Can the law promote doing the right thing?

Yesterday, the Swiss federal government published a report addressing the responsibilities of companies. The crux of the report is the question of whether the legislator should declare the non-binding global ethics standards as binding for Swiss companies. Here, opinions differ along the well-known lines: On the one hand the voices of business-critical NGOs, which are using every means to gain attention for what they consider right; on the other hand business-friendly representatives for whom any regulation is one too many. I don’t plan to join in their mantra of voluntariness, business’ ability to restrain itself. However, I ask myself to what extent more regulations actually enhance a sense of responsibility in companies. Can the law promote doing the right thing? The so-called fat-cat-initiative that passed last year and going to be a paragraph in the federal constitution provides illustrative material for this – as far as the consequences can already be estimated. 

Good stress management

Currently, we are holding a seminar at the University about stress at the workplace and health promotion in companies. The relevance of this issue is evident not only because of the keen interest of our students, but also due to its presence in daily press. Articles on the subject appear almost weekly on all possible aspects of stress:

- how stressed we are („Burnout Is Everywhere“),

- who is affected by it  ("Exhausted dancers make their point"),

- what personal and economic consequences can be observed („Feeling stressed? It's probably harming your health", "Get a life", "Burnout on the rise: Workplace woes adding up"),

- what can be done against it („Stress in the city: how employers can help"

Interesting blog post by Graham Kenny on the Harvard Business Review Blog on identifying stakeholders in practice!