INTHEBLACK February 2024 - Magazine - Page 53
IN THE COMPLEX MODERN WORKPLACE,
it is not uncommon for employees to face
requests from higher up that conflict with their
personal values.
Simon Longstaff AO FCPA, executive director
of The Ethics Centre, says humans are driven by
values and principles.
“Both are essential, and both do different
work. Values typically allow you to distinguish
between options that you think you might
prefer. Principles shape how you get those
things. If you are unaware of either of them, you
are potentially at risk,” Longstaff says.
Longstaff believes individuals should clarify
their own values and principles through
personal reflection, discussions with friends and
associates, or thought experiments and tests.
One such test is The Ethics Centre’s
ViewFinder tool, a custom profile that helps
leaders determine their ethical decision-making
style and, where possible, seek employment
with organisations with similar values.
“When you work for an organisation, you
are bound by duty to apply its values and
principles, and if they are not consistent with
your own, then it is likely to be a very unhappy
relationship,” he says.
THE RIGHT COURSE OF ACTION
The first step for an employee facing a request at
odds with their personal beliefs is to determine
what is at stake and whether the action is
consistent with the organisation’s values.
“We’ve seen throughout recent history that
it’s possible for organisations to make all sorts
of claims about who they are and what they
stand for, and yet require their employees to
operate in a way that is deeply inconsistent with
those claims,” Longstaff says.
If the directive aligns with company values, an
employee might ask why they are working there
or why they made that choice, Longstaff adds.
If the request is at odds with organisational
values, the employee has three broad choices.
The first is to carry out the task – a course
of action that carries its own risks, including,
in extreme cases, a phenomenon known as
“moral injury”.
“That’s where you engage in conduct that you
subsequently come to realise is fundamentally
wrong,” Longstaff says. “You judge yourself to
be complicit. You feel guilt and find that you are
not the person you thought you were.”
Moral injury can cause significant
psychological harm. “It can be a terribly
devastating moment where the image you have
of yourself is shattered by the realisation of
what you did,” he says.
The second choice is to refuse the request.
Options in this scenario include escalation to
a senior staff member, whistleblowing (where
provisions exist) or leaving the organisation.
The third is to find a middle path, using agility,
creativity and courage to deliver the desired
outcome.
“A workplace with a healthy and safe culture
should encourage employees to respectfully
explore these points of difference or
disagreements, but not all workplaces are
equal, and not all managers are able to engage
in difficult conversations.”
SARAH BLAKE, CONFLICT STRATEGIST AND MEDIATOR
“It doesn’t have to destroy your career,”
Longstaff says. “If you can come up with a neat
solution that allows your manager to achieve
the end they want without violating the values
or principles of the company or the individual
concerned, then it’s not a risk to you. It’s a
massive opportunity, because suddenly you
look like a person who can navigate complexity
and come up with practical solutions.”
SAFE CONVERSATIONS
“A workplace with a healthy and safe culture
should encourage employees to respectfully
explore these points of difference or
disagreements, but not all workplaces are equal,
and not all managers are able to engage in
difficult conversations,” says conflict strategist
and mediator Sarah Blake.
If safe, try to talk over the situation with the
manager first, advises Blake. Seek clarification
about the task and discuss how it aligns – or
does not – with organisational values. Try to
negotiate an outcome that suits both sides.
If this fails, a third party, such as a senior
manager or a representative from human
resources or a union, may need to get involved.
LISTEN
to an audio
recording of
this story
READ
an INTHEBLACK
article on how to
have difficult
conversations
at work
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