As someone that has interned at a large tech company before, I understand how intimidating it can be to speak up. Although I haven’t encountered any ethically dubious tasks over the past few summers, I know that rejecting these assignments can jeopardize my career. If I were to be in such a situation, speaking up to my boss could lead to a passive-aggressive rest of my summer, lots of long meetings with lawyers, or my firing altogether. I would also risk my relationship with the company in case I wanted to work there again. Another risk to consider is if my reporting makes nationwide or international news. In that case, speaking up would certainly be the right thing to have done in retrospect. However, if my name makes headlines, I could be blacklisted by large tech companies that don’t want me to reveal their ethically dubious goals (not that I’d want to work at those places anyway).
Having taken these risks into account, I feel pretty confident speaking up when it matters, especially after reading through the HBR 3-step plan. I would start by accepting that speaking up is much easier said than done. It’s easy to assume that you will always do the right thing, but making a decision that threatens your job security and relationships is never easy. Next, I would carefully phrase my words to avoid cornering or intimidating people. Asking “what do you believe is the best way to proceed,” for example, can make people feel respected and autonomous. Finally, I’d ask people in my network about some of the biggest challenges they’ve faced with regard to speaking up. That way, I can learn from their stories to better anticipate and navigate potential challenges that come up at my job.
