My Former Boss is a Criminal!
A reader writes:
I worked for a company that had only 3 or 4 internal employees and that included me. And the others were related to the owner/operator. There were always disagreements and the owner's questionable behavior anything from illegal drug purchases with the company monies to sleeping with field employees and paying them more than others. There was also the other things like IRS Tax issues and Employee Simple IRA contributions not being made for months.This email couldn't have come at a better time. Some of the comments in my earlier post "How to Whistleblow...Quietly" suggested that it's a big mistake to even think of working for a company that would do something unethical or illegal.
Then the owner decided to change the direction of the company and I wanted to leave and so I just quit. Then took some much needed time off and started my own company. Now I am in court because the owner forged a non-compete non-disclosure agreement on me. Also the owner is fighting dirty, I mean very dirty. What should I do? Should I slip it to the media somehow? Or any other suggestions....
I was originally on the side of trying to do something internally, but this email has pretty much changed my opinion. The problem of working with unethical people is that they do unethical things. And you could be their next victim.
So my answer to this email is simple: What the ___ did you expect?
You knew your boss was a criminal and you continued to work for him... until such time as you thought it would benefit your career to leave. And now he's going after you.
Should you go to the media? Why not? Be sure to tell them how you sat on your butt and said nothing while your boss was running what appears to be an organized crime ring.
You could have quit the first time you found him was doing something illegal.
But you stayed. So you're getting exactly what you deserve.
Have fun in court.