Stay and Do Something
In a prior post, I identified one of the options when dealing with an ethics issue is to “Stay and Do Something.”
This will not be easy.
Confronting an ethics issue is likely to be viewed as an attack on the organization’s culture – on “the work tribe.”
Attacks on the tribe are not appreciated. You will be viewed as a threat and a counter-attack will be initiated. You are likely to isolated, reprimanded, shunned, threatened and/or fired.
The most common advice given for dealing with an ethics issue is to tell your supervisor, notify Human Resources or file an internal ethics complaint. Unfortunately, this advice is often wrong. The likely result of taking these actions is increasing the speed and ferocity of a counter-attack.
You need to be more strategic in your approach if you want to accomplish positive change in an organization.
First, you need to be clear about what you realistically hope to achieve. You need to identify and focus on a concrete positive outcome that you believe is achievable and important enough to fight for. If you don’t keep your goals top of mind, it will be difficult to keep going.
An article in the November 2023 issue of The Atlantic, The Patriot, described the actions taken by General Mark Milley in the final months of the Trump Administration. This article provides guidance to use when you are faced with an ethical dilemma. Milley had clear goals – to maintain the military’s integrity, avoid an inadvertent nuclear war and prevent the administration from using the military against the American people.
Ignore Implied Orders to Engage in Questionable Behavior
According to the article, in response to protests outside the White House in Lafayette Square, Trump asked Milley, “Can’t you just shoot them?” Milley characterized this as a rhetorical question. According to him, “President Trump never ordered me to tell the military to do something Illegal.”
Individuals who propose unethical behavior often do so in euphemisms or implied direction. Best case, this may be because they have not thought through the ethical issues involved and will appreciate you ignoring their potential transgression. Worst case, they are aware of the ethical implication and want to maintain “plausible deniability.” If the ethical issue is exposed, they want you to be the one found to be at fault – not them.
The goal is to avoid participating in unethical behavior.
Depending on the situation, this may mean walking away (as Milley did), requesting explicit orders in writing (something which is unlikely to be done) or identifying other, ethical, ways of achieving a desired result.
Take Action to Avoid or Blunt Potential Negative Impacts
Following the Lafayette Square incident, Milley apologized for his actions. He also embarked on a campaign to make it clear that the military would play no part in any attempt by Trump to illegally remain in office. Every month, he did something publically to remind armed forces personnel about their responsibility to stay out of politics. He took every opportunity to reinforce that their oath was to the Constitution – not an individual.
Milley also took action to ensure that all levels of command were familiar with the procedures and processes in place for deploying nuclear weapons. He had each person individually affirm that they understood the precautions in place to prevent inadvertent nuclear war.
Although EHS professionals are unlikely to face ethical dilemmas that rise to the level of destroying the planet, making sure that individuals are aware of their ethical responsibilities and that agreed-upon procedures are in place to address difficult situations is sound guidance for addressing other ethical issues.
Build Internal and External Alliances
As the situation appeared to deteriorate, Milley personally talked with both allies and adversaries to address concerns about U.S. stability and the launching of a surprise military attack. He reassured China’s military leadership in order to prevent inadvertently triggering a nuclear war. He reassured members of Congress. He advised the insurrectionists appointed to the Pentagon that “they would be held accountable” if they broke the law or violated their oath to the Constitution.
When ethical issues arise, relationships are key.
You need to be able to talk to others, have alliances in place and be confident that others will offer robust support. Those alliances are best developed before critical issues arise.
Related Resources:
This is the link to the Atlantic Article referenced in this newsletter:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/11/general-mark-milley-trump-coup/675375/
A September 2021 newsletter from Wharton Executive Education reported that a 2021 report from the Ethics and Compliance Initiative stated that 79 percent of employees experienced retaliation for reporting an ethics dilemma. It suggested that you start by testing out your viewpoint in private with one other person.
