REWARD
Doing the right thing: building a business on authentic values
Richard Rowell ChMCIPP, Founder, Ascend Payroll, shares his key pointers in building a truly authentic business and ‘doing the right thing’
W alk into most businesses or tucked into employee handbooks. ‘Innovation.’ ‘Excellence.’ ‘Integrity.’ They all sound impressive, don't they? But how many of these businesses truly live by these words? After decades in the payroll industry, I've seen too many companies treat their stated today, and you'll quickly spot their values plastered on walls values as mere decoration, or to sound impressive to potential customers, rather than as the backbone of their operations. This disconnect isn't just disappointing – it's a missed opportunity. Words vs. reality We've all seen it. The company that champions sustainability while flying staff across the country for meetings that could have been emails. The service provider proclaiming ‘customer-centricity’, while making it nearly impossible to speak to a human when problems arise. The business that promises to invest in people and development while striving to cut costs through offshoring. These contradictions aren't lost on clients or employees. People notice when actions don't match words. And today, particularly in complex sectors like payroll, authenticity matters more than ever. Doing the right thing, always When launching Ascend Payroll, we wanted an ethos that would genuinely guide every decision, not just sound good in a pitch. We settled on something simple but powerful:
Your values should directly address these real concerns.
Be honest about what you can deliver
If you claim, “we always put clients first”, but your service team is understaffed and overwhelmed, you're setting everyone up for disappointment. Be realistic about what you can actually deliver before making promises. Create simple decision-making frameworks One approach that works well is creating a simple question staff can ask themselves in any situation. For us, we simply ask: "Is this doing the right thing?" Other companies might ask, "What would our ideal customer expect here?" or "How would we want to be treated in this situation?" These straightforward questions cut through complexity, helping teams make consistent decisions. You can also create a persona or even a brand character to help embody your values and make it easier for employees to consider how they would react. Hold leadership accountable first I've seen too many businesses where values are enforced for frontline staff while executives get a pass. This double standard quickly breeds cynicism. As leaders, we must hold ourselves to even higher standards than we expect from our teams. When staff see
"Do the right thing, always." We apply these values with all our stakeholders, summed up in five key pillars: 1. People 2. Clients 3. Partners 4. Community 5. Planet. Simple? Yes. Easy to implement? Not always. But having this clear guiding principle helps us to be consistent and authentic. It’s a framework and a sense check that we find invaluable as the business grows. Making values meaningful For values to be more than empty promises, businesses need to take several practical steps:
Listen to pain points Don't choose values in a boardroom
vacuum. Listen and pay attention to what your people and your customers are actually experiencing. What frustrates them about your industry, your business? What promises have they heard before that weren't kept? In payroll, we repeatedly hear about a lack of transparency, difficulty reaching real people when issues arise and services that fail to adapt to unique business needs.
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | July-August 2025 | Issue 112 34
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