Question of the Day!

I've told many a boss I wouldn't do something illegal or unethical. I don't think 'morals' has every really factored into it, since I prefer to live in the area where I can underpin things with evidence or best practices. Illegal is fairly well defined, and unethical almost always has case law reference to demonstrate the cost of the liability the boss is opening themselves up to.

My bosses learned pretty quick if you're going to pick a fight, I'm coming with a stack of receipts.

That being said, Beholden is correct about grey areas. In my line of (previous) work, there are plenty of ways to work within the system that I don't necessarily like, but are neither illegal nor proven via case law to be unethical. Which means, by choice of vocation, it was my job to do them.

It is highly unlikely I'd still be doing what I did this many years later. I was really good at what I did (on both sides of that coin), but it was a continuous battle against the bosses, or the inner conflict of my personal ethics evolving beyond what was allowable. Maybe I'd still be in the field, but in a much different capacity.

For anyone who's wondering, I've only been forced out once, and since they didn't ever grasp the notion of illegal or case law...let's just say our lawyers reached an amicable settlement. I doubt the other party would describe it as amicable.