Cheating

The Dutch and 'sticking to the rules': it doesn't seem to be a good match. We are 'corona tired', but is that also the reason why half of the Dutch people with complaints do not get tested? And that a quarter of the people who test positive continue to go outside? I am curious to see good research that reveals what is causing this behavior. 

Maybe no one in the immediate area died from corona, no one got seriously ill. If so, you may consider the probability of it happening to you to be very small. In engineering there is a formula for this, from Kinney & Wiruth: Risk = Chance x Effect, where 'Chance' is split into probability (W) and exposure factor (B). Possibly fear plays a role, keeping one's head in the sand: 'I don't want to know that I might have corona'. Or shame: 'If I have corona, my environment thinks that I did not follow the corona rules'. 

Dominant people appear to have more trouble following rules. We (including myself among the dominant population) reason: 'Rules are just a nuisance. And entrepreneurship is freedom'. Yet it is not at all wrong to look in the mirror once in a while and ask yourself honestly whether our actions are acceptable. 

The way we as a society deal with the corona rules will not be different on the work floor, I think. How does this affect compliance with internal safety and quality procedures? With the numbers De Jonge presented, combined with some people skills, I consider it very likely that on every work floor, in every company, there are people who do not follow the protocols. Until it comes to light. Until you experience it up close. Until it has direct consequences. 

In the end, it all has to do with integrity and a strong will. A strong will to step over your fear and shame, to overcome your own weaknesses, to not let your dominance take over. Sometimes it's just wise to listen. Considered this way, this pandemic is a wake-up call. Corona holds up a mirror to us. Do you always abide by the rules, or do you secretly cheat?

Pieter Vos
Director Nutrilab