Did I do the right thing?

39 Comments

1. Dr. Patty GrossApril 10,2023 at 12:44AM UTC

   I think it depends on your manager. As a manager, I would have appreciated having the weekend to prepare some response to something that could impact the renewal of a grant or contact, especially if it would have legal repercussions. My preference doesn't work for everybody, though. It wouldn't make any difference if they didn't check their email over the weekend.

2. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 12:29PM UTC

   it does not matter at all when it was sent, if i send an e mail at 4:35 pm on a friday i do not EXPECT a response, and nor do i expect and asnwer monday morning. this is a non issue, co workers asking for something by e mail just as you leave and then EXPECT a repsonse is a whole other thing. i am constantly ` told ' by a co worker i am doin thing wrong and my boss never finds issue with any of it. some people are just annoying. always trying to see issues where there are none. the bosses always have the option of waiting to repsond, they can act accrodingly to their preference.

3. AnonymousApril 10,2023 at 12:47AM UTC

   Having worked in government where there is a lot of politics and self protecting job preservation, I understand your predicament. I recommend that you maintain your professional and factual stance and try to remove emotion from it. You did nothing wrong as you are doing your job. How your manager responds is on him/her and you can't go back and change anything. You may get new insight if it is going to be a good job or something to move on from. If they don't want to correct their compliance it will reveal a lot.

4. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 12:30PM UTC

   I agree with anonymous here. I also understand the politics and self protecting and have gotten myself in a similar situation. Ultimately, I was doing what was right and so were you. I've been "reprimanded" and told to do it differently next time which I've tried to do. Meanwhile, I felt like a puppy who got hit on the nose with a newspaper. Hopefully your situation goes smoother. Keep doing the right thing!

5. AnonymousApril 10,2023 at 4:27AM UTC

   The timing is what it is. You are not responsible for when you discovered the error. It was extremely urgent and you alerted your manager with your critical finding. You acted correctly and responsibly.

6. AnonymousApril 10,2023 at 1:36PM UTC

   Bad news does not get better with age. You did the right thing at the right time.

7. Maegan, Nike Sales Rep & Career CoachApril 12,2023 at 1:53AM UTC

   You did the right thing. Have your own back and feel good about your decision!

8. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 12:09PM UTC

   Regretfully I worked for a company that perpetually did the wrong thing when it came to federal and state laws. I could not put any concerns in writing and had to address them with the owner and when I tried to voice my concerns his comment was, "That is why I have lawyers". I followed the laws and was laid off 8 months later. Hope your situation is different.

9. GirlBossanova934974April 12,2023 at 12:09PM UTC

   You did the right thing. Regardless, one weekend is not going to make much difference in any case. There should be an inquiry, then fact finding, and then possibly various changes and fixes. That is going to take more than just a weekend. Compliance issues with federal contracts should be addressed immediately. I know this as a former federal contracting officer. If we the Feds find about it first, we have a problem. If the company reports it to us, provides a fix etc, things go a lot smoother.

10. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 12:11PM UTC

    I honestly don’t understand why your coworker thought that. Because the supervisor had been out and might have been blindsided coming back to it? Because you wrote the email and then left for the weekend and so weren’t available to discuss? I am genuinely baffled by what the issue is or could be, and I’m usually pretty good at seeing things from other perspectives.

11. Cheri Armour SamplesApril 12,2023 at 12:16PM UTC

    You absolutely did the right thing.

12. Cherylee BushApril 12,2023 at 12:19PM UTC

    Maybe the co worker thought sending it might be viewed as interrupting the supervisors vacation. I have a lot of execs where I work that would prefer not to be put in the position of saying "yeah, I knew for a week but I was on vacation" so I didn't do anything. Yes its vacation but bigger titles are often expected to address serious issues even if they are off.

13. Tahirah WineglassApril 12,2023 at 12:21PM UTC

    Yes u did! Don’t give it another thought

14. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 12:24PM UTC

    It's sad that you were told to have concern about ruining about the employer's vacation. Hope it worked out good for you.

15. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 12:26PM UTC

    is Your coworker’s reaction to do with “don’t deliver bad news on Friday.”

16. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 12:29PM UTC

    I think office politics can be left down to individual interpretation. Factually you did nothing "wrong" at all. Practically maybe it could be ignored or left under the pile of other issues due to the timing.

