In dealing and coming to terms with unethical job situations foisted on you by management ,”the system” and communicated down the line of command to you directly by your jerk boss there are at least four possibilities.
First is to sell out. That is to what the job requires and not to allow ethical questions to interfere with your work
The second path is to compromise. That is do what you can to be a good influence, even when you have to put up with some good things.
Third you can try and attempt to negotiate. That is work within an imperfect system , but use the opportunity to dialog with supervisors when necessary to avoid personal involvement in the wrong doing
Lastly it is always within your realm to “quit”. You are not married to your job , so to speak, you are not working in a nazi death camp or in the soviet gulag where the slightest infraction or rejection of authority will lead to dire consequences or even death. Quit that job , if you wish.
Janet was a telemarketer. She more than believed in her product. However she did not the sales pitch. It was no better than the “Man eating chicken” at the circus in which the people who paid for a ticket got to see a man sitting at a table eating ( or turning in his mouth) , a piece of fried chicken.
Although the product was a reliable and tested product the sales pitch was not credible in any way.
Indeed it was a downright lie, Her boss and trainer told her that it was all for the customer’s good. Once they bought they product their lives would be changed for the better. After all the boss said – ” Whats a little white lie” and ” remember your comissions”.
Janet continued to sell the product. She sold it on its real and truthful merits. It was all very strange and not normal to her. It was as if the manager lived to lie and tell tales.
Amazingly though the manager was correct to some degree. People , or at least the potential customers on other side of the phone , loved to hear tales, and it was as if they wanted to hear downright lies. Janet thought to herself ” I guess the manager is correct in a means. He has been around this firm and this industry too long that he has taken for granted as real , what is in essence not real ,right and is in a true sense pathological”.
Janet decided to quit this job and take her talents , morals and work ethics elsewhere. In the end she thought that this is a good thing. I discovered early how seductive the income , job and industry is to my personal integrity and morals.
In a workplace setting you will at one point or another come across these various forms of pathological management styles and procedures.The behavior may come alone or several types may come together in one boss or manager.Be forewarned and prepared to anticipate and deal with these pathological behaviors.
The Control Freak micromanages every move you make.Often comes down to managing every paperclip you have wish to purchase.It shows an insecure person who often has to be in control of everyone and everything.It simply comes down to a lack of trust and a need to control.Most alcoholics are control freaks – who unable to control their world and surroundings turned to alcohol.
In life you ultimately learn that you have very little control over anybody and most events and roll with the punches.These types are unable or unwilling to learn this simple message.
How do you deal with control freaks?Simply give them things to do.Emails, reports, requests etc.Keep them busy and as well from anyone important whom they might aggravate and cause you trouble.The amazing part about control freaks is that they really think that they are being helpful in life.Control freaks often cause great trouble – all while working on the efficiency and effectiveness role.
Janet was an experienced telemarketer who hated her stupid incompetent boss and alleged manager. However she did believe in the product that she was selling, although not in the canned sales pitch , that the legal department of the firm demanded she utilize on each and every call. “We are all marching to the same drum…..blah..blah .blah. This way marketing can measure the effect of the sales presentation and adjust it for both performance and nuance.” Janet knew that the people in marketing were even more foolish and stupid than her boss. However she also knew that sales managers and their offshoot – ad broadcast sales managers a.k.a. marketers also liked to take credit for any good results while blaming bad results in predecessors or unknown market influences ( which must be studied over time and many drinks of scotch and late lunches).
Janet blissfully ignored the sales pitch. Indeed she used her own , instead of the canned sales pitch. Indeed her introduction ( intro) of most calls was to ask the caller who answered the telephone. “How are you ? How Are you doing ?” The person who answered the phone would genuinely believe that the caller knew them personally and in corrolary could never be a telemarketer to ignore or deny a conversation.
As a result Janet had the best numbers on the planet , or at least on the sales floor. Marketing and sales decided that it was best to leave a good thing alone . They took all credit for the high sales. Janet was able to have her cake, not give into her boss and still know that he was an idiot who was wrong , yet again.
Marlene is an editor. The publisher that she works for decided to put out a book to support a cause that Marlene found not to her liking. In fact questionable. Marlene was assigned the task of editing the project -making it as polished and persuasive as possible. She began the work but in the process became ever more skeptical about the process and concepts as a whole. Marlene that that the author was distorting facts to make the case stronger than it was. The idiots upstairs at head office had been hoodwinked.
Marlene accepted the principle that the books that she edited did not have to fully reflect her personal convictions. And yet she was being told to sway her personal convictions for some jerk boss. Who needs this she thought ? Helping to publish false information and disseminate such was just plain wrong. This was entirely different than the concepts of free speech and open mindness. It was just plain wrong to be involved with the making and spread of propoganda . The Devil’s work.
After expressing her well thought out views and arguments which expressed Marlene’s opposition to the head office doctrines Marlene was ignored.
Marlene could of quit her job – but that would of given her jerk boss pleasure and he would just pad the position with one of yes man. Marlene stood the project and turned out a book project below her standards. This was just revenge.
John was a worker whose job involved bricklaying. John as a worker had always prided himself on the exceptional quality of his work – even in spite of a mean and stupid boss and overseer. When competition in the building trades become exceptionally keen, John’s boss and manager began putting on more pressure to produce – regardless of the quality of the output – or the benefit or loss to the firm . “I am the boss, I am the manager ” was the refrain. “Cannot you do as you are told” etc etc etc. Short sited to say the least.
The only way John could meet these work and management demands for speed was to cut corners – and product as well as customer service quality. That was to mortar the bricks on the job in such a way that although the job looked good initially, it would not stand up over the years. So much for another 9- 11.
The other workers seemed willing to go along with the boss’s demands. John , the outstanding worker , knew that he would have to produce or lose his job. “Go with the flow” was the refrain. “Stupid idiot boss” was the other. John agonized over what to do. Working for another builder or construction firm would not help , all in the industry were cutting corners to save costs to stay competitive – to remain in the ball game. He decided to increase his productivity while maintaining his quality as well as personal honor and integrity. This caused him to work under extreme stress, and he still came out in at the low end of acceptable work output levels.
John wondered whether he should compromise his standards in order to keep working at his trade. As wrong as it seemed, it was better than letting his family go on welfare and social assistance – wasn’t it ? Only one other option came to mind – he would start his own business – be his own boss – report to customers with levels of quality not of high levels of production with shoddy , low quality workmanship.
John has never looked back. Things have never been better since that decision was taken
Stupid idiots.
And you wonder why North America is having trouble.