When Susan speaks up to her manager at Zantech, she risks offending him and making herself seem difficult to work with; she may lose her internship and the possibility of a full-time offer. However, by accepting an ethically dubious task like misrepresenting herself to Zantech’s competitors, Susan would create a denunciable history for her budding career and antagonize herself to other potential employers should they discover her dishonesty. Rather than risk ostracizing herself from the field, Susan should stick to her values and explain to her manager why she does not feel comfortable completing her assignment in the way she’d been asked. This leaves her the option to find work elsewhere with a clean record (and a clear conscience) if Zantech turns out not to be the place for her.
Susan could use the three-step plan in “How to Speak Up When It Matters” by first realizing both how difficult and how worthwhile speaking up can be. Considering the consequences of both options in her dilemma as outlined above might be a good way for her to consider both sides. After working up her resolve to speak up, she should try to lessen the social threat that speaking up creates. For example, drawing a line between her manager and herself could easily cause offense. She should make it clear that she is not blaming her manager and that she is pointing out ways in which the company could suffer from their actions (not her manager’s, but theirs as a team). After pointing out the issues, she should provide a solution for completing the assignment in a more ethical manner. If her manager reacts poorly to her speaking up respectfully and constructively, then Susan must consider whether the job is worth spending every day mulling over the ethics of her assignments.
