# I have an unethical manager (long) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 18, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673 "2011-12-18T21:23:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/41 "2012-01-13T03:59:11Z")
ahhhh, firing your manager. Love it. Poor managers don’t realize that if the cubicle drones turn on you, you’re DOA. ---
**Author:** ![AlienVessels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@AlienVessels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlienVessels)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/42 "2012-01-13T06:48:09Z")
As many others have pointed out, you need a face to face with your manager and lay all the cards on the table. It’s not unethical behavior. I’ve seen sales managers jerrymander sales territories and yank a sales goal out of reach because it meets other goals they have. Maybe you can get the manager to redefine your goals so that playing team ball replaces those Q1/Q2 goals. He probably can’t do anything about the ding to your pay, but at least you’d be making progress. Unless the guy is yanking the rug out from under you because he sees you as competition. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/43 "2012-01-13T09:46:38Z")
Can someone explain to me how forcing someone else to fix your mistake is not unethical? In fact, since I’ve been seeing a lot of posts where people disagree about ethics, can people in the future explain what their ethics are based on? Mine is based on the maxim: “Don’t intentionally hurt people for your own personal gain.” And this does fall afoul of that maxim. And, no, the fact that this guy has authority or that it is business related does not in any way change that. Heck, part of the reason I’m so down on business in general is how many unethical practices get treated as if they are perfectly okay. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/44 "2012-01-13T12:28:55Z")
> [@AlienVessels](#): > > As many others have pointed out, you need a face to face with your manager and lay all the cards on the table. > > It’s not unethical behavior. I’ve seen sales managers jerrymander sales territories and yank a sales goal out of reach because it meets other goals they have. > > Maybe you can get the manager to redefine your goals so that playing team ball replaces those Q1/Q2 goals. He probably can’t do anything about the ding to your pay, but at least you’d be making progress. > > Unless the guy is yanking the rug out from under you because he sees you as competition. It is not within his authority to change my goals. He did it hoping his superiors would not find out, hoping I would obey out of fear. This is a big company with a system in place. Everyone has his part. He was asking me part of the system to change their focus, which helps him, but hurts the individual and the system. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/45 "2012-01-13T12:30:05Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > Talk to him, if he doesn’t back down, go higher. I’m suspecting that the reason you aren’t talking to him is because you know he is a major douchebag and won’t back down. If that’s the case, go to his boss. I don’t see how any reasonable person would see this as right. His boss is überdouche. The correction came from much higher. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/46 "2012-06-26T11:39:40Z")
The manager in question was fired for poor performance, a practical revolt by the managers below him, having inappropriate relations with people he managers (of the freaky kind), among other things. He is a married guy with two kids, I hate to see it happen to anyone, but I am glad to be out from under him. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/47 "2012-06-26T11:54:30Z")
So now who is going to move all the flour sacks? ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/48 "2012-06-26T19:17:56Z")
So…thinking of moving into management? ---
**Author:** ![Cryptic\_C62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cryptic\_C62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cryptic_C62)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/49 "2012-06-26T21:38:42Z")
> [@newcrasher](#): > > Great job at not understanding a situation and painting all of the people in the entire industry with a broad brush. True, automatically allocating the problems of bankers to the “don’t care” bin may not be particularly open-minded or thoughtful, but what you must surely realize is that a sizable chunk of the general public probably feels the same way. If your goal is to shift people’s perceptions of those in the banking industry away from “immoral baby-devourers”, lashing out with phrases like “I don’t give a fuck that you don’t give a fuck” probably isn’t going to help your cause. > [@](#): > > Another aspect I failed to mention is that if you don’t earn incentive for 2 quarters in a row, you can be fired. This doesn’t seem nearly as unfair as the treatment that carpenters/welders/electricians/etc. receive. The older guys (who get paid more) get laid off for no reason other than to make room for newer guys (who get paid less), even in unions which specifically have rules to prevent this sort of thing from happening. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/50 "2012-06-26T22:13:58Z")
haha, glad the douche finally got his comeuppance! Thanks for the update 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/51 "2012-06-27T13:00:01Z")
Somehow, I wasn’t surprised to see this update. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/52 "2012-06-27T18:27:33Z")
Not that it matters, since I missed this thread when it started, but here’s a couple of my cents: Your ex-boss sounds like a crappy boss, and good for you that you don’t have to deal with him anymore. But it seems to me that the crappy bonus system is ultimately a bigger problem than the crappy boss. Once you learn how to move big bags of flour, you can’t get paid for moving little bags of flour ever again?? That sounds pretty asinine. > [@newcrasher](#): > > Some big wig mucking muck high up sent out an email to the managers who manage my position that it is unethical to ask us to focus on things that do not move us toward the goals associated to out position. Effective immediately we are doing our proper job. Translation: The goals associated with individual positions are not necessarily compatible with the goals associated with your branch as a whole. This attitude handcuffs managers who may truly be trying to utilize their employees in the most efficient way possible, while fostering an every-man-for-himself mentality. Everybody’s compass should be pointing in the same direction, and that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Like I said, just my two cents, but jeez, no wonder people hate banks. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673/53 "2012-06-27T18:49:12Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Not that it matters, since I missed this thread when it started, but here’s a couple of my cents: > > But it seems to me that the crappy bonus system is ultimately a bigger problem than the crappy boss. Once you learn how to move big bags of flour, you can’t get paid for moving little bags of flour ever again?? That sounds pretty asinine. As long as we’re tossing copper . . . Presumably the bank makes very little (or no) money on the 2-lb sacks. So if you’ve got a guy who is generating profits from 100-lb bags, you don’t generally want to assign him to lower-valued work. Which would explain why the high-level guy intervened - probably the manager’s scheme was affecting mucky-mucks bonus numbers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-unethical-manager-long/606673.md?page=2)