mistake because an engineering degree is necessary to understand regulations and system oeprations) with a man who had served four years for selling cocaine. Not to worry though — he had been released from prison when he got the job.

Sure enough, there were problems. By 2016, tests revealed elevated lead levels. So, Newark switched water-testing firms in 2017. No change — same lead levels. The ex-felon head of the agency said the press reports about the lead levels were false, and he won re-election. In June 2018, Newark received its third consecutive notice that its lead level had been above federal limits for 18 months. In December 2018, Newark officials spent $225,000 to hire a public relations firm to manage the water issue.
Might be better to spend the money on reducing the lead.

Here are some safety tips for city and water officials: Do not try to hide water test results. Do withhold water test results. Do not falsify test results. Do not hire alternative testing companies to try for different results. When the state sends a warning on lead levels, good time for action.

One final tip: Read the news about what is happening in other cities — the problems and issues that arise. Then check internally to see if you might have the same problems. When you read about corruption, deception, and falsification by city and state officials, make a note. Do not go down the same path.

New York Times, August 23, 2019. One of those headlines that you never thought you would read. Of course, the Wall Street Journal was more measured, to wit, “Overstock CEO Ends Turbulent Tenure, August 24-25, 2019.