boss is behaving unethically.

13

Replies

  • mjterp
    mjterp Posts: 650 Member
    (maintain YOUR ethics) and start looking for another job now.

    Personally, I would not compromise my ethical standards for anyone or anything.

    I know what you mean. But please, remind me why : (
    (My mind is obviously clouded now : / )

    Because if the company OR the law is investigating you will be in trouble for being an accomplice...and jail or even no jail...just having that on your record will keep you from working again...
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    I would be looking for another job, but I would stay until I found said job. Because I have bills to pay and can't afford to just up and quit.

    Depends. I would start whatever procedures your field has in place for reporting unethical behavior AND document everything that's going on, regardless. If you don't think that will help you resolve the problem and stay in your current job, do it anyway (maintain YOUR ethics) and start looking for another job now.

    Personally, I would not compromise my ethical standards for anyone or anything.

    ^^ Pretty much sums up my point of view.

    I am currently in a situation where I have been treated by a couple of supervisors in an incredibly unprofessional manner and so I have spoken to the right people thus far and am on track to finding something new.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    Large companies usually have ethics departments that you can contact anonymously. Whistle blower laws are also there to protect you if the actions are outright illegal.
    lice.

    Sadly, these don't always help. My MIL is facing something similar but she would be blowing the whistle on law enforcement. She works in a very corrupt place and is terrified.
  • yanniejannie
    yanniejannie Posts: 1,090 Member
    Document, document, document...........as much as you can remember from past incidents
    dates, names, places, times, who said what, and who else was present..........do the same for all present and future incidents as long as you are employed there.......keep this in a safe place, certainly NOT at work..........and keep it for YEARS after you do leave..........cause if it's illegal at all, you never know when it's gonna rear it's ugy head and bite you on your *kitten*
  • _DaniD_
    _DaniD_ Posts: 2,186 Member
    It really depends on the behavior you're referring to. I really don't care what other people do as long as it doesn't affect me.

    and with that attitude, that's how 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust. . . .

    tumblr_ma9a02JYuB1qaesd9.gif

    Wow you people are all kinds of crazy.
  • michellewong699
    michellewong699 Posts: 98 Member
    In the end you make the call but remember the longer you stay in the situation the more you become part of it.
    I don't have much to say about this since I am a college student who does not have a lot of experience. I've only worked one job, and I loved it.

    But after reading through this thread, I think this is a kernel that should be taken away from it. What everyone else said was great insight as well, but I think that this is what it is at the core. There couldn't have been a simpler and more direct way to say it.
  • jess7386
    jess7386 Posts: 477 Member
    As a lawyer, I couldn't stay if my boss were behaving unethically. Ultimately, that would likely come down on my license as well.

    Without knowing more specifics though it's hard for people to tell you. Usually if your gut tells you something is off it probably is.
    Lawyers are the biggest crooks out there. The profession itself should be unethical. :wink:

    Since I'm practically unethical, I would gather as much evidence as possible and blackmail the crap out of him. :)

    Doubt you'd say that were I representing your child or your mother or father. But to each his own :)
  • ruurik
    ruurik Posts: 143 Member
    Every boss I've ever had has done something illegal. Sadly it's commonplace in the corporate world. If you've been working there long enough to change jobs and have it look ok on your resume, apply for a new job. You'll still see bad things going on but a change is as good as a rest. I wish you well!
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    As a lawyer, I will say that you should get yourself an employment lawyer, pronto.

    That's two attorneys with the same advice!
  • Skernan1644
    Skernan1644 Posts: 20
    I would be looking for another job, but I would stay until I found said job. Because I have bills to pay and can't afford to just up and quit.

    Ditto.
  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
    How illegal is it? How incriminated are you?

    Even if you have bills to pay, jail time isn't worth collecting a paycheck.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    As a lawyer, I will say that you should get yourself an employment lawyer, pronto.

    That's two attorneys with the same advice!

