My husband is active military and has been away to other countries, defending our freedoms, more than he has been home. His fight is a visual fight. You can see it on the news or even watch TV programs that highlight charitable events towards soldiers' families. I do not want to downplay the War on Terror by any means, but there is a war here at home that does not get as much media attention: I am choosing to call this the War on Ethics.
I have been a public servant in state government for about seven years. I had a “break” in service after one temporary appointment, so only five years truly counts on my “permanent” record. In those five years, I have promoted up rather quickly, especially for someone still in their twenties. I went from Office Assistant to Revenue Officer to Lead Auditor 4 to Information Technology Specialist 3. Every jump included an additional five hundred dollars in my monthly paycheck.
The higher up I have gone, the more politics I have been around. The more I have seen, the more I have become physically ill at the lack of ethics-and the lack of concern among fellow public servants.
As a governmental employee, I have never forgotten-not for one single day-where my paycheck comes from. Taxes. The People. I am work, “for the people and by the people.” Regardless of who my stakeholders are in each position, I know that ultimately, I am serving the People.
Sometimes we have to pick our battles. Sometimes we will see “small” violations of policy or law. Perhaps it's just something non-material like “diminis use” of government property. For example, a co-worker accessing Match.com on their break. They are using government property for something that isn't work-related. That is a violation. Do I say anything? If it's an isolated event, probably not. No one is getting hurt, they aren't using it to excess, it is limited to their break-time, it's not ruining productivity, etc. Classic situational ethics.
But what happens if the co-worker begins to buy and sell stocks using their agency computer? That is not only a violation of the “diminis use” policy but is also a conflict of interest. The other situation is as well, but there is an unspoken hierarchy of ethical evils, and this now tips the balance.
Still, what happens if what is witnessed is on an even larger scale? In both situations described, sure a major violation occurred, but no one was hurt. What if someone is getting hurt?
You would be amazed at how many co-workers would remain silent in both situations as well as what I am about to describe. Too many people fear their own job security and are unwilling to speak up over unethical activity.
In my last position I just held, I witnessed contractors around me being treated as workers. You might ask why this is even a concern. Allow me to elaborate:
As a Lead Auditor I was in charge of assessing employer-employee relationships. This means that an independent contractor was given a 1099, but had too much direction and control over him/her and “personal labor was the essence of the contract.” In those situations, once I made the assessment on one contractor, that whole firm would then go under audit (backdated three years), and all of the firm's contractors would be evaluated. If they were all deemed as “workers” and not truly contractors, the Department would assess back-taxes that should have been paid on those workers that would often equate to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
If that firm did not pay, their account would go into Collections (the division I started in with the Department). If their account remained unpaid, then the Department would file liens against the owners' homes, seize their assets, and even take money straight from their bank accounts.
Now, let's go back to the future, and look at the situation I was just in. All around me, contractors were given 1099 but treated as workers. Personal labor was the essence of their contract. They had their own equipment and place of business, but were not allowed to use them. They were required to come into the agency's location, use the agency's equipment, and also had to keep time sheets. They were not allowed to work on state holidays. They were not allowed sick or vacation leave. They were not only directed in what tasks to do, but in how to accomplish them. They were not allowed normal break times, but were checked up on frequently if they even took a ten minute break to use the restroom and get a cup of coffee.
