Being a boy scout

Let's suppose my boss asks me to advise on investing in a palm oil plantation.  And let's suppose I have a personal objection to the palm oil industry, because of environmental concerns.  What should I do?  Well, there are two basic options (a) do it; (b) decline to do it.

On what grounds could I explain that I should do it?  Well first of all, I am just an employee - I can't go around refusing to do work based on whether it accords with my personal beliefs.  It's not like I'm the boss where I can walk away from the deal you know.  In the end, the final decision is not mine - whether I participate or withdraw, the decision to invest is being made by others.  I am just a good soldier, acting under instructions, so I will do my best.  Maybe I can even influence the plantation to adopt environmentally sound practices.  So far, so reasonable?

Let's suppose it later turns out that the plantation is really indiscriminately slash-and-burning, and dumping toxic pesticides.  OK, now I need to refuse right?  Wait wait wait. I'm still an employee, not the boss - I can't just walk away.  The final decision is not mine.  Plus, we've already sunk 3 months of due diligence, we can't pull out now!  And who knows, maybe we can still persuade them to change things after we get in the door... right?

Let's suppose it later turns out that the plantation is using child labour as well.  OK NOW I need to refuse right?  Wait wait wait.  I'm still an employee, I can't just walk away, the decision is not mine anyway.  And we're on the verge of signing the agreement here!

You know I kind of get the feeling that's what the Auschwitz guards felt when Hitler posted them there.  It's just a temporary camp you know.  Oh wait, we're looting their stuff.  Oh wait, they're starving.  Oh wait, we're gassing them after that.  Hey, I'm just an employee you know, I don't make the decisions around here.

So the background to all the above is, a church friend asked me how to deal with a morally questionable investment his company was considering.  I must confess my first instinct and thought process was exactly as I described above.  Employees can't just walk away, can they?  So I told my friend "that's a difficult one to answer". 

But I'm proud to say that my wife had a completely different reaction - she immediately said, "Really?  I thought the answer is obvious.  Tell your boss you can't help him, and you don't think this is a good idea.  If he really wants to, he will find someone else to help him".

On reflection, there were some self-deceptions I was employing.  Mainly, the "I'm not the boss" principle.  Bosses can choose to walk away, employees can't.  Well... not really you know.  When a boss chooses to walk away, he's essentially choosing to walk away from a chance to make money.  If he's a sole proprietor, that's money that goes straight to his pocket.  If he's middle or senior management, then he's got his own boss too.  And even if he's the CEO he's still accountable to the Board and to shareholders.

What about us employees?  If we walk away, what are we walking away from?  A job.  But what's a job?  Money.  A boss.  When you boil it all down, I'm not in a much worse dilemma than a CEO.  So how is it that I say a boss can walk away, but I can't?  And my wife's point was not even to quit on the spot - all she was saying was, make your stand clear.  Say you can't help.  Stay away from the project.  Though if you need to of course, let's say if ALL your projects are unscrupulous palm oil plantations, then yeah, walk away :P

I'm rather ashamed that I didn't immediately respond the same way.  But I'm grateful for a wife who reminds me of who I should be, and not merely what I can rationalise.

I'm glad I work for an employer which is happy to walk away from business in the grey areas.  Even then, I've sometimes been known to be too much of a "boy scout", looking to do the right thing.  But based on what happened yesterday, I suspect I still have some way to go to before I deserve that good reputation.

I'm guessing I'm not the only one who faces this issue.  Maybe it's a cause your employer or your friends promote that you disagree with.  Maybe it's a grey area your boss is sliding into.  Maybe it's a work environment of bullying or harassment.  Maybe it's a culture of dubious entertainment or careless morals.  How prepared are we to decline to participate?  How prepared are we to take the next step of voicing our concerns?  How prepared are we to be name-called as "boy scouts"?  How prepared we are to walk away if necessary?  In short, how prepared are we to act on our convictions, against popular sentiment and peer pressure?  

It's hard.  Really really really hard, especially when the stakes are high.  But where are we going to set the anchors in our lives?  If enough of us speak up, we can encourage those around us - our children, our colleagues and friends - to realise where those anchors should be.  Contrary to what we may tell ourselves, we always have choices.  But some choices just lead to bad ends.  And others?  They lead us to be who we should be!  Help me be that kind of person!

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