You've Got to Be Kidding!: How to Keep Your Job Without Losing Your Integrity

Team Loyalty Comes in Good and Bad Flavors, Too

The notion of loyalty, having each other’s backs, forgiving minor failings, and working with the collective good in mind are magic ingredients for any type of team—and a unit of employees is no different. Some of us have had the experience of working in a group in which everyone truly has the best interests of each other and the company at heart. This is a great experience, and an essential feature of the Ethical Office. This type of group does not permit pettiness, gossip, and undercutting, and a sense of goodwill and lightheartedness prevails. People are not afraid to make or admit their mistakes because they know they’ll be treated with dignity. In fact, a team like this is able to transcend individual mistakes and foibles—and isn’t that the point of a team, after all? The sum becomes greater than its parts, and together, we can accomplish amazing things.

The antithesis of this—the antiloyal gang—is fueled by self-interest, pettiness, even backstabbing. Those who embody this approach are overly concerned about self-preservation and, in this environment, Me-First-ism is king: the only loyalty to be found is to me, myself, and I. We see a lot of “monitoring” in this kind of office; instead of a commitment to doing good work and being as supportive as we can to those around us, there’s a group of underminers and judges.

I have been hearing a lot about new types of loyalty dilemmas lately. For example, what do you do when “the team” ...