Leaving job for moral and other reasons

[royal_archer]

I have been working with a group of individuals with little moral integrity. (I have posted previously about my boss asking all his direct reports to wear feminine attire for cancer awareness.) There are a few people who are specifically immoral and a larger number of people who have been in the environment so long they have become numb to the situation. They are not doing anything blatantly illegal to the level that authorities will take action. Most of the problems are just being decieptfull such as not telling the whole truth, taking credit for other peoples work, and generally putting the customer and company second to their own personal agendas (not acting in good faith). I have also noted that the problems seem to be confined to this one division which is functionaly and geographically separated from the rest of the company. I have accepted a possition in another part of the company where I know and respect a lot of the people. Monday will be the start of the final week at this group.

I have reported issues through HR in the past but they don’t seem to care as long as the law is being followed and none of the “protected groups” is impacted. I was also not willing to push the issues in the past with fear of retribution.

Now that my job situation is more secure, I am torn between the options of raising the issues and just walking away.

As for walking away, two biblical references come to mind. The first: Lott’s wife becoming a pillar of salt. The second: Jesus telling his disciples to shake the dust of towns that reject them from their soles. I also fear that continuing to raise an issue will just get me labled a trouble maker and not change anything.

On the other hand I feel I have a moral obligation to stand up for right vs wrong.

I have considered options from just quietly leaving to contacting the new site manager and “spilling the beans”.

Any thoughts on what I am morally obligated to do?

 

[Tonks40]

Corporate culture in at any business site is hard to change unless it comes specifically from the top echelons of management. Your boss’ behavior reflects that culture, and then there are others who so ingrained in that culture that they accept it as a norm in that business.

Morality can be reflected in the business’ attitudes, but like I said, that more likely than not comes from the top.

Still that does not disable you from trying to change things within. My company can be seen as “morally bankrupt” in many aspects, still that does not deter me from speaking my opinions to others in the company that have the same moral stance that I do.

You can try and find other like-minded people in your company (caution: get to know these people to make sure you see eye-to-eye) and try to speak positively of the aspects you see could uphold moral behavior. Opinions in the workplace, as far as I can see, are not forbidden as long as they don’t violate the protected rights of others.

If conditions at work still aren’t the best for you, I would then suggest find other employment that conform more ideally to your situation. Try and find employment at your local parish or diocese, or at non-profit organizations.

It’s a battle dealing with the immoralities of the secular world. I wish you many blessings, and I hope others can give more advise that I can give.

God Bless.

 

[KingAlfred]

I have been working with a group of individuals with little moral integrity. (I have posted previously about my boss asking all his direct reports to wear feminine attire for cancer awareness.) There are a few people who are specifically immoral and a larger number of people who have been in the environment so long they have become numb to the situation. They are not doing anything blatantly illegal to the level that authorities will take action. Most of the problems are just being decieptfull such as not telling the whole truth, taking credit for other peoples work, and generally putting the customer and company second to their own personal agendas (not acting in good faith). I have also noted that the problems seem to be confined to this one division which is functionaly and geographically separated from the rest of the company. I have accepted a possition in another part of the company where I know and respect a lot of the people. Monday will be the start of the final week at this group.

I have reported issues through HR in the past but they don’t seem to care as long as the law is being followed and none of the “protected groups” is impacted. I was also not willing to push the issues in the past with fear of retribution.

Now that my job situation is more secure, I am torn between the options of raising the issues and just walking away.

As for walking away, two biblical references come to mind. The first: Lott’s wife becoming a pillar of salt. The second: Jesus telling his disciples to shake the dust of towns that reject them from their soles. I also fear that continuing to raise an issue will just get me labled a trouble maker and not change anything.

On the other hand I feel I have a moral obligation to stand up for right vs wrong.

I have considered options from just quietly leaving to contacting the new site manager and “spilling the beans”.

Any thoughts on what I am morally obligated to do?

