What's The Most Unethical Act You've Witnessed/Been A Part Of?

[Stuxnet]

I don't know if this is the most unethical act I've seen, but it stands out the most simply because it directly affected me.

A few years ago my boss was moving. He brought my then supervisor and myself into his office and sat us down:

"We've worked together for a few years now, right?"
Us: "Yes"

"So we could say that our relationship kind of extends beyond the workplace, right?"
Us: "Yes..."

"So if I were to ask you two to help me move, it wouldn't be a problem, right?"
Us: "..... okay ....."

"Oh, I'll give you the day off, don't worry about that."
Us: "Cool...."

Oh wow, thanks... you mean I don't have to take a vacation day to help you move your sh*t?

I see it as unethical for a number of reasons. First and foremost, he gave us Paid Time Off - on the company's dime - for his own personal benefit. Two, he took advantage of his position by enlisting two of his subordinates to help him move.

It doesn't really chap my ass or anything... this was 5 years ago (though I still work for him at another company)... but he's such a straight arrow otherwise that it still surprises me that he did this.

I have more that I'll toss in a little later.

 

[purbeast0]

definitely abusing return policies at stores.

i spent $100 total to get my gamecube. I went to costco and bought 2 copies of 1 game, and 3 copies of another game that were $20 each but I knew they were $50 at toys r us.

i then went to 3 different toys r us stores and got 3 gift cards. 2 for $105 each and 1 for $52.99. I then proceeded to get a gamecube + mario sunshine with my gift cards.

illegal? no

unethical? definitely.

but hey I didn't have much money then and really wanted to play the new mario game. it's not something i would do again though.

 

[oddyager]

I remember hearing a story about how the current director of PC and network services (at my previous employment with the city) landed that job. She used to be an admin assistant at the time and when the position opened up (there was some political backstabbing going on that forced the previous occupant to resign), she applied. I have no idea what the requirements were at the time but naturally one would assume you would need some type of background in Information Technology with also SOME management skills. Apparently neither were needed and having a pulse was good enough. Anyway, somehow she manipulated the current IT staff to debrief her with all the technical questions the HR folks would ask her so she'd be ready for the interview. She also somehow convinced one of the staff members who was applying for that pos. to cede it to her. In return she promised she'll do her darndest to fight for their raises and better perks. She landed the job of course and now she's collecting a hefty salary for doing basically nothing on the job... except for the occasional email and shoe shopping. She even refuses to learn anything to help manage the division (it's basically run by the same IT saps that gave her the answers to the interview questions).

 

[Alienwho]

The OP's story doesn't seem THAT out of line...especially if it's his own business, or maybe the company even offered to help with the move, and maybe he really did feel like you guys were friends. I could see that as being obnoxious and me personally having no desire to help him, but I don't think i'd label him unethical for it, just a dude with no friends to give him a hand.

I don't know what my most unethical experience has been. It was probably in my teenage years and even then it's not being unethical, it's just being a stupid teenage punk.

Oh wait, I got one. It's me taking candy from the break room without marking that I took a candy. Ouch! I feel justified though because of my lack of perks at work, so enjoying the occasional reese's on the company's tab doesn't feel so wrong. Although there is a huge chance to steal probably a hundred bucks or so in the break room because there is a cup that is used to hold cash for people who buy stuff. Now that would be low.

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: Alienwho
The OP's story doesn't seem THAT out of line...especially if it's his own business, or maybe the company even offered to help with the move, and maybe he really did feel like you guys were friends. I could see that as being obnoxious and me personally having no desire to help him, but I don't think i'd label him unethical for it, just a dude with no friends to give him a hand.

The problem is that it wasn't his own business (the company was a subsidiary of Emerson Electric). The end result was that the company 1) paid for his moving expenses, and 2) lost the productivity of two people.

And since the time off was "under the table", it was never recorded. If we had become injured while helping him move, there could have been significant problems for the company as well as my boss.

It really just boils down to stealing.

[edit]

He showed his appreciation by buying us McDonald's a couple weeks later. That was, of course, in addition to the generosity displayed when he gave us the day off to help him move.

 

[JS80]

i would help my boss move for free

 

[xtknight]

Unethical? Maybe if you're a snitch.

How do you know he's not paying you out of his pocket? It's hardly taking "the business"'s money. The boss is named the boss for a reason. If he gives you the day off that's his decision. It's his business...