17. Kerry HoganApril 12,2023 at 12:32PM UTC

    You absolutely did the right thing. I can't think of any of the executives I've worked for that would not want to be informed immediately of a federal violation. You have given your supervisor time to absorb the issue, gather information and prepare a response. I'm sure she will appreciate that.

18. SuzanneApril 12,2023 at 12:53PM UTC

    I agree that you did the right thing. If this ever became an investigation, you can easily claim you alerted your superiors immediately. Make sure you document everything moving forward as well.

19. Barbara WhiteApril 12,2023 at 3:29PM UTC

    Definitely document everything until the issue is resolved!

20. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 1:13PM UTC

    You did the right thing. If I were charged with investigating this I would ask you when you first discovered the potential issue and why you waited to report it.

21. Dcre1977April 12,2023 at 1:46PM UTC

    The approach you take really depends on the company and management. If the company wants to be in compliance, then you did nothing wrong. If they don't want to be, and unfortunately I have experienced that, then you are screwed no matter what you do.

22. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 1:52PM UTC

    You absolutely did the right thing. In addition, I would urge you to call your company's whistleblower hotline and file a report there, detailing what you discovered and who you notified. This will be sent to the internal Legal team for investigation, and the company's independent auditors likely ask for quarterly reports to be pulled from the system so they can ensure compliance. You can file the report anonymously, though I am sure it will get back who it was, based on your email. I obviously don't know what industry you are in, but if these actions could cause harm, they need to be stopped and corrected.

23. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 2:13PM UTC

    Definitely do this. In some situations, you could be quietly targeted because he reported suspected wrongdoing

24. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 3:54PM UTC

    I think I would have a conversation with your manager before you call the whistleblower hotline. See what the reaction is and see if you can work together to fix it. I can't tell how grievous the issue is from the post, but you've already sent it to your manager. I think they would appreciate the opportunity to address the issue before you blow it up on them. Perhaps it was a situation where they weren't aware and now that they are, they will jump right in and correct it. If so, what whistle is there to blow? You brought up a concern, it got addressed. If it is a "bad enough" issue that legal, independent audit, and others need engaged, that should be part of the "correction." If, however, you are completely dismissed and they are not addressing or asking you to keep quiet, etc. then you may have to go to the next level. I think it is always best to manage up and then see before you go to the top and blow up the whole process. And yes, they will know you blew the whistle if you go that route. Again, I think that is ok if they don't correct but give them a chance to do the right thing.

25. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 1:56PM UTC

    More likely than not, you’re not in trouble. You can definitely help control the situation by how you present it to the manager though. If you bring it to them with the attitude of ‘Good thing I caught this so now we can fix it’ you’ll help to temper the manager’s reaction. It will also help if you can bring a proposal for how to fix the problem efficiently. My job involves audit readiness and I can attest that we’ll meaning companies make mistakes all the time and especially in industries where regulations change frequently.

    On the slim chance that the manager wants to sweep it under the rug, at least you’ll know what you’re working with and can start looking for a new job.

26. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 1:58PM UTC

    You did the right thing.Whatever your coworker’s motivations (that the manager was not to be disturbed on vacation, or that “bad news on Fridays” is to be avoided) …it’s ultimately best to let the manager decide what to do with the information, and alert them in a timely fashion. That’s their job. They will deal. Sometimes “bad news on a Friday” gives the coworker the weekend to blow off steam and come in Monday ready to problem solve

27. AmyApril 12,2023 at 2:03PM UTC

    Like others have said you did the right thing, but as for how you talked to your supervisor about it, I think it depends. Obviously it's important to point this out to someone, so you were correct in that! Tone doesn't always come through in email, so despite your efforts, it's possible your supervisor could feel attacked and blamed (depending on what you said). If you have a good working relationship, she may wonder why you didn't speak to her about your concerns, as she may have been able to address them or further advise you on how to report them. Ultimately, what's done is done, and if you're truly anxious about it, again, depending on your relationship with your supervisor, go and talk to her and tell her how you feel. She may be able to assuage your feelings and you can both move on toward addressing the problem. Good luck! (Editing to add, if your company did something wrong, it's irrelevant whether your supervisor feels attacked or blamed, but since your "ask" here seemed to revolve around how this was communicated to the supervisor, I referenced that :)

28. Arlene Frances Gottardo (Bryak)April 12,2023 at 3:11PM UTC

    ?

29. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 4:18PM UTC

    You did the right thing! Follow up with the manager when she is back and emphasize the need to get into compliance. I had the same situation with a bad result but I’m glad I did the right thing, which is exactly what you did. I ended being blamed for the compliance issues but they were done by my predecessor and I was the one who brought it to management’s attention. I resigned after management decided to keep doing it the wrong way. I’m happy with my decision to leave. Be prepared for a similar outcome. Good luck.

30. Alison PerrinApril 12,2023 at 4:46PM UTC

    I would have talked to your supervisor’s boss before putting it in an email. However, if you believe you might be blamed then the email is appropriate and will CYA

31. Kathy LeskiApril 12,2023 at 5:05PM UTC

    The only reason for sending it on Monday vs Friday is wanting to be top of the emails she/he would be seeing upon their return. If they haven't spoken with you yet, I would ask them if they have a few minutes starting with "Not sure if you've seen my email yet, I know your inbox is probably packed, but... " and continue to tell them what it's about and that you believe it can be fixed moving forward, etc.

32. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 6:11PM UTC

    Sending anything negative or perceived as such on a Friday means it could either A- fester over the weekend or B- become a reason for them to take rapid action against you for a Monday. If the company is aware of their issue and does not want it to be a thing then you also put yourself directly into the firing line of retaliation. I know you mean well but IMHO you should have spoken first to your supervisor directly and then do the written documentation after that conversation bcc'ing yourself and your personal email for the paper trail. Then you can be sure that you have a safety net and can cover your own a** should there be any repercussions. I would get on your managers calendar for first thing Monday and then sit them down let them know you flagged it for positive reasons not to whistleblow.

33. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 7:10PM UTC

    take a minute and RE read yourself,,, alerting to an issue should NEVER be grounds for ``retaliation```EVER. people who think like you are the REASON toxic work environments are allowed to continue.

34. AnonymousApril 13,2023 at 12:20AM UTC

    Whoa. It didn’t come off that way to me but more that she believes THEY may do that to her and was offering advice to sidestep those kinds of people.

35. AnonymousApril 13,2023 at 8:16PM UTC

    most of the comments here are, they might sweep it under the rug, that's the worse case scenario, imagine being in NON compliance AND firing an employee over that , way to make themselves MORE legal trouble. the people also commented THEY quit. ... its sounds like ``advice'' but it is just dramatic and overly negative. the co worker MOST prob made an issue out of nothing. people love to do that. if this person had said , people have been fired over stuff like this here , THEN i would Believe the worst.

36. AnonymousApril 17,2023 at 4:59PM UTC

    Read the comment below. I AM the person who suggested that they could possibly retaliate NOT that they would. Please re-read what I wrote, it is valid feedback. I work in HR and the legal side of it and have been on both sides of this conversation to know how things COULD go.

37. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 7:02PM UTC

    If you felt motivated by your ethics to document it right away, and you thought it was important enough to do so, no need to look back. Those who can look away from those types of things (ethics, safety, efficiency) often have an easier time at work though. I respect your feelings of urgency. At this time, I would also suggest that you document everything that happens moving forward, whether in a journal or with others by email. Be aware of any attempts at retaliation, big or small, while at the same time tending to your relationship with your supervisor and letting them know you are trying to help. (Unfortunately, sometimes, everyone just wants things to keep moving superficially, and don't take well to those who try to improve things, so if you do see signs that things are taking a turn for the worse, I'd consult a lawyer or advisor who helps with HR situations.) From your post, it doesn't sound like things will take a turn for the worse, it sounds like you could probably smooth things over with a conversation.

38. AnonymousApril 12,2023 at 8:10PM UTC

    It's good you have sent the email. Friday or Monday does not matter if the concern goes well with the manager. If you would be considered responsible for the problem then sooner is good as you tried your best to fix the situation.

    Even though Ethical issues are quite common most of the times can be solved with conversation, as you speak through the issue it might deter other person in repeating it .As an employee you might be worried to be in that situation and management might not have same concerns as you and they might not want to directly disclose it to you. If you think the situation is not improving even after expressing concerns follow the guidelines laid out in your company to raise it to next level. Ideally anyone raising and pointing ethical issues are not supposed to be harassed however most of the cases you have risk of retaliation . When you are in such a situation its hard to decide which way to go as both the directions are risky and unfortunate as no one want to be in that situation.

39. Farah BajwaApril 12,2023 at 8:12PM UTC

    You had ethical concerns and you documented them (save a copy for yourself). I'm having a tough time understanding what difference does it make if you sent it Friday or Monday? I see you posted this a couple of days ago, so maybe you can update us on if there was a difference :)