The newest employee at a state office has questions about ... going along v personal responsibility

In My Humble Opinion
1

Three week into a new job for the state. Though I’m a flunky, I report to very high up. I report to the (interim) Administrator who reports to the Secretary who reports to the Governor of our fine state.

Already I’ve received 3 very bad instructions, knowing from the minute I heard them that they were wrong, with possible bad outcomes besides having to redo some work done badly the first time. One might still result in our department being sued, though the probability is very low. One might already have resulted in the theft of one of our computers, though we’re hoping that the guy who took it was a legit employee with a legit reason (nobody checked), and the third was resolved without incident, though had a few chance occurrences happen differently, we could have been sued for that too. Aside from liability, it was simply wrong and unprofessional too.

Here’s the thing. I personally am in the clear from consequences from these things. I was acting according to explicit directions, once from a supervisor, once from a bureau chief, and once from the personal assistant to the Administrator. My position has been, and maybe still should be, “I’m too new to challenge anyone in this office about anything for any reason.” I need this job desperately.

But, I learned to my surprise while talking to my boss on the first day of the job, that I was hired explicitly because in the interview I said I had no problems enforcing rules or saying “no” to people. When asked what I still needed to learn, my answer was “diplomatic skills” because I tended to be more blunt than a lot of people are comfortable with.

And here’s the first question – do I say anything to the boss about this stuff? These other people are all her subordinates too, and one is her personal assistant. The assistant handed out one of our computers to a guy without knowing his name, took his word that he reserved it through the online system (he hadn’t), or even checking to see if he had an employee ID. The other two issues both involved a screwed up hiring process where I was given the wrong information, passed it along to job candidates, and was told not to allow any more candidates to schedule interviews. It remains conceivable that something might happen in the next couple of days that could result in a suit.

The second question is – when has enough time elapsed that I can assert myself and start challenging things that I know are wrong? The simple answer is “When my probation period is over.” But maybe my boss expects more from me, as evidenced by the reasons she gave for hiring me.

Thoughts?

2

This is easy to say and harder to do, but my answer is: Day One.

Your employer asks you to do something illegal, or would get you sued, or violates policy, you tell them no then and there, whether you’ve been there 5 minutes or 5 years.

You say your boss hired you because you’d stand up to people. You’re not doing that now, so I wouldn’t be surprised if at the end of your probationary period you’re let go unless you change gears pronto.

3

I wouldn’t wait until some period is over before being proactive about problems. But I’m not sure running to the “boss” and telling him/her all of the problems that the “other” employees made after the fact would be a wise decision.

4

This.

Suppressing your better judgment or sense of what’s right in order to “go along” is more likely to lead to regret.

5

You should always challenge things that you know are wrong. You were hired for this expressly, so why assume it will jeopardize your job more than not doing your job will?

6

Were any of these bad instructions you were given in writing? If not, it’s not likely that the givers will admit it if things turn out wrong.

Bob

7

I would sit down privately with my boss, describe my concerns pretty much as you have described them here, and pose the question to her. Let her know that you 1) are not trying to get anyone in trouble, 2) as the new kid on the block, are sensitive to need to get along and not overstep your bounds, and 3) are aware that going along with activities that could bring unfavorable attention to the Secretary’s office is foolhardy for all concerned. Ask her specifically how much authority you have to challenge instructions from others, either higher up or equal to you and how she wants you to execute that function. Impress on her that you are asking because you want to protect her and Secretary’s office, not just CYA. If I were in her position, I would want to know if members of my staff were doing things, evenly innocently, that could come back around and bite me or someone above me in the butt.

Good luck!

8

All but one were ent by email. The other was giving away the laptop --and I made sure to sit in on the meeting with the Department security guy to make sure that the story got told right – and it did.

9

If a boss tells me to do something that I think is wrong, I discuss it with them privately. Then unless it’s illegal, I do what they say. Heck they may even tell you something that you didn’t know that makes everything OK.

If I think that it’s illegal or wrong, but don’t know for sure, I ask for it it writing. I’ve had many bosses back down from that.

Lastly I highly recommend CYA as in Cover Your Arse. Keep memos of who, what, where, when, and why you were told to do something that seemed wrong. If it comes in an email, all the better. Don’t keep this stuff on a work computer alone. You might be denied access to your computer just when you need it the most.

Also remember to pick your battles. You can win a lot of battles yet still lose the war.

Over the years I know that I missed one promotion due to challenging a boss. But that was only one of many promotions.

10

I’ve got bad news for you. If you report to the Administrator, you’re not a flunky. You’re a bureaucrat.

That means you do need to take some responsibility for your actions, even if they are ordered stupidly by those above you. When that happens, your job is to say “I don’t think we should do that because of the following reasons.” Then politely explain why they are stupid.

This is presumably what you were hired for.