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

Nan DeMars’s Vendor Ethics Audit

Finally, when struggling with these ethical dilemmas, a quick Ethics Audit might be helpful:

• Would I feel uncomfortable explaining my actions to my boss, the CEO, or the media?
• Could others possibly perceive a conflict of interest?
• Could my behavior appear unfair and/or seem to undermine the effectiveness of my work?
• Has my ability to make an impartial and objective decision been compromised or forced to be biased in any way? And the real zinger:
• Would I feel uncomfortable accepting this gift and not giving the giver my business?

If you answered “yes” to any of above questions, then you need to rethink your decision.

Should temptations from vendors influence your purchasing decisions? Of course not. Your professional commitment to do your best for your company is not for sale for any price.

Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn’t blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a [wo]man who won’t cheat, then you know [s]he never will.

—John D. MacDonald, American novelist