It's not that it's 100% right but I could think of at least a billion and a half worse things, if you know what I mean.

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: xtknight
How do you know he's not paying you out of his pocket? It's hardly taking "the business"'s money. The boss is named the boss for a reason. If he gives you the day off that's his decision. It's his business...

Are you on CRACK?!

 

[Ulfhednar]

This thread is shockingly tame compared to what I was expecting, no way I am making my contribution now.

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: jbourne77
Are you on CRACK?!

No, but I did have some coffee (er I mean crack) this morning.

But IMO I think it's perfectly fine.

 

[mugs]

If he owned the company I wouldn't have a problem with what the OP's boss did, but it doesn't sound like he owns the company.

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: jbourne77
Are you on CRACK?!

No, but I did have some coffee (er I mean crack) this morning.

But IMO I think it's perfectly fine.

Time off isn't his to "give". Time off is a benefit provided by the COMPANY, not your boss (unless it's your boss' company, which I stated it was not). Your boss has influence over when you can and cannot take time off, but he can't just decide out of the blue that you get an additional day. In most cases, your boss has to go through a fairly rigorous process just to adjust your compensation package (salary, vacation, etc).

There's no question that this was an "under the table" deal. Again, it wasn't even officially recorded as time off. What if I hurt my back moving his sofa? I could sue the company since I was still being paid by their dime and was technically still working for them. The liability implications alone - not to mention the theft of resources - could have gotten him fired on the spot. I think it showed a total disregard for the company.

 

[Vich]

I push narcotics into my patients if I am to lazy to take care of them.








.






















j/k

 

[Pacemaker]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Unethical? Maybe if you're a snitch.

How do you know he's not paying you out of his pocket? It's hardly taking "the business"'s money. The boss is named the boss for a reason. If he gives you the day off that's his decision. It's his business...

It's not that it's 100% right but I could think of at least a billion and a half worse things, if you know what I mean.

And when he tells you to keep your job you need to sexually please him, then that's his decision after all he's the boss.

</sarcasm>
I mean come on man, he's stealing from the company just as surely as if he was selling trade secrets to competitors.

 

[xtknight]

Never mind then, I was confusing boss with CEO. Crack FTW. Whatever... even if it was the boss and not the CEO just a couple days isn't going to make hardly any difference. If he did it frequently then I'd be worried about it. What goes on at my mom's workplace is so much worse though (we have two directors who are friends and one hasn't done any noticeable work in years). He has gotten by because he is extremely nice and a good speaker. So in my mind, just a couple days of free time from the boss is nothing (relatively). There is a lot worse. There's people there that take 2+ hour lunches every day.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: Alienwho
The OP's story doesn't seem THAT out of line...especially if it's his own business, or maybe the company even offered to help with the move, and maybe he really did feel like you guys were friends. I could see that as being obnoxious and me personally having no desire to help him, but I don't think i'd label him unethical for it, just a dude with no friends to give him a hand.

The problem is that it wasn't his own business (the company was a subsidiary of Emerson Electric). The end result was that the company 1) paid for his moving expenses, and 2) lost the productivity of two people.

And since the time off was "under the table", it was never recorded. If we had become injured while helping him move, there could have been significant problems for the company as well as my boss.

It really just boils down to stealing.

[edit]

He showed his appreciation by buying us McDonald's a couple weeks later. That was, of course, in addition to the generosity displayed when he gave us the day off to help him move.

Yeah, thats definately pretty unethical IMO. Its basically stealing from the company when it comes right down to it. Plus, its kind of an abuse of his position. I mean...what the hell were you going to do? Say no? He's your supervisor. I would have just gone along for the ride as well.

 

[maximus maximus]

Originally posted by: Vich
I push narcotics into my patients if I am to lazy to take care of them.

What else do you push into your patients? :Q

 

[Stuxnet]

Here's another one involving my boss (can't believe I forgot this one):

I had just started working for him (I was 22) and we headed out to lunch. He wanted this real expensive portfolio/notebook (he's always been VERY material... he definitely lives for the finer things in life). He didn't feel he should have to pay for it since it would be used for company business, but he also didn't want to have to submit an expense report for a $300 portfolio to his boss (the President of our division). So instead, he has ME buy it and submit the expense report to him.

