Q: The people I work with and I have opposing principles, and I really don’t have a lot of respect for the way things are done around here. Until now I have closed my eyes, but it’s harder to do these days. What are my options?
While I understand your angst, your use of the
term values is a little vague. Are we talking about
questionable business practices and ethical lapses, or
about some kind of harassment of you personally?
Are the people you work with blatantly lacking in
morals, or is it merely that the corporate culture is
too relaxed for you? There is a pretty long continuum
when it comes to what we individually defi ne
as values, principles, integrity, etc. The fi rst step is
to do an assessment of the rift between you and them
and determine whether the possibility of a remedy
exists. Sometimes there just is no “gray” area.
Identify a trusted colleague or peer with whom
you can explore the topic of values in the workplace.
Start the conversation in general terms, perhaps by
asking what he or she likes best about the job and
employer, and try to get a sense of his or her comfort
level with the topic. If it seems appropriate, share your
own observations and ask for feedback about your circumstances.
Be careful not to let the conversation turn
into a “gripe session.” While it is not essential that you
have the support of a third party, a reality check can
help uncover insights you might overlook. And while
you’re at it, you should ask yourself some thoughtprovoking
questions about the situation:
When did my feelings of mismatched values or
priorities start? Was there a watershed moment that I
can identify?
How is this situation affecting me personally?
Am I losing sleep or feeling generally more stressed
out? Is my work suffering? Can I live with it if nothing
changes?
Has this ever happened to me before? Is it possible
that I am stuck in a repeating pattern?
Do other people in the organization seem to feel
the same way that I do, or is it just me who perceives
a problem?
What needs to happen for me to feel the situation
has been resolved? How far am I willing to go to
find the resolution?
Do I want to stay here?
After evaluating your own role in the situation,
identify the nature of the issue that needs to
be addressed. The way that you handle the sort of
circumstances that you are facing will vary based on
how personal the issue is, as well as the potential for
legal issues.
Business practice-related issues
The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) has
released a series of brochures exploring critical ethical
and professional issues encountered by designers.
The series, titled Design Business and Ethics, examines
key concerns a designer faces in maintaining
a successful practice. Authored by industry leaders
from across the country, each brochure offers practical
ideas for approaching design issues. Many of the
tenets described in the AIGA’s publications can also
be applied to designers operating in corporate or inhouse
design settings.
One brochure you should review is “Business
and Ethical Expectations for Professional Designers”
(to download, visit www.aiga.org). Additionally, the
AIGA publishes Standards of Professional Practice in
which it specifically addresses:
- The designer’s responsibility to clients
- The designer’s responsibility to other
designers
- Fees
- Publicity
- Authorship
- The designer’s responsibility to the public
- The designer’s responsibility to society and
the environment
If your area of concern is specifically dealt with in
one of the AIGA’s brochures or codes, you might
use the document as a springboard for conversation
with the leaders in your organization. It is entirely
possible that your colleagues are unaware that their
behavior is not in keeping with our profession’s standards. Be advised, however, you may be perceived
as condescending or self-righteous and your efforts
not universally embraced. If the attitude you find
troubling is prevalent within the organization, it’s possible
you’ll be seen as a troublemaker and be treated
accordingly. Before you take action, you’ll want to
realistically assess your chances of effecting change.
Corporate culture-related issues
All organizations have personalities and—just as
with people—those personalities can evolve over
time. The changes may be the result of growth and
the addition of new staff, or could have come about
because of outside infl uences such as an economic
downturn or increased competition. Policy changes
can affect morale and result in a climate shift within
the organization.
It can be very stressful to be in a company that
“isn’t the same place it was,” regardless of reasons
for the transformation. Similarly, new hires sometimes
discover that they misjudged the personality
of the group when they accepted a job, and now
fi nd themselves feeling miscast or even outcast. If
you work in a larger corporation or fi rm, you might
be able to manage the situation by seeking to relocate
within the organization. A move to another
team or even a change in where you sit can make an
uncomfortable situation more tolerable.
If you discover that it’s not only you who feels
that a cultural rift exists that needs to be fi xed, you
may turn to an outside facilitator. An organizational
consultant can facilitate a discussion or develop a
series of exercises designed to help the group discover
solutions and workable compromises. It may even be
possible to work through cultural issues without an
outside resource, if there is a particularly skilled communicator
on the staff or management team.
Employment law-related issues
Matters that relate to employment, personnel policy
and behavior in the workplace are often more complex
and may lead you to seek professional counsel.
Such issues include sexual harassment, favoritism,
discrimination, hostile work environment, etc. If
your situation involves or could potentially involve
employment law, the first steps that you take are
very important.
You should try in good faith to resolve the problem.
This usually includes having a meeting with the
human resources department and/or the offending
party or parties in the workplace. You may also want
to take the precautionary step of talking to an attorney
who specializes in employment law, especially
if you are not optimistic about the outcome. You’ll
want to document your conversations or actions, in
case you end up in a dispute or litigation.
Recommended resources
How to Reduce
Workplace Conflict
and Stress: How
Leaders and Their
Employees Can
Protect Their Sanity
and Productivity from
Tension and Turf Wars,
by Anna Maravelas, $14.99, Career Press,
www.amazon.com
How Honesty Pays:
Restoring Integrity
to the Workplace, by
Charles E. Watson,
$39.95, Praeger
Publishers, www.amazon.com
Your Rights in the
Workplace, by Barbara
Kate Repa, $29.99,
Nolo
Corporate Integrity:
Rethinking Organizational Ethics
and Leadership, by
Marvin T. Brown, $75,
Cambridge University
Press, www.amazon.com
The Balanced
Company: A
Corporate Integrity
Theory, by Muel
Kaptein and Johan
Wempe, $44.50,
Oxford University
Press, www.amazon.com
A Better Way to Think
About Business: How
Personal Integrity
Leads to Corporate
Success, by Robert
C. Solomon, $15.95,
Oxford University
Press, www.amazon.com
The Corporate Culture
Survival Guide, by
Edgar H. Schein,
$26.95, Jossey-Bass
Publishers, www.amazon.com
