Module 11: Corruption dilemmas
You are obviously in a very difficult situation here, as:
Do not inflame the position with the Commercial Director by arguing, as you are aware he is a bully, and he could get even more aggressive. Leave the room, either saying nothing, or saying something non-committal like “I need to consider my position”.
You should not give in to the Commercial Director’s threats, and should not submit the falsely inflated claims to the NRA. If you did, this would mean you would be committing a criminal offence, with all the consequent risks. There is little doubt that, if you were caught, the Commercial Director would lie about the circumstances, deny all knowledge of his instructions to you, and claim that the corrupt acts were yours alone. That is what corrupt people do.
You will now need advice and support from someone appropriate. The first question is whether you can obtain that from within Buildwell. Does Buildwell have a Compliance Manager, or a Human Resources Manager, or a Chief Executive, who you believe will give you a sympathetic hearing and may support your position? If yes, approach that person and explain your situation. Hopefully they will respond appropriately, which would be for them to initiate an investigation into your report. This may involve suspension of the Commercial Director. If the investigation results in your word as to what happened being accepted, it should ultimately lead to the dismissal of the Commercial Director. No ethical organisation can afford to have a director or senior manager who encourages others to commit a criminal offence and threatens them with dismissal if they do not comply.
It is possible, however, that you have unfortunately been employed by an unethically led organisation. In this case, there may be no support from you available from the top management, On the contrary, they may support the Commercial Director. In this case, you should consider reporting outside your organisation. Are you a member of a professional institution? Do they have a reporting and advice line?
There may also in your country be an NGO which provides advice and support to whistleblowers.
If you obtain no support from within Buildwell, and establish therefore that it is a fundamentally unethical organisation, you should leave Buildwell as soon as possible. You have no future in an unethical organisation, and it is potentially dangerous for you to work in one.
If Buildwell do provide a falsely bad reference for you, explain the circumstances in full to any potential future employer. An ethical organisation should welcome your strong integrity and firm stance in adversity.
There is no easy answer to this dilemma, and the above situation could cause you significant difficulty, financial loss, and strain.
Therefore, the main learning from this dilemma is to take all reasonable steps before you join an employer to satisfy yourself that your prospective employer is an ethical organisation with a strong ethical code, and which requires its personnel to behave ethically, and supports them in doing so. Avoid working for unethical organisations. You could become the victim.
January 2025
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