Exploring the Depths of Collective Forgiveness: From Historical Atrocities to Corporate Scandals

Welcome to the Vet Staff podcast, the place where veterinary professionals can join me, julie South, in discovering how we can all get our heads screwed on straight, get excited about going to work on Monday mornings and lead less stressful and more fulfilling lives at home and at work. Today, in episode 153, we're marking the eighth and the final installment of our ongoing series where we've been delving into forgiveness at work in the Vet Clinic. This week, we're looking at collective forgiveness, the dynamics of which are totally different to personal forgiveness, although we've already looked at some cultural differences involved under the umbrella of forgiveness. Today, I want to briefly touch on collective forgiveness in countries, at country level, into group and then organizational forgiveness. So, in the business, in a company and in your vet clinic, I especially want to look at the organizational messes that some companies have left in their clinics none of which, I will say, are veterinary clinics and then what it might be like to work for a company during and after such catastrophic events. How would you handle forgiveness when you're working for a company, perhaps a clinic, perhaps your clinic that's apologizing on a major scale and seek forgiveness? What would it be like for you, do you think? Let's first do a quick overview, though, of historical collective wounds that need healing into group forgiveness in countries where truth and reconciliation commissions have been established. And then we'll look at what it might be to work for a business where holding your head up high each day might take a lot of digging deep on your part, where the actions of a few have affected the reputations of the many. The Vet Staff podcast is proudly powered by VetClinicJobscom, the new and innovative global job board reimagining veterinary recruitment, connecting veterinary professionals with clinics that shine online. Vetclinicjobscom is your go-to resource for finding the perfect career opportunities and helping VetClinic's power up their employer branding game. Visit VetClinicJobscom today to find VetClinic's that shine online, so veterinary professionals can find them. Vetclinicjobscom. At the historical collective inter-country wound level, all of which are still felt today at some level or another. We have the Holocaust. This was the systematic genocide of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany during World War II and it remains one of the most significant historical collective wounds ever. The Holocaust's impact is still felt today and efforts for remembrance and education continue worldwide. We have colonialism, which is the legacy of European colonialism in Africa, asia and the Americas, and it includes centuries of exploitation, of forced labour and cultural oppression. Tied in with that, we have slavery and racism. The transatlantic slave trade and the centuries-long oppression of African Americans in the US represent a deep-seated collective wound. It still plays out today. You can open almost any new site today and still read about how racial tensions and inequality are still persisting. Now let's go down one level from country and look at large into group forgiveness, or rather attempts at into group forgiveness. Rwanda. After the 1994 Rwandan genocide where ethnic Hutus killed nearly a million ethnic Tutsis, rwanda started a journey of forgiveness and reconciliation. Grass roots initiatives, community dialogues and justice mechanisms took place and have helped in playing a crucial role in healing that was necessary to take place into group In another part of the world and something I grew up with in London the Troubles in Northern Ireland. A period of huge hatred between the Catholics and Protestants took place in Northern Ireland. It was because of these Troubles in air quotes, troubles that I vowed never to have religion in my life because it just I thought it just brought about conflict. My attitude has since done a 180 on God and religion, but growing up in London it felt like every day there was news about fighting in London Dairy and Belfast. 25 years old this Easter just gone. The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 marked the huge step towards forgiveness, political reconciliation and peace building. Now, depending on your age, you may remember the ethnic cleansing again in air quotes and the disgusting atrocities that took place during the Bosnian War during the 1990s, between 92 and 95. To help heal these wounds, the international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and local reconciliation efforts worked on promoting the intergroup forgiveness required there for peace. In previous episodes I've talked about the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. These also exist in other countries. On the 30th of September each year, canada celebrates National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This was established just a couple of years ago, in June 2021. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was formed to address the historical injustices and the trauma experienced by its indigenous peoples, particularly those due to the residential school system. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Peru was created to investigate human rights abuses and violence that occurred during the internal armed conflict in the 1980s and the 1990s, and then in Sierra Leone. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone played a pivotal role in post-Civil War healing and reconciliation efforts. It documented human rights violations and promoted forgiveness. The Sierra Leone Civil War took place on the 23rd of March 1991 through to the 18th of January in 2002. Lots of years at war. These are some examples of significant intergroup collective wounds that required forgiveness. Now let's have a quick look at some Indigenous forgiveness initiatives that have taken place around the world. In North America there are the Native American Healing to Wellness Courts. In Canada, I've just mentioned the Truth and the Reconciliation Commission. Here in New Zealand we have the Treaty, and in Australia, as at recording this episode, they're getting ready to vote on a referendum, referred to as the voice. On the same day as we go to the polling booths for our general election in New Zealand, australians will be voting yes or no to one single question, and that question reads a proposed law to alter the Constitution to recognise the first peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Tories straight island of voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration? That's the question that Australians will be answering yes or no to in their referendum in a couple of weeks. In North America, many institutions and organisations have adopted the practice of Indigenous land acknowledgements. These recognise the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples and their ongoing connection to the land. While not forgiveness initiatives in themselves, they are a step towards acknowledging historical injustices and promoting awareness and respect At the same time. In many Indigenous communities across North America, traditional practices such as healing circles and talking circles are used to facilitate communication, forgiveness and reconciliation. These circles provide safe spaces for individuals to share their experiences and feelings, to seek forgiveness and work towards healing together as a community. Of course, even while all of these initiatives are taking place, the journey ahead is still long and it's still winding. There's a need for systemic change. I don't think anybody doubts that. Anybody questions that the restoration of Indigenous rights and continued efforts are required to strengthen the relationships between Indigenous peoples and governments. Now let's look at what it might be like to work for an organisation that's screwed up in such a huge and catastrophic way that it needs to apologise and seek forgiveness, such that it affects all who work there, not just someone who made a mistake on a production line or at board level, but every single employee, everyone. What would that be like? We don't have to go back too far in history to find examples of apologies that occurred for ethical violations, mistakes and or controversies. Just last decade, in 2010, there's the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Bp British Petroleum issued a public apology and established a 20 billion B capital B 20 billion fund for victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. You may remember, the spill resulted in environmental devastation and economic losses for Gulf Coast communities. What about Toyota's unintended acceleration issues? Toyota issued multiple apologies for safety issues related to an unintended acceleration of their vehicles or in their vehicles. They initiated a massive vehicle recall and worked to rebuild customer trust. In 2009, a 9-11 call reported a car's stuck accelerator which led to a fatal crash. This led to revelations about unintended accelerations in Toyotas, causing an estimated 90 deaths. Over five years. Toyota recalled millions of vehicles and faced allegations of hiding information, eventually paying 1.2 billion in 2014 to avoid prosecution. Two theories were proposed software malfunctions or problematic floor mats. However, a 2011 Department of Transportation investigation showed floor mats were a minor factor. The primary cause, it looks, was human error, with many drivers mistaking the accelerator for the break. Media focus remained on Toyota's cover-up, though, and floor mats, rather than educating drivers about potential pedal confusion. I'm sure you remember the Facebook Cambridge Analytica data scandal of a few years ago, back in 2018. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized for the mishandling of user data. The company implemented changes to improve data privacy and security. Despite Zuckerberg saying data privacy and security was improved, I'm not sure many people actually believed him, do you? I'm not sure that I do. Even today, I'm not sure that I do. Do you remember the unauthorized accounts scandal in 2016 by the American bank Wells Fargo? The bank apologized for creating millions of unauthorized bank and credit card accounts on behalf of customers without their knowledge. The bank faced regulatory penalties and it initiated reforms. Do we trust banks anymore now than we did then? We've had sweatshop allegations being rife in the fashion industry kicked off, with Nike in the 1990s being accused of using sweatshop labor to produce its shoes and clothing. Nike subsequently issued apologies and made efforts to improve working conditions in its overseas factories. How about Voxvagen installing software in its diesel cars as an attempt to cheat emission tests. Do you remember that it was just eight years ago, 2015. That scandal led to regulatory fines and recalls. A couple of years later, in 2018, starbucks closed thousands of stores for a day to hold racial bias training for employees there, an incident involving the wrongful arrest of two African American customers at one of its stores. Starbucks publicly apologized for the incident. How would you feel if you worked for one of those companies? Would you resign? Would you be able to forgive the perpetrator or the perpetrators? What if you were a minimum-waged employee who lived payday to payday, like some of our vet nurses? You needed that job and that company for you and your family's survival. What would that be like? Those are some incidences that have occurred. Now let's look at what companies organizations can do to apologize hopefully sincerely and to seek forgiveness internally. What if one of those events happened at your company and you needed to be part of the apology and then seek forgiveness process? What might you do? What could that look like? Well, firstly, there has to be open, transparent and 100% honest internal communications. Those with the employees and it's crucial Employees need to know what's going on what action is being taken and the steps towards resolution. Acknowledgement needs to happen from the very top. The CEO needs to put on their big person knickers and front up. I remember back in 2009 when an Air New Zealand Airbus 320 on a handover flight crashed off the coast of Pépignon in France. At the time, alan, my husband, was an Air New Zealand captain. Although Alan's a domestic turboprop pilot, he's not a long haul pilot like