Working Ethics

Sometimes, when we ask people to talk about the ethics of their work and the pathways they have taken to be where they are, they offer up their best linear moves and memories. Many of our listeners are interested in learning the point-a-to-b directions people follow as well as the google maps they rely on along the way. 

There was a time, we suppose, when telling someone you were a development officer for any organization would have elicited this knowing response, "oh yes, fund-raising." Or when having this position may well have required a spirited defense, including taking out a full page ad in the New York Times to respond to any and all critics: "Why I Am Proud to Be A Development Officer."

When your boss asks you to do something that goes against your own ethics, what do you do? What are the risks if you say yes? Or no?

I work in a huge system that appears to be honestly trying to revamp itself. During a recent evaluation, the boss, who is the evaluater made the statement that no one would be recieving an excellent or outstanding evaluation b/c "there is always room for improvement" In discussing my eval, it was clear that I have 'mastered' the set criteria and do go above standards- seeking new info, treatments, innovative ways to approach as well as taking on ancillary duties and completing extra tasks.

Barton Bund talks with Arborist Jack Richardson, founder and CEO of Guardian Tree Experts. The Ann Arbor tree care company approaches the work from a scientific point of view, helping clients preserve their trees, not just cut them down. The young entrepreneur talks about how he started his business on the right ethical foot, and where he sees it growing. Environmental ethics and business ethics are a constant balancing act, in a town with as many trees as this one.

BY BARCODE 2X, CIVIC ETHICIST

A friend told me a story from work, and I soon realized that it was time to bust out my credentials and step in as a Civic Ethicist. We are still in the midst of figuring out what, exactly, a Civic Ethicist does. But this story helped me understand a little better what my role is in the world. I don't save lives. Or jobs. Not directly, anyhow.

BY SANDY BOTTOMS ON CULTURE

It's out of your jurisdiction. You have the opportunity to do some good. But you are overstepping the bounds. How do you handle justice from where you are?

Take an example from work. If you are aware of a coworker who has violated company policies, should you report it? And why? Is it better to see someone fired, in today's job market?

So you're getting pretty close with your boss. Friendly. You talk quite a bit, and mostly about work. You are starting to discuss other coworkers, including one or two you don't particularly care for. Your boss is pretty open about his/her feelings too. It feels good to get things out in the open, doesn't it?

But have you crossed a line? Should you and your boss really be discussing work issues like this? Who is taking the bigger risk, you or your boss?

By BARCODE 2x

This book is no longer an old folktale. This book is back in its prime. In The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck chronicled the harrowing journey that many Americans took to the West Coast in search of work during the Depression of the 1930s. But what would the Joad family have encountered if they took the journey now?

Local dog groomer, Chelle Kilmury, a partner-in-business at Groom N Go, not only takes care of dogs the right way. She is also an excellent mentor to younger people interested in going into the animal grooming business. We talked with Chelle, and her apprentice, Zeke Askew about the craft and skills involved in grooming the many dog breeds that Ann Arbor area residents have been bringing to the shop for appointments that last the dog's lifetime.