Ethics at Work

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.

There is an ethical issue arising over how students and teachers should communicate online. On social network sites where oftentimes, inappropriate information gets shared publicly, a lot of incriminating things can be said. A student could divulge their partying habits, or their academic dishonesty.

And likewise, a teacher could get caught up in the fun too. When teachers can watch their students' social lives, and students and teachers have a forum to communicate privately after school, what are the dangers?

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?

I am looking for some objective advice.  My wife and I have been close her cousin and his wife.  We were seeing them constantly.  Until a few months ago he was the ethics officer for a large division of a multi-national corporation.  He lived his calling.  He was an ethical family man, close to his daughter and a well respected leader in the extended family.  He was very social and very engaging with many friends.

Seeing pictures of former employees walking with their personal effects (and trade secrets for future use?) boxes out of the revolving doors of the offices of the now bankrupt Lehman Brothers a few weeks ago, I was somehow reminded of the common ethics tool used by employers and many other institutions, known variously as disappearing, gone, out the door, and in the ancient usage: banishment.

Just to jog your memory: the purpose of writing "Ethics Tools" is to offer up some useful ways to approach the pesky and the powerful ethical issues in your working life. So far, we have talked about two tools: stripping away a bad actor's knighthood and conducting a YouTube test before you go live.

Originally submitted by: jadelay

Originally submitted by: jadelay

Originally submitted by: barcode 2x