Follow Dubious Orders or Speak Up (Internship Ethics)

Prior to accepting any job offer, I think all post-grads should ask themselves whether the position they’re accepting will conflict with their personal values. Working in consulting, it is well known that some companies and positions will potentially palace employees in an ethical dilemma. To me, Susan could’ve been asked to do a lot worse. It’s almost common practice in certain areas of consulting to call client competitors to find out information you otherwise shouldn’t know—  it’s part of the job and those that take it tend to be aware. So if you came to your boss in consulting saying you had a problem figuring out insider info on a client’s competitor, you might end up with a bad performance review. In other industries, however, where this is not an expectation when you accept the job, you might have a completely different response from higher-ups. When you are new in the workforce in particular, you risk early career advancements by going against the tasks you are assigned. As an intern I would first consider how I see myself fitting with the company I’m working for: do I want to work full-time here? Do I want it to end after this summer? Thinking of those implications can either deafen or embolden what I chose to do in terms of something unethical. An even greater question is who does this ethical dilemma affect? I don’t have much sympathy, personally, for companies over people— so if a company is the primary actor affected by my unethical work, I wouldn’t necessarily feel as inclined to speak up as I would if it were an individual or even a small business. To lessen social threat, I might pose it as an “am I allowed to do this?” rather than an “I won’t do this.” Coming to your boss posing the question of whether or not something is okay is merely asking for permission and forces them to be on the spot about whether or not what they are asking of you is ethical in-industry. Up right saying you won’t do it might have them believe you don’t want to “work hard” or do your job fully. Lastly, in terms of a plan, I would talk to friends and family like Susan did. Talking through it with people outside your workplace can give an outsider’s perspective to the dilemma at hand and help you make your final decision in regards to speaking up or staying quiet.