Asked to lie. 4

[UTChemE]

Greetings all

I have been on my new job almost six months and yesterday I was shocked by my superviser when he asked me to lie and "cover his back" on some results received from some wells that I tested. To make a long story short, he threatened to "take me down with him if I told my superiors". Well, he doesn't know yet but I immediately reported this to my engineering manager and his attitude has also since soured towards me since I told him that I was not going to lose my integrity for him or no one else. My question is does anybody have any advice since I am new to the corporate world?

 

[sc]

quark,

Don't lie if?

Being an engineer that values integrity, I recommend don't lie full stop stuff the rest of the world. If you need a rider such as "if" you are already compromised.

I know in my small company I value integrity above a "yes" attitude, a good argument clears the air and often presents another point of view.

Keep your integrity stuff everyone else. You will always come out on top eventually.


regards

sc

 

[quark]

SC,

I hope you trust if I say I really enjoyed people opposing my views and telling the OP to stick to the truth. Perhaps my second half of the post was not taken as seriously as the first half. The reason for specifying some conditions was that I couldn't give a reply in a puritan's point of view. Further, I took it in a broader perspective and not only in the present context.

I feel, if it be, we have to be truthful in each and every way. Suppose, if I couldn't attend an urgent meeting in time because of some valid personal reasons and if I excuse it with traffic jam or a punctured tire, do you consider it to be ok as far as truth is concerned? I feel it is wrong if I already suggested somebody to be truthful always.

This was my perception when I gave my first reply. I will be pretty happy if the OP will be as truthful to his own faults as of his supervisor in future.

PS: Though my post conveyed some wrong message, I have been truthful to the best of my conscience and already faced rough waters.

Regards,

 

[abeltio]

if the going gets really tough... another CYA factor is email...
if your boss keeps putting pressure on you... send him an email stating the facts you know to be truth.
then, express that per his verbal instructions what you understand is that his recommended version is such and such, ask him to confirm or correct.

get the acknowledgment of receipt notification from the email system
go into properties and copy the ID of the message (it is a very long alphanumeric combo).
copy everything, put it in your safe at home.


we tend to see emails, letters, conversations, chat transcripts as communications... WRONG, FOR A LAWYER THEY ARE EVIDENCE.


have your resume ready, be ready to sue... but more than ready to settle.

you do not want to have long term relationships with rats...
you will be perceived as one.

later.




saludos.
a.

 

[EOIT]

I think that another thing to keep in mind in light of recent court proceedings is that 'just following orders' doesn't cut it anymore. If anything was to come of this lie or the next or the one after that and you were on board you will also be held accountable to the full extent of the law right along with your boss and your boss' boss. If you are willing to run that risk, which I know I wouldn't, then that is your choice, but while it may take a while, the truth will be told in the end.

Oh and on the side of integrity, good job, not many people are willing to do that these days.

 

[Slugger926]

Also, beware of going to HR. Our companies policy on HR is for them to nod yes to anyone complaining, then notify your manager of your complaints while they come up with a stragedy of terminating you.

I was almost terminated once for trying to repay the company when they paid me too much one pay period.

Follow everything up with confirmation emails as stated in other posts. Treat everyone nice and do the ethical things. That is how I survived 9 years with Worldcom/MCI through many layoffs. I could wright a book on the stuff there.

 

[BJC]

You have to be really smart to lie. If you lie you have to remember to tell the same story each and every time. If you tell the truth the story is always the same. Very very few people are smart enough to be good liars.

 

[FalsePrecision]

BJC- good point. Too much lying causes mental confusion. Kind of like getting your brain wiring all tangled up. Probably why the the advocates of the Iraq war take so long to think before they say anything.

 

[EddyC]

FalsePrecision,

Its not appropriate to discuss political views on this forum, as some of us don't share your viewpoint.

 

[rhodie]

FalsePrecision:

Statements based on logical fallacies don't count for much.

 

[BJC]

EddyC
Wer're talking about lies and liars. What better field than politics to find examples?

 

[FalsePrecision]

EddyC....look at this forum's classification:
HOME>FORUMS>CORPORATE SURVIVAL>POLITICAL STARATEGIES>OVERCOMING OBSTACLES......

Now, if I were posting in the Moment Frames and Shear Wall forum, I wouldn't bring up politics.....

 

[EddyC]

I believe that we should be discussing lying as it directly relates to the engineering profession on this forum. Having a discussion about politicians lying doesn't qualify.