Tesar-Reynes

How do you handle stressful workplace situations where your own ethics come into question?

Recently, some friends and I discussed a very uncomfortable and unfortunate workplace incident over e-mail. One of us works as a financial advisor at a mid-sized office. He received word that 6 of his coworkers had been fudging numbers just to meet minimum productivity levels. They were found out and most likely will be fired.

I won’t get into the details of the situation, as I’d like to respect my friend’s privacy and the privacy of his firm. I think all of us encounter similar temptations in the workplace and can relate to similar circumstances. The extra pressure to perform can drive some to disillusionment. It may be tempting to fool yourself that you’re acting within moral grounds in the name of your position or family.

Another friend spoke of a similarly challenging ethical situation in which he had to manage job cuts at his firm. As he put it, his management team wrote 65 names on the board and had to get them down to 30, over half his workforce. You can imagine the difficulty he faced considering he intimately knew many of his coworkers and their families.

Here are some takeaways he shared from the experience, paraphrased from his e-mail:

1. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Hard situations are inevitable. To be a survivor you must keep thoughts and emotional responses at bay.

2. Do not get emotionally attached to your workplace.

Be clear about what a healthy professional relationship is and do not confuse these with friendships. Your coworkers and your place of work is just that and they’ll change much over your career.

3. Make sure that you are more of an asset to your organization than your organization is to you.

A job is only a job and you have the ability to do great things outside of your 9-5. While it takes effort and a lot of restraint, do not create your life around your job. If you invest enough in yourself and believe in your ability, a job loss should not derail your success.

Sound advice I think. The second two points especially resonate. For me, the lines between coworker and friend blur easily, possibly to my detriment at times. Healthy professional relationships sounds much more, well, professional.

I hope my friend’s third point gives some comfort to any of you unemployed souls out there, or you employed, but over-stressed souls.

“You are not your job. You’re not how much money you have in the bank. You’re not the car you drive. You’re not the contents of your wallet.”

Tyler Durden may have been radical, but he was onto something. Life balance is a necessity. Career should denote only one aspect of your overall happiness.