Having worked in the finance industry, specifically Investment Banks, I totally can relate to what Suan was feeling in the case study. In Investment Banking, positions and titles are very important, the entire space is very hierarchical. As a result, when you speak to someone levels above you, it is very important to choose your words super carefully as you can be risking your job at the end of the day. Despite so, I have to say that the tides have really turned in the recent decade, more and more offices support employees to speak up when faced with high concerns, and the bigger bosses will often be on your side when you do decide to speak up whereas the lower level managers are less comfortable. In these cases, it is better to propose your concerns than to accept an ethically dubious task.
To me, I’m not as scared of speaking up when it matters. However the most important and concerning part is rather “HOW” you speak up. For instance, it is important to speak in a way that describes your discomfort without blaming your boss for making you do it. You want to leave space for your boss to come around to your side as well. Another case could be choosing to speak up in a praising way so that your boss finds it hard to do an ethically concerning way 🙂
