IT and Ethics

I found this post interesting. I've been in IT, in one form or another, since the late 80s and I've never been asked to do some of the things the author lists.

Of course, I've been asked to install software without the proper licenses. Anyone who's been in IT for a month has.

But I've never been asked to send out bulk email or implement a DoS attack. Someone asked me to "borrow" someone else's content (without permission) only once in twenty years.

Have I just been lucky or does the author gravitate toward unethical companies? What is your experience?

I assumed a lot of it had to do with working for tiny tiny companies. One company I worked for was a total of 3 people. Most were around 20.

Startups struggling to find a way to survive.

The most interesting part is that the writer would place such a low value on his ethics, and, in some cases, the law.

I have never had a problem saying "I'm not going to do it." That may be because I've almost never been asked, perhaps because I've worked for places that understood reality.

No job is worth breaking the law for. Believe me, there are plenty of employers who will not ask you to do that. Better still, there are plenty of employers who will find that to be a selling point.

One more thing -- I know unemployment doesn't pay much, but it does give a little pocket money while you look, and you will not be denied for refusing an order to break the law, though you should make contemporanious notes before you ever get yourself into that situation.

Sorry you got that from the article. I do not place a low value on the law. Anything that is asked illegally of me I outright refuse. That doesn't change the fact that the question of installing software without a license does come up.

I have not given in to requests to steal content or do DOS attacks. Those were just examples of requests of me. They were very easy to convince the employer that they were BAD BAD BAD ideas.

It's the other non-illegal areas that are up for question. Like sending out a one time marketing blast to a list of 500 emails you know was bought.

thepet -

It sounded like you personally were placed in a quandary. Glad to hear I read it wrong.

DOS attacks, btw, are in the class of law-breaking, not ethics, so you'll know.

Ethical stuff is a lot harder. In the end, you have to decide what matters and does not to you.

My mom taught me to always have an escape hatch. People act like the job they're in is the only one they'll ever have, which guarantees they'll get boxed in and have no options. To quote my cool wise momma:

The time to look for a job is when you have one Never stop job-hunting I was looking for a job when I started here

Same principle for the self-employed- keep your options open.

> The time to look for a job is when you have one > Never stop job-hunting

That's good advice tc - I think I will talk to that other company, what the hey...

> DOS attacks, btw, are in the class of law-breaking, not ethics, so you'll know.

Yeah, it's fairly important to distinguish between illegal activities (which can result in numerous people going to jail, depending on the exact legalities involved) and "merely" unethical behavior. The first is much easier to explain to management and a much more urgent reason to seek other employment. Unethical behavior should still be fought and not agreed to (which may still result in seeking other employment), but it's often not as urgent.

As TC (indirectly) says, one of the most important aspects of having a job is knowing under what circumstances you will walk away. I've only walked away from one job in my life, but I've always been very glad I did so, and having done so once makes me far more willing to do so again if need be.

It's a good article on a neglected subject. People do all kinds of crazy things because they think they have to just to keep their jobs. I used to get mad at my friends who work in the lone grocery store in town for working off the clock. They go in on their days off, or clock out and keep working so they don't rack up that time-and-a-half. It did no good to point out that it's illegal, and the state labor and industries department will go after their idiot boss, especially if they present a united front. But they're too chicken to stand up for themselves.