the ones who lost their lives. It was still one of his own. That went down. To put that in perspective for you listening here, it would be like an equine veterinarian or veterinary nurse and a companion animal vet or vet nurse, both of the same professions but in different fields and different specializations. Still one of your own, rob Five. Getting back to the Air New Zealand A320 crash, rob Five was a great leader and one that I have a lot of respect and time for. He had empathy and bucket loads. There were five Kiwis and two Germans on board that A320 at the time. Rob Five went to France with one goal in mind, and here's what he said, I quote I've got one goal and we'll do our very best to achieve it, and that's to bring our team members and our loved ones home to their families. That's what he said, and he said he would stay until the recovery efforts had been exhausted. Another thing companies can do to help with organizational wide forgiveness is offer EAP employee support programs to help your employees cope with the stress and the emotional impact of the crisis. Of course, hopefully, it goes without saying that there will be greater emphasis on ethics training where appropriate, although it's not always ethics that might be compromised in a crisis like with the Air New Zealand or Perpignan crisis or disaster, but in many it is. It's where companies have an all focus on improving the bottom line at all costs when it involves human and environmental compromises. Companies also need to create and provide channels for employees to be heard and listened to. Employees need to be able to ask questions, to get answers honest answers, to be able to offer solutions, to feel as well as part of the solution, to be able to provide feedback. Trust needs to be regained and anxiety levels need to be reduced. Employees need to know that they still matter, genuinely matter. If people pick up that, say, team building exercises or employee appreciation events are just for show, they're not going to work. Forgiveness won't be forthcoming like it was planned for. In a way, companies need to rebuild trust after catastrophic events with their employees, just like couples need to work through, sometimes, infidelity events. They're both the same Loss of trust. In a way, the scale doesn't matter, because the lack of trust still happens at human level, one human at a time. Employees need to know that those who are responsible for the crisis have been held accountable and have taken responsibility. It doesn't undo what happened people aren't condoning what happened but it does enable the forgiveness journey to start. A very recent and fresh example of accountability is the case in New Zealand where the Animal Control Officer employed by the Gisborne District Council catastrophically euthanized the wrong doc. The officer concerned resigned immediately and the council is doing its best to apologize and hopefully put systems in place to ensure that this doesn't happen again. The council has appointed an independent and external investigator to undertake an inquiry into what happened. This is close to home and it's tragic. Imagine how you'd feel if you were an employee of the Gisborne District Council. Forgiveness is required. Getting back to company accountability, employees need to know that actions have been taken against those responsible for the crisis. It's a human condition. We need to know that justice has started and people are being held accountable. I hope it goes without saying that companies then need to ensure that deep-rooted structural or cultural changes have been or are being made to prevent repeat performances. For example, this could include revising policies and procedures, conducting internal audits and or appointing compliance or ethics officers. Sometimes, independent external auditors might be needed and be brought in to ensure that full transparency and accountability is taking place. As you can imagine, forgiveness and rebuilding trust takes time and not all employees may be immediately receptive to these efforts. Some may remain skeptical, disheartened and or disenfranchised. However, when a thorough, genuine and sincere approach to addressing the crisis, coupled with ongoing efforts to maintain transparency and ethical conduct, takes place, restoring trust and forgiveness within a company can happen in time. I hope you've found this series on forgiveness helpful. The feedback I've been getting has been encouraging, so thank you if you're one of those who's told me that you've benefited. I appreciate knowing, because sometimes it does feel like I'm talking into a big vacuum, a big black vacuum of nothingness. You've heard me talk about vet clinic jobs before it's. This shows the Vet Staff Podcasts, shows business partner. Vetclinicjobscom is the website where it's free for all vet clinics worldwide. It's a global site to advertise their staff vacancies for free Yep, absolutely for free. It's been designed by my husband and me to help the good employers shine online and for vets and nurses who are looking for those good employers to have a place to find them. The clinics that, for clinics that want to shine brighter than the Vet Clinic down the road, there are optional extras available at vetclinicjobscom for you to be able to do that. I promise it doesn't break the bank to shine really bright. So please check out vetclinicjobscom and post your clinic's vacancies there if and when you have them. You can do it for free. Thank you for spending the last 20, 25 minutes or so with me, julie South. I really do appreciate your time. If you like this podcast, please think about giving it a review on whichever listening app you use, because that means that the algorithms will help others find it as well. Next week, tune back in. We are changing direction a tad. We're catching up with Lucy Smith, who's an extended disc personality profiling consultant. Tanya from Vetstaff and myself caught up with Lucy a few weeks ago to find out what was so fantastic about personality profiling. Thank you for listening. This is Julie South signing off and inviting you to go out there and be the most fantabulous version of you you can be. Visit vetclinicjobscom today to find vet clinics that shine online so veterinary professionals can find them. Visit vetclinicjobscom.