You may have heard this story about a famous social media influencer. One day, he walked into a coffee shop and ordered a latte. When the barista asked for payment, he promptly replied, “I don’t need to pay for this. I’m a social media influencer, and I deserve some freebies. The barista, recovering from his shock, asked, “Sir, do you have a coupon or a promotion that I’m not aware of?” Of course, he had neither of those, proceeding to add: “No, I just expect it. Because I am popular, I’m used to getting free things. Well, let’s just say the barista gave him a reality check special.
An entitlement mentality refers to a belief or attitude that one is inherently deserving of certain privileges or special treatment. It is a misguided belief that one is entitled to certain benefits or privileges from a person or group of persons, or an institution. Several things may produce this mentality but it can also be rooted in cultural practices, expectations, or religious beliefs. For instance, the biblical concept of ‘being your brother’s keeper’ from the story of Cain and Abel implies a duty of care. This may not be universal but in some cultures, it is believed that one must show reasonable care to family members, relatives, and the community or village. In certain African cultures, anyone from your community is considered your brother or sister, and you are expected to care for them, help them, and look out for their interest.
In the context of the compliance programme, an entitlement mentality is a burden on employees and often a source of conflict of interest. The pressure of cultural, family, and religious expectations of care or benefits from employees by relatives, persons from the same community or religious groups imposes an unwritten obligation on employees, which tends to push employees to act contrary to corporate compliance policy and procedure.
The truth is that a person with a strong moral burden of duty of care to any of the identified groups will find it challenging to act objectively in the organisation’s interest whenever issues arise, or any of its close relatives’ interest are at stake. The burden of care often leads people to deliberately act in violation of the conflict-of-interest policy to advance the ambitions of their relatives or community members. This can have serious consequences, as many employees have suffered different types of losses as a result of yielding to the pressure of family or communal expectations. Whilst it is good to help and support families or community members, such help must be done within the ambit of what is within employee control or permissible rules within an organisation.
Employees are encouraged to take the following practical steps to avoid being a victim of the entitlement mentality.
- Know and understand the limits of your abilities or powers to help.
- Understand the conflict-of-interest obligation imposed on you by your organisations.
- Help family members, relatives, and other persons related to you know the limits of your powers and what is permissible or not within your organisation.
- Disclose a conflict of interest as soon as it arises during your work.
- When you need clarification about whether a conflict exists, ask your compliance officer.
- Early disclosure of conflict of interest. This is important because, in some cases, late disclosure may be as good as no disclosure. Disclosure after the fact is not an acceptable disclosure.
- Know that you alone cannot meet all the needs of your family members or community. Therefore, only commit to within your ability to help.
Employees’ vulnerable to breaching conflict of interest policy or being victims of entitlement can be minimized when they do not allow themselves to be pressured into doing what will conflict with the corporate business objectives and conflict of interest policy. Remember, you have the power to control your actions and decisions, and by not succumbing to external pressures, you can maintain your integrity and uphold the company’s values.
