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

How to Up the Ante

Step 1: Write yourself a summary of the situation, and share it with your personal attorney (not the company’s). You’ll need this numerous times as you begin “shopping” the dilemma to others who may be interested in helping.

Clearly articulate:

• What is the problem?
• What caused the problem? (And are you absolutely sure?)
• Who is affected?
• Who will be harmed?
• Who will benefit (by solving it)?
• Are someone’s rights involved?
• Who can help?
• What are the alternatives?
• What action needs to be taken?
• How can this problem be avoided in the future?
• Why can’t I and/or the company live with this situation?

Step 2: Collect evidence to support your position.

Step 3: Talk to another supervisor, preferably someone at or about your boss’s level, or someone else with more (or different) authority. You are soliciting his or her opinion about the best way to proceed. Talking to someone else has a high probability of wounding your relationship with your boss. Going around him will cause him to worry that you have embarrassed him before others in the company by saying something like, “I’m talking to you because my immediate supervisor won’t or can’t do anything. He therefore must be weak, unethical, afraid to speak up, or all of the above.” You can try to avoid this by presenting the third-party option to your manager first. You may be able to package this as a win-win option by saying something like: “I realize this puts you in an awkward position, and your hands may be tied, even ...