職場生存法則:同事做事缺德 應如何處之

How to handle it: Colleagues ethically challenged?

同事缺德怎麼辦？

Dear Annie:I've never seen this problem addressed in your column before, but I'm hoping you and your readers can give me some pointers. I've been in my current job as a regional department head at a financial services company for about eight months now, and during that time I've repeatedly witnessed instances of less-than-ethical behavior on the part of both my immediate boss (who has been here for about 20 years) and a couple of the people under me.

親愛的安妮：我從來沒看到過你在專欄裏討論這個問題，但我希望你和你的讀者能夠給我一些指引。我擔任一家金融服務公司的地區部門主管已經有8個月了，在此期間我多次發現同事的行爲並不那麼道德，其中甚至包括我的頂頭上司（他在公司已經有20年的資歷）和一些下屬。

It seems that some of these practices are just part of the corporate culture here, since no one but me seems to have any objection to them. So far, I've been "going along to get along," basically turning a blind eye, but it's making me uncomfortable. I'd like to take action, but I'm not sure what to do. Reporting the misconduct to higher-ups seems politically unwise, especially since I'm still relatively new here and probably viewed as highly replaceable. Is there any way to blow the whistle without also having to look for another job? — Uneasy

某些行爲看似已經成爲公司文化的一部分，因爲除了我，大家好像都對此見怪不怪了。到目前爲止，我也只是“聽之任之，和氣生財”，睜一隻眼閉一隻眼，但心裏卻很不舒服。我想採取行動，但不知道該怎麼做。向公司高層報告看起來不算明智，特別是我還是新人，很容易被替換。有什麼辦法可以讓我揭露真相，同時又不必擔心丟掉工作。——良心不安的人

Dear Uneasy:You've picked an interesting moment to ask. As you may know, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced a couple of weeks ago that it will pay out its first-ever bounty of $50,000 -- 30% of the amount collected in an enforcement action, which is the maximum allowed by law -- to an anonymous whistleblower who reported financial wrongdoing. This has raised concerns among employers (maybe even yours) that the prospect of a monetary reward will prompt people to report wrongdoing directly to the SEC, or another government agency like OSHA, without first alerting their bosses.

親愛的良心：你提問的時機很有意思。證券交易委員會（Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC）在幾周前剛剛宣佈將向金融犯罪的匿名告發者發放其史上首筆賞金，這筆5萬美元的獎金達到了法定的最高限額，爲執法收益的30%。這條新聞讓公司（可能也包括你的東家在內）擔心，金錢回報會促使人們直接向證券交易委員會或者其它政府機構，如職業安全與健康管理局（OSHA）告發犯罪行徑，而不是首先提醒老闆。

Moreover, according to employment law firm Seyfarth Shaw, the number of whistleblower complaints to regulators has been climbing, up about 20% since 2008 -- but the number of cases that have been resolved has stayed flat, rising barely 0.5% over the same period. "Having so many open cases hanging around creates a really awkward situation for employers and employees alike," notes James Curtis, a Seyfarth Shaw partner in Chicago. "The statutes prohibiting retaliation against whistleblowers carry heavy penalties, so companies have to tread very carefully to avoid even the appearance of punishing an employee who has reported misconduct."

此外，根據專攻勞工法的律師事務所Seyfarth Shaw的數據，監管者收到的檢舉數量持續上升，從2008年以來了增加20%，但結案數量幾乎不變，同期內僅上升了0.5% 。“這麼多未結案的訴訟讓公司和僱員都很尷尬，”Seyfarth Shaw駐芝加哥的合夥人詹姆斯•柯蒂斯指出。“法律嚴禁打擊報復，對此類行爲給予嚴厲處罰，所以公司都會小心翼翼地處理，避免給人留下懲罰告密者的印象。”

You don't mention whether the behavior you've witnessed is illegal, or whether it's merely unsavory. If it's the latter, here's a bit of background you might find intriguing: More than half (52%) of employees in companies with revenues of $5 billion or more say they have observed unethical (but usually not illegal) behavior by colleagues over the past 12 months, according to astudy by nonprofit research group Ethics Resource Center. At companies with sales of less than $5 billion, the percentage is 45%.

你沒有提到你所見到的行爲是違法的，還是僅僅違背道德。如果是後者，這裏有些有趣的背景材料：根據非營利性研究機構倫理資源中心（Ethics Resource Center）的一項研究，在年收入不低於50億美元的公司中，超過一半（52%）的員工聲稱他們在過去12個月中觀察到同事有不道德（但通常並未違法）的行爲。而對於銷售額低於50億美元的公司，這個百分比爲45%。

That doesn't necessarily mean big-company employees are less ethical. The same study noted that, the bigger the company, the more likely it is to conduct formal ethics training, which makes people more aware of standards and expectations in this area, hence perhaps more likely to speak up about infractions.

這並不意味着大公司僱員就更缺德。因爲該研究還發現，公司規模越大就越有可能進行正式的倫理培訓，從而讓員工更瞭解該領域的標準和期望，繼而更有可能揭發違法行爲。

Overall, the five most commonly cited forms of bad behavior were conducting personal business with company resources, spotted by 29% of employees polled; abusive behavior toward coworkers or subordinates (22%); lying to employees (21%); illegal discrimination (18%), and Internet abuse (17%).

總體而言，最經常被提到的5大不端行爲包括：假公濟私，29%的受訪者發現過此類行爲；凌辱同事或下屬（22%）；對員工撒謊（21%）；非法歧視（18%）及濫用互聯網（17%）。

Most alarming, the study says that retaliation against people who report wrongdoing to higher-ups is rising. More than one in five (22%) experienced some form of revenge in 2011, versus 12% in 2007, and 15% in 2009. The most common punishments: Being passed over for a raise or a promotion, being relocated or reassigned, or getting demoted, although "physical attacks against the reporter's property" jumped from 4% in 2009 to a startling 31% last year.

