Bad Company: How to Deal with an Unethical Boss

You have been told by your boss that due to his error, the company is at risk, and you must create a false paper trail to protect the company (and him) from legal action. What do you do?

This is just one of the many true stories told to Nan Demars, author of You Want Me to Do What: When, Where and How to Draw the Line at Work. The decision to take an action that most consider unethical is certainly difficult. And to have it thrust upon you by your boss places added pressure to choose between going along or going home.

In the aforementioned example, the administrative assistant could not afford to lose her job and chose to lie for her boss. Unfortunately, the decision not only caused her continuous mental anguish, it also destroyed her relationship with her boss since their trust was lost. She eventually transferred to another department.

The "little white lies" that people often tell - for instance, "Sorry, my boss isn't available to take this call" - seem to be rather commonplace. In fact, according to the 1995 Office Ethics Survey, more than 88 percent of administrative support professionals regularly tell them. But what if your boss asked you to do something that was really out of bounds?

The Importance of Workplace Ethics

Consider this: What if an employee added an extra 15 or 30 minutes to his timecard each day in order to be paid for overtime he did not work? Not very ethical. Now, what if every employee did that every day? How much money would the company lose?

According to Demars, "Consider what your job would be like without ethics. Lies, duplicity, theft, illicit behavior - is this the kind of corporate culture that attracts customers? Retains superior employees? Builds profits?

Ethics are important to all of us because we are accountable for our personal behavior and performance, regardless of our position on the office hierarchy. In some circles, this kind of personal accountability is the mark of a true professional."

Ensuring Workplace Ethics

If you find yourself personally faced with an ethical dilemma, experts suggest you ask the following five questions:

• Is it legal?
• Is it balanced and fair to all concerned?
• Would I want to be treated this way?
• Will I feel good about my decision?
• Am I safe if others know what I decided?

If you answer "yes" to these questions, then you are likely making an ethical decision. But what if the problem is with your boss's decisions or actions?

Experts suggest that if you become aware of your boss's unethical behavior, you should find out if there are any others who know. Building a support group makes it much easier to approach a senior manager for assistance. Next, be sure to have documentation and proof - you don't want to accuse someone wrongly. Plus, experts say, it makes your case stronger. Finally, be prepared to move on. Either because things won't change or because that is the better course of action than pointing fingers.

Workplace ethics is everyone's responsibility. Not just from the standpoint of your own personal behavior, which is obviously important, but from the standpoint of knowing the behavior of those around you, too. If your boss is acting unethically or committing crimes, do you really want to be associated with this person? People will judge you more on your actions than they ever would on your clothes. And while you can change both of these, the only way to change your boss may be to find a new one.