    Make that three, but I'm not giving advice on a website. Let's call it a nudge.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    It really depends on the behavior you're referring to. I really don't care what other people do as long as it doesn't affect me.

    and with that attitude, that's how 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust. . . .

    WHOA.

    And WHOA.

    And also... yeah! That guy who helped the lady next door screaming saved four people from captivity...so I kinda agree even tho this was an incredibly heavy comparison.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    As a lawyer, I will say that you should get yourself an employment lawyer, pronto.

    That's two attorneys with the same advice!

    Make that three, but I'm not giving advice on a website. Let's call it a nudge.

    Oooh. Yeah not "legal advice" as a I'm probably not licensed in the OP's state.

    Good call!

    I meant "advice" in a much more colloquial non-term-of-art way.

    Though I did understand from my PR class that the only legal advice an attorney can give safely is to advise someone to get an attorney ;)
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    As a lawyer, I couldn't stay if my boss were behaving unethically. Ultimately, that would likely come down on my license as well.

    Without knowing more specifics though it's hard for people to tell you. Usually if your gut tells you something is off it probably is.
    Lawyers are the biggest crooks out there. The profession itself should be unethical. :wink:

    Since I'm practically unethical, I would gather as much evidence as possible and blackmail the crap out of him. :)

    Doubt you'd say that were I representing your child or your mother or father. But to each his own :)

    It's been my experience that those that are the loudest about others' unethical behavior are often the ones that need to spend the most time reflecting on their own behavior.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    As a lawyer, I couldn't stay if my boss were behaving unethically. Ultimately, that would likely come down on my license as well.

    Without knowing more specifics though it's hard for people to tell you. Usually if your gut tells you something is off it probably is.
    Lawyers are the biggest crooks out there. The profession itself should be unethical. :wink:

    Since I'm practically unethical, I would gather as much evidence as possible and blackmail the crap out of him. :)

    Doubt you'd say that were I representing your child or your mother or father. But to each his own :)

    It's been my experience that those that are the loudest about others' unethical behavior are often the ones that need to spend the most time reflecting on their own behavior.

    I took the comment as a joke. I mean, does anyone hate lawyers more than other lawyers anyways???? The last thing I want to do after work is hang out with a bunch of lawyers... unless they are lifting weights, listening to heavy metal, and talking about tattoo conventions.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    As a lawyer, I will say that you should get yourself an employment lawyer, pronto.

    That's two attorneys with the same advice!

    Make that three, but I'm not giving advice on a website. Let's call it a nudge.

    Oooh. Yeah not "legal advice" as a I'm probably not licensed in the OP's state.

    Good call!

    I meant "advice" in a much more colloquial non-term-of-art way.

    Though I did understand from my PR class that the only legal advice an attorney can give safely is to advise someone to get an attorney ;)

    It sounds like we may have a professor in common.
  • _DaniD_
    _DaniD_ Posts: 2,186 Member
    It really depends on the behavior you're referring to. I really don't care what other people do as long as it doesn't affect me.

    and with that attitude, that's how 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust. . . .

    WHOA.

    And WHOA.

    And also... yeah! That guy who helped the lady next door screaming saved four people from captivity...so I kinda agree even tho this was an incredibly heavy comparison.

    Of all the comments I posted today, this is the last one I thought I would be defending. My comment is posted under a work related topic, not the Holocaust.

    tumblr_inline_mi5bdtrIuw1qz4rgp.gif
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    "Of course" it affected your fitness? Sounds like you're just looking for a reason to post the question on this site.

    Not everything here is about fitness. Did you see the girl who wants to be asked to Spring Fling?

    Just own it.

    omg-give me a break! Finding it hard just to be nice? Or are you just using this post as an excuse to be your rude self? Geez!
    i said it was fine that it's not about fitness and fine to be honest about that.

