Have you ever quit a job for ethical reasons?

1. 0

   PrettyPantherposted 14 years ago

   I recently quit my job working for a company that was engaging in practices that are perfectly legal in this state (but not in some other states), but that take advantage of the poor.  The owners were raking in lots of money off of the backs of mostly retired and disabled people.
   
   My husband and I are building a business at home, so this was a part-time job to bring in extra money, most of which went toward the business.  As such, I had the luxury of just leaving. 
   
   I'm curious if others have ever felt trapped in a job that went against their personal ethics or ever quit a job for similar reasons?

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2. 71

   mcrawford76posted 14 years ago

   Actually I just had a similar experience last year. Working as a restaurant manager, I found that there were several employees that were stealing, showing up for work drunk, and drinking on the job. When I demanded their termination, I was told "no", and they were given written warnings. I soon found out that this group of "trouble makers" were all hanging out and partying with the boss and his daughter, so apparently their behavior is forgiven. I put in my 2 weeks’ notice that day.

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3. 82

   GmaGoldieposted 14 years ago

   I handed in my resume once - fully expected to leave a fantastic job - to my surprise my "new supervisor" who I had the conflict with was reassigned.  It sounds like a chapter from a drama - sadly it was real.  It tested my character, made me stronger.  I still remember trembling.
   
   Interesting topic - thank you for posting.

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4. 69

   Michael Willisposted 14 years ago

   Yes I have. I left Wal-Mart over their actions which I could have sued over. I left after contacting Bentonville upper management and all they would do is a verbal reprimand of a district manger, no consequences for his actions. 
   I did not sue because I just wanted away from that dead-end job. I ended up in the electrical field and more than doubled my earnings in a first year apprenticeship. It turned out better for me. I now have my own electrical business.

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   FStevensposted 13 years ago

   On a similar note - are you willing to promote your company as socially responsible, or do you feel uncomfortable doing so as they don't live up to their promises?

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6. 61

   cindi hposted 13 years ago

   I actually published a hub about my latest job experience and it was definitely a journey into darkness. There were many factors into my leaving but the hardest aspect was working for a company (family owned) that disrespected it's customers and employees, took advantage (scammed) the assistance programs and jacked up prices by 95%. I know business' need to make a profit, but jacking up the cost of a part that cost them 96 cents to 25.00 was very unethical in my book, in addition to charging customers for work that was not performed. My ethical senses were put to the test every single day and I could no longer justify a paycheck when the cost to my conscience was too great.

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7. 0

   jerrylposted 13 years ago

   As a man in my 20's back in the 1960's, I worked as a longshoreman.  These were union jobs.  I was a new employee, and hadn't reached the required number of days of work to be eligible for union membership.  I was a good worker, and well liked.  When I did meet the time requirements for joining, I was called into our union reps office.  The fee for joining that union at that time, was $150.00, which I was willing to pay.
   The union rep told me that he would put me in the union, but only if I greased his palm with another $150.00, under the table.  Believe it or not, this man was a congressional medal of honor recipient. I refused for ethical reasons, and was not allowed in the union.  Back then, there was not much protection against sleeze bags like that so-called hero!
   Since then, I have wondered if I made a mistake, or would I have thought less of myself throughout the years that have passed?  I am sure that after attaining seniority, I would have been on easy street, both work load wise, and financially.
   I just wasn't brought up that way I guess.

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   rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

   no, but I once canceled an interview after I did some research into the company and found out they used unethical practices to find/secure clients.

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9. 0

   Emile Rposted 13 years ago

   I worked for a collection agency once. I was pretty good at the job, but I hated it. Dealing in other people's misery. My husband picked me up for lunch one day and I started crying when it was time to go back. He asked me if I had anything in my office that I wanted. I told him no, and he just put the car in drive and took me home. I never called or went back in.
   
   I've never just quit a job before, or after that; but I didn't feel any remorse. It's a horrible business.

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    Greg Sageposted 13 years ago

    Three times.
    
    In my early 20's, I realized my employer was committing fraud.
    
    As a teenager, after my boss offered to give me a raise to keep quiet the fact that she had attempted to have sex with me.
    
    In a sales position where I was reprimanded for refusing to take a mentally challenged person's life savings in exchange for a contract they were unable to understand.  (The only reason I even knew they had the cash is that they trusted me and asked me to count it for them since both their parents had recently died and they had never managed their own money before.)  After being bitched out for returning it to them, I quit on the spot, and offered to drive them to their destination personally.

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11. 61

    Jenn2014posted 13 years ago

    I have definitely been in the stuck position! I worked for an apartment complex (or property management firm), that accepted Section 8 and received tax credits for doing so. They also had an income ceiling for tenants, so if someone made too much they wouldn't qualify for an apartment there. In order to get the people they wanted in there, they would tell us to make multiple copies of documents like an "LES" for military applicants, then cut out specific numbers we needed and glue them down over their real income to have it read a number that was actually acceptable. FRAUD basically. They also made us go back and forge documents, backdating them, so they wouldn't get fined during an audit. Long story short, I got fired when I started to raise questions about it and shortly after the manager was escorted out in handcuffs by the local police. Crazy stuff.

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    recommend1posted 13 years ago

    I quit a job working for the government in the UK - mapping farmland for subsidy payments to the farmers.  The whole organisation from 30 or 40 people in my immediate office whose total daily work did not amount to a single persons ability to complete it all, a 'management' office with another 20 or 30 people making work for each other, and a boss who took leave every summer under equal opportunity as a mother, at the only short time of the year that any actual work was done.
    
    The total sum allocated to farmers in the area from the European Union was in the order of 360 million pounds, and the fraudulent office cost around 230 million to run, basically stealing the money on the way through.
    
    At one of the interminable and pointless 'staff' meetings with management I pointed all this out and the management basically said yes that is right, so what, you want all these people to be out of a job ?
    
    They did not even bother to try and make my life difficult and were not in the slightest concerned that I might try to publicise the issue - and with a little thought I realised that virtually every Civil Service dept is the same.  Government is a vast money making machine leaching more from every person and in the process operating at unimaginably incompetent levels.

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