I once worked for a company that actively committed fraud every month to keep its government contract. It forced its employees to commit fraud on a huge scale, on a regular basis, for the same reason, every single day. The company had PC on its side, as it was/is a famous minority-run social services contractor, one which nobody in government would dare accuse of malfeasance. Nonetheless, we were actively compelled to lie, cheat and steal resources in the meeting of government reporting quotas every single month. I couldn’t take it for long, and quit. I felt as though I could get arrested, convicted and jailed for simply following the Management’s guidance. It was a scary, scary situation.

 

[RebeccaJ]

All the reasons I left the for-profit business world behind. In my experience, these types of behaviors are just part of “doing business”.

I work for a non-profit now, and no, it is not perfect, but thus far I have not experienced the questionable sort of behaviors that I experienced in 25 years of working in the for-profit sector.

That being said, I would imagine that you will find similar where you are, as it is the same company. And at just about any corporation in the US. Nothing is based on what is ethical or moral, it is what can be gotten away with in terms of “keep the lawyers at bay”.

 

[royal_archer]

I have worked with this group before and I do not expect the immoral behavior there. I have had the pleasure of working on a variety of projects and teams. Most of which are very moral and ethical. Unfortunately the more moral the team, the less likely they will be able to stay in business. I have seen more than one good team loose contracts to an immoral competitor.

 

[Qui_Chang]

I work for a high-tech life science company. So far, the company has not engaged in any embryonic stem cell research (although its products can be used to conduct this type of research as well as other types). Because there has been no direct connection with unacceptable research, I remain with the firm. I learn as much as I can about the technologies that our culture is facing so that I can serve to inform others. I resolve to leave one day if my company crosses the line. Regarding your co-workers behavior, I would try to lead by example. As long as the company is not endorsing this behavior, I would remain with the company (as long as I could) to try and lead by example. That being said, remain open to those “escape hatches” the God provides should He want you to go somewhere else. Pray always. Pray to the Saints. Sometimes it seems like they don’t say much, so I just keep on keeping on. Go to Mass. Stay close to the Sacraments. No one is expecting you to be a hero. Many became Saints by the quiet example they led. Don’t ever compromise your Faith. Better to lose your job or the client contract, than to pay for it eternally. We are on this planet for such a short time. Store your treasures in Heaven.
God Bless You.

 

[Writer]

From the OP it’s hard to discern the relative gravity of the immorality being discussed. I work for a governmental agency where these things really aren’t an issue at this time, but I can sympathize. Some of my past jobs put me in contact with some pretty sleazy people–e.g. used car salesmen. Anyway, in my opinion walking away is probably the best choice unless there are laws being broken. It’s one thing for co-workers to have crude discussions in the break room, for instance, but it’s quite another for them to cheat customers, or pay employees cash under the table to avoid payroll tax responsibilities. If it’s just vulgar and disgusting behavior, I’d let it go. If it’s anything more than that, a violation of state or federal law, my opinion is that you have an ethical responsibility to bring it to the attention of the authorities.

One of my early jobs was as a salesman. When I learned that the company I was working for was lying about its products’ list price in order to have more catchy advertisements, I copied all the applicable materials and mailed it to the Better Business Bureau before giving my resignation. I’d suggest that anyone who follows the immoral directions of an employer is as guilty as management. If you know it’s wrong, you don’t do it.

Anyway…those are my two and a half cents.

 

[jblake]

royal archer;:

I have reported issues through HR in the past but they don’t seem to care as long as the law is being followed and none of the

“Hostile Work Environment”.

I also fear that continuing to raise an issue will just get me labeled a trouble maker and not change anything.

Document everything.

Any thoughts on what I am morally obligated to do?

Avoid even the presence of evil.

Economics can be an incredibly strong force in hindering one from doing the right thing.

If your requests for the corporate culture do not change it, then find a new job. Send your letter of resignation to each member of the board of director’s, and then to HR. Make sure that letter explains exactly why you are leaving.

xan

jonathon

 

[royal_archer]

Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)uts. The ordeal is over and after a short vacation I will be getting on with my life in a new job. Coincidnetally my last week at the old job we were all given a survey about what we thought about where we were working. Funny how things seem to work out like that…

However, I am getting a better understanding of what was going through the head of Lott’s wife in Genesis. It is very hard to not look back.