Is it my job to make the company I work for ethical? I know, I know, there are limits, ramifications, conditions. "Need more input." Fine.
Someone I know is quitting his job because the company he works for has had some ... unethical practices. By "unethical" I'm not intending necessarily illegal, but not ... ethical. Credit is not given to whom credit is due. One person does the work and another person receives the credit. Or perhaps they report that they can do something that is not ... quite ... accurate. You know ... almost, but not ... quite. Maybe they can someday, but at this point in time, well, the reports of their abilities are premature. They're working on it, but not yet. Perhaps they report to their customer that the project is at X point in the process when, in truth, it's something less. I mean, it's okay. The customer isn't pushing or anything. It's just not ... accurate information. And when these things are brought to their attention, they acknowledge them and promise to fix it, but don't. So my friend is quitting. "I've done all I can. Maybe if I quit they'll change."
And I have to ask myself, "Is it my job to make the company I work for ethical?"
I understand that I have to have integrity. And the companies I've worked for over the years have understood that asking me to go along with their little subterfuge won't work. I will tell the truth. So they have kept me away from customers when the truth could damage their position. I know I have a standard of ethics to keep and I make sure that I do.
But I have to ask myself, "Is it my job to make the company I work for ethical?"
How far do I have to go? I suspect that if I decided I was only going to work for completely ethical businesses I'd have an extremely difficult time supporting my family. Every company plays fast and loose with the truth at times -- it seems. Certainly it is some more than others and certainly the effects vary, but the game goes on most everywhere at one time or another. Maybe it's the kind of thing I've mentioned. Maybe it's "Tell them I'm not in." Maybe it's on the scale of an Enron catastrophe. But it's something. Is it my job to make the company I work for ethical?
I don't know. I don't think so. I don't find a biblical calling to corporate holiness. I don't find a biblical command to make commerce ethical. I have a personal responsibility, a personal command to holy living, but I don't find one for making it so for all of those around me. So I don't think so. But it begs the question: Is it my job to make the nation in which I live ethical?
1 comment:
Great question, Stan. When my daughter graduated with her business degree, I bought her a little book on ethics whose author postulated that there is no such thing as business ethics; there's just ethics.
I often pray not only for God's help to do a good job, but also for the company officers to make ethical decisions in dealing with both our suppliers and our customers. As a Christian, I have a duty not only to conduct myself in an ethical fashion, but also to influence others to do the right thing. The best way I know of to do that is to pray for my employers.
Same thing with our country. Paul exhorted us to pray for our leaders, whether they are believers or not. So where we can have a positive influence, I believe we are obligated to do so.
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