    It would be helpful if you could explain how it is rude to state that someone should be honest about their intentions.

    your sarcasm was duly noted-I am not here to argue so have a nice day
  • Skinny_minny_mo
    Skinny_minny_mo Posts: 1,272 Member
    i don't know if this is serious or not, and in what capacity that your boss is behaving unethically, but there are whistleblower laws out there to protect you.

    this.if its that seripus REPORT IT. too often we dont. i reported my boss last year and he was investigated. a whole lot of other crap came out of it and at first i felt guilty. but we have responsibilities to do whats right too.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    It really depends on the behavior you're referring to. I really don't care what other people do as long as it doesn't affect me.

    and with that attitude, that's how 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust. . . .

    WHOA.

    And WHOA.

    And also... yeah! That guy who helped the lady next door screaming saved four people from captivity...so I kinda agree even tho this was an incredibly heavy comparison.

    Of all the comments I posted today, this is the last one I thought I would be defending. My comment is posted under a work related topic, not the Holocaust.

    tumblr_inline_mi5bdtrIuw1qz4rgp.gif

    Um. Thanks for the condescending gif. I agree that it was an unreasonable comparison.... but at the same time, I appreciate a healthy discussion about not being a bystander when something messed up is going down.

    Granted, you don't know me.

    But I spent a large part of yesterday reading and discussing this stuff after those women were rescued by their neighbor:

    http://www.uwlax.edu/faculty/cerbin/ls/PSY Research Lesson Model of Bystander Intervention.htm

    so, can I get some of this:

    oh-alright-by-roy-lichtenstein.gif
  • smaihlee
    smaihlee Posts: 171 Member
    I understand how stuff like this can eat away at you to the point where you can't function normally. I would suggest you spend some time thinking this through and maybe even mapping out your scenarios on paper. Do you have access to an EAP or mental health providers through your company? If so, I would call the EAP to see if they can set you up with a counselor or therapist for a few sessions so you can talk through this. I've used my company's EAP several times over the years when I was going through difficult life scenarios and found the guidance of counselors to be especially helpful.

    I left my first job because I had an unethical manager. His actions weren't necessarily things that could impact lives, but it was stuff that completely went against my moral code. I gave him plenty of feedback to let him know how I felt and gave him the opportunity to change, but he failed me every time and I realized that I was also pretty much disillusioned with the company in general.

    Regardless of how you proceed, let me suggest:

    1) Document everything, but be mindful of how you do this depending on your company's computer usage rules. You don't want to create your own unethical situation where that is concerned!

    2) If you do decide to report, don't expect immediate or decisive action. Waiting for the response can often be the most maddening part of the process. Also, be mindful that you may have to bark up more than one tree to even get a response.

    3) Whether or not you decide to stay with the company depends on a lot of factors, one of the biggest being the impact to your working relationship with others in the organization, should you report your boss. Also, the size of the company and the position your boss holds in the company.

    Good luck!!
  • _DaniD_
    _DaniD_ Posts: 2,186 Member
    It really depends on the behavior you're referring to. I really don't care what other people do as long as it doesn't affect me.

    and with that attitude, that's how 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust. . . .

    WHOA.

    And WHOA.

    And also... yeah! That guy who helped the lady next door screaming saved four people from captivity...so I kinda agree even tho this was an incredibly heavy comparison.

    Of all the comments I posted today, this is the last one I thought I would be defending. My comment is posted under a work related topic, not the Holocaust.

    tumblr_inline_mi5bdtrIuw1qz4rgp.gif

    Um. Thanks for the condescending gif. I agree that it was an unreasonable comparison.... but at the same time, I appreciate a healthy discussion about not being a bystander when something messed up is going down.

    Granted, you don't know me.

    But I spent a large part of yesterday reading and discussing this stuff after those women were rescued by their neighbor:

    http://www.uwlax.edu/faculty/cerbin/ls/PSY Research Lesson Model of Bystander Intervention.htm

    so, can I get some of this:

    oh-alright-by-roy-lichtenstein.gif

    My gif was (clearly) for the person claiming my behavior is the reason for the Holocaust.

    tumblr_me34lqKhQF1ra2t82.gif
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    It really depends on the behavior you're referring to. I really don't care what other people do as long as it doesn't affect me.

    and with that attitude, that's how 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust. . . .