Now, obviously I had a hand in this. I felt very uncomfortable about it at the time, but I was still wet behind the ears and eager to please, so I did as I was told.

A few weeks went by and I started to get nervous about it all. I actually wrote the company's expense reporting application as well as the database backend, so I ended up going in and removing all traces of that report. I know that was unethical, too... just tell it as it was.

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

Sounds kinda like what happend to me and a buddy of mine back when we were in the Air Force.

Sgt. Moreno: "I need two voulenteers"
**crickets**

Sgt. Moreno: "Baker, Overturf, in my office" (we were the two lowest rankers at the time)

Sgt. Moreno: "What are you two doing this weekend??"

Us: "Nothing Special"

Sgt. Moreno: "I need some help with a voulenteer project... by the way... this will reflect."

Us: "What's this all about?"

Sgt. Moreno: "Don't worry about that, just be here at the squadron Saturday morning at 0600."

-- Saturday Morning gets there and me and Baker are waiting ouside the squadron when Sgt. Moreno rolls up in a GOV (Gov't Owned Vehicle) and says get in...

2 hours later we arrive and find out what this 'project' is that 'will reflect'. Turns out he had us painting his grandma's porch on her fvcking double-wide all day long!!!

Talk about abuse of power! That one still pisses me off to this day. If I had known then what I know now I could have landed his ass in some deep sh!t with the Col. But hell, me and Baker were fresh off the bus from Tech School where you didn't question the Sgt's, you just did what you were told. We didn't know any better, and he knew it too!!

Fvcking bastage... :|

 

[maximus maximus]

Originally posted by: jbourne77
Here's another one involving my boss (can't believe I forgot this one):

I had just started working for him (I was 22) and we headed out to lunch. He wanted this real expensive portfolio/notebook (he's always been VERY material... he definitely lives for the finer things in life). He didn't feel he should have to pay for it since it would be used for company business, but he also didn't want to have to submit an expense report for a $300 portfolio to his boss (the President of our division). So instead, he has ME buy it and submit the expense report to him.

Now, obviously I had a hand in this. I felt very uncomfortable about it at the time, but I was still wet behind the ears and eager to please, so I did as I was told.

A few weeks went by and I started to get nervous about it all. I actually wrote the company's expense reporting application as well as the database backend, so I ended up going in and removing all traces of that report. I know that was unethical, too... just tell it as it was.

You should have quitely changed your name to your bosses name and then submit this expense report to his boss..

 

[chambersc]

As per the reasons given to the UN, the invasion of Iraq takes the cake.


I'm all for invading Iraq and ousting Sadaam but as far as the reasoning goes from the Bush Administration to the United Nations.........swing and a miss.

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: PingSpike
Plus, its kind of an abuse of his position. I mean...what the hell were you going to do? Say no? He's your supervisor. I would have just gone along for the ride as well.

Exactly... at the time, that's what bothered me more than anything else. As I grew more wise, however, I became more and more shocked that he took such a risk. But as far as the abuse of power goes, it struck a nerve with me. I really felt like he had taken advantage of a unique relationship that was forming among the three of us.

The worst aspect of that was that by asking us to do this, he was putting us in a position where we were jeopardizing our jobs. We would have been just as FIRED as him had the company found out.

I mean, really... I have to put my job on the line so I can help you move? WTF?

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

Originally posted by: chambersc
As per the reasons given to the UN, the invasion of Iraq takes the cake.


I'm all for invading Iraq and ousting Sadaam but as far as the reasoning goes from the Bush Administration to the United Nations.........swing and a miss.

Please!!
Don't feed the troll!

 

[DaiShan]

The last company that I worked for was a C corp with outside investors (not publicly traded however) and the primary stock holder and founder hired an entire department of people to build his house. He paid for materials out of his pocket, but their time was paid for out of the company's funds. He would also frequently bring in things for tech support to fix, such as irons, dolls, etc. Keep in mind that he has 7 figures in the bank and he was having tech support fix his iron rather than buy another one.

 

[chambersc]

Originally posted by: JoLLyRoGer

Originally posted by: chambersc
As per the reasons given to the UN, the invasion of Iraq takes the cake.


I'm all for invading Iraq and ousting Sadaam but as far as the reasoning goes from the Bush Administration to the United Nations.........swing and a miss.

Please!!
Don't feed the troll!

Okay. I apologize. I was just merely contributing.