令人警醒的是，該研究發現，對向高層揭發不當行爲的人實施打擊報復的案例也在增加。2011年，每五個告密者中就有超過一個（22%）遭到了某種形式的報復，而2007年這個數字僅爲12%，2009年爲15%。最常見的懲罰包括：在加薪或升職時不予考慮，調離或調職乃至降職，更有甚者，“對告密者財物的實體攻擊”從2009年的4%躍升到了去年的31%，令人咋舌。

So clearly, if you're going to inform on your colleagues, you need to tread carefully. Peter Handal, CEO of Dale Carnegie Training, suggests approaching your response in three stages. "First, with the people under you, if the misconduct is relatively minor, why not just have a conversation about it?" he says. "Let your direct reports know where you stand."

所以很明顯，如果你要告發同事，一定要小心謹慎。戴爾•卡耐基培訓公司（Dale Carnegie Training）的CEO彼得•韓鐸建議按照如下的3個步驟來採取行動。“首先，對你的下屬，如果只是小錯，何不直接談一談？”他說。“要讓下屬明瞭你的立場。”

Take, for instance, using the Internet on company time. "If someone is doing a little last-minute shopping the week before Christmas, it's probably best to just overlook it," Handal says. "By contrast, if someone is looking at porn online in the office, you have a responsibility to put your foot down, in part because that could turn into a legally actionable situation, and in part because it's just totally inappropriate." In other words, as department head, you have the authority to make rules about what your team can or can't do on your watch -- so use it.

比如，在上班時間使用互聯網。“如果只是在聖誕節前的一週做點緊急採購，你最好不聞不問，”韓鐸說。“與此相反，如果某人在辦公室瀏覽色情網站，你就有責任強力介入，除了可能造成法律後果，還因爲那種行爲實爲不當。”換句話說，作爲部門主管，你有權力制定規矩來規範團隊的行爲，那麼就要使用這種權力。

With your boss, the situation is a bit more delicate. "Before you go to higher-ups to report anything, make sure you're right," Handal says. "Ask this person, 'Did I see you do what I thought I saw?' Phrase it as a question, and give the boss a chance to explain -- or, if the situation arose from a mistake, to correct it."

而如果對象是你的老闆，情況就微妙得多。“在向高層報告之前，確保你的觀察準確無誤，”韓鐸說。“直接問當事人，‘我想我看到你做了某事，我看錯了嗎？’用疑問句，並且給老闆一個解釋的機會；如果關係到犯錯，也給他一個改正的機會。”

If that has no effect, proceed to Stage Three. "Report the misconduct to someone higher up in the company, and ask to remain anonymous and keep this conversation strictly between the two of you," Handal advises. "And again, phrase it as a question rather than an accusation. Say something like, 'Here's what I've noticed is going on -- how would the company handle that? What are the next steps?'"

如果這樣的做法沒有效果，那麼進入第三階段。“向公司高層報告不當行爲，並要求保持匿名，對話應該嚴格保密，只有對話雙方知情。”韓鐸建議。“還是要使用疑問句，而不是直接指控。可以這麼說，‘我發現這些情況……公司會如何處理？下一步會採取什麼措施？’”

At that point, Handal says, "the company's formal procedure for dealing with ethical lapses -- and most big companies do have one -- kicks in. The ball is in their court now, so step back and let the process take over." If you've done that and nothing changes, he adds, "I'd think twice about continuing to work there."

到了這一步，韓鐸說：“公司處理道德疏失的正式流程應該啓動了，大多數大公司都有這樣的流程。球到了他們的半場，你就該退避，讓位於規章制度。”如果你做到這些，但還是一切照舊，他補充說，“那我就會仔細考慮是不是還要繼續待在這裏了。”

If the behavior that's bothering you is illegal, the sooner you speak up, the better. Senior management may not regard you as a hero, but you'll have earned at least some grudging thanks. Notes attorney James Curtis, "It's in companies' own best interest to nip illegalities in the bud. Too often, the CEO never hears about wrongdoing until the regulators are already involved, and then it's too late."

如果困擾你的行爲屬於違法行爲，那麼越快告發越好。公司高層也許不會把你當作英雄，但你至少也會得到一些不情不願的感謝。律師詹姆斯•柯蒂斯指出：“把違法行爲扼殺在萌芽狀態最符合公司自身的利益。常常出現的情況是，直到監管者已經介入，CEO還從未聽說過被調查的違法行徑。到了那個時候，一切已經爲時已晚。”

One more word about the Ethics Resource Center study: The most-observed shady behavior -- using company resources for personal purposes -- was also the least reported, red-flagged by only 38% of those who witnessed it. (Bribes to public officials, by contrast, got reported 77% of the time, and bribes to clients 79%.) That means people in your position are making plenty of judgment calls about what's worth reporting and what to let slide. The trouble with letting too much slide, of course, is that one day you wake up and you're Enron. Good luck.

倫理資源中心還有一個發現：假公濟私除了是最常被發現的不當行爲外，也最少被告發，只有38%的人會站出來。（作爲對比，對官員行賄被告發的比例爲77%，而對客戶行賄更有高達79%的可能被告發）。不難看出，和你處於同樣處境的人對於什麼值得告發，什麼可以容忍都有明確的判斷。當然，如果這樣的容忍沒有底線，也許某一天你醒來，結果發現自己的公司突然成了第二個安然（Enron）。祝你好運。