    WHOA.

    And WHOA.

    And also... yeah! That guy who helped the lady next door screaming saved four people from captivity...so I kinda agree even tho this was an incredibly heavy comparison.

    Of all the comments I posted today, this is the last one I thought I would be defending. My comment is posted under a work related topic, not the Holocaust.

    tumblr_inline_mi5bdtrIuw1qz4rgp.gif

    Um. Thanks for the condescending gif. I agree that it was an unreasonable comparison.... but at the same time, I appreciate a healthy discussion about not being a bystander when something messed up is going down.

    Granted, you don't know me.

    But I spent a large part of yesterday reading and discussing this stuff after those women were rescued by their neighbor:

    http://www.uwlax.edu/faculty/cerbin/ls/PSY Research Lesson Model of Bystander Intervention.htm

    so, can I get some of this:

    oh-alright-by-roy-lichtenstein.gif

    My gif was (clearly) for the person claiming my behavior is the reason for the Holocaust.

    tumblr_me34lqKhQF1ra2t82.gif

    LOL ok. I thought you already handed it to him.

    My apologies.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
    I would be looking for another job, but I would stay until I found said job. Because I have bills to pay and can't afford to just up and quit.

    If I thought I could possibly be tied into something illegal I'd quit this second. I'm a financial advisor. Anything like that shows up on your record and you can kiss your career goodbye.
  • Isagenixbody
    Isagenixbody Posts: 16 Member
    I would advise to look for another job. I spent years trying to make a stressful job better. It never got better - only worse. When I finally left (because it was unbearable) - I realized how much of my time and energy it sucked out of me! Don't let anything or anybody steal your energy!
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    I don't bend my ethics for anyone.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
    I have seen a trainee teacher headbut a child in Japan and I shouted at him and told senior teachers, but knew nothing would be done about it. I saw a teacher in the UK try to forcibly open a disabled child's eyes, and after I reported it it never happened in front of me again, but who knows if she continued.

    If others safety were involved I would automatically report it, but some rules end up being broken because otherwise you would put your own business at a disadvantage. In teaching in the UK, thanks to the systems in place, and as most teachers have worked in a number of schools so know how other schools behave, while examining boards tell teachers how to bend their own rules, true 'ethics' would be truly unfair. This is why I would support a return to 100% exam-based assessment.

    So, to be totally ethical I would have to change industry, not just workplace.

    While there is a black and white to these issues, reality (and age, I must admit) blurs them to grey.
  • Ramberta
    Ramberta Posts: 1,312 Member
    It really depends on the behavior you're referring to. I really don't care what other people do as long as it doesn't affect me.

    and with that attitude, that's how 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust. . . .

    tumblr_ma9a02JYuB1qaesd9.gif

    Wow you people are all kinds of crazy.

    Someone's sense of humor isn't on today, clearly!
  • Ramberta
    Ramberta Posts: 1,312 Member
    As a lawyer, I couldn't stay if my boss were behaving unethically. Ultimately, that would likely come down on my license as well.

    Without knowing more specifics though it's hard for people to tell you. Usually if your gut tells you something is off it probably is.
    Lawyers are the biggest crooks out there. The profession itself should be unethical. :wink:

    Since I'm practically unethical, I would gather as much evidence as possible and blackmail the crap out of him. :)

    Doubt you'd say that were I representing your child or your mother or father. But to each his own :)

    It's been my experience that those that are the loudest about others' unethical behavior are often the ones that need to spend the most time reflecting on their own behavior.

    So keeping quiet about (highly probable) illegal activities-- which could get you or other co-workers fired, or worse-- reflects 'good' behavior, as opposed to being a snitch and revealing your alleged issues of character which is 'bad'...? How does that logic work, exactly? I'm a bit confused here.