The problem with most ethics blogs I have seen is that they are too removed from real life. While, as a professor, I hate it when people say that , it is true in this case. I read blogs on why corporations need to be legal persons and I won't go on but just say that was the MOST down to earth one I found!
Let me tell you about Martha. I have changed identifying information to protect the innocent and guilty. Martha said,
"I have cried over this, prayed over it and actually gotten sick. Sometimes I don't know what I should do. Sometimes I know but cannot do it. Here is what is going on ...
Martha's program is average size, has a budget between $300,000 and $500,000. They are totally broke. No programs for the summer. Layoffs or time off without pay for all staff. This has happened several times in the ten years she has worked for the program. A lot of people talk about her program, suspect something is wrong. Here is what Martha found out ...
"Over $30,000 of the money on our program has been misspent. There is no way I can prove it. For example, we spent $12,000 on office supplies. The Project Director has a big family. She goes to town and buys thousands of dollars in notebooks, pens, paper, printer cartridges, flash drives and all of that stuff two or three times a year. On the weekends, or at the end of the day, her children will show up to 'help her' at work and each leave with a backpack full of supplies. Say $100 per kid and she has a dozen grandkids and this happens a few times a year. We have receipts for all of the office supplies, so she can prove these were a legitimate expense. Since it has been going on for years this is even our USUAL expense.
Other expenses, from toilet paper, to cleaning supplies - same thing. This program has probably been adding to the income of her extended family $3,000 a month, for years.
OF COURSE people have brought it up before. At one point, her son, who used to work on the program was fired, supposedly it was for coming to work drunk, which he did, but a big part, too, was people knew funny things were going on with this program. Still, she is still here and the rest of it is still going on. It has improved a little since he was fired six years ago, since he really didn't do anything and now the program has that salary back in our budget. Still, we end up out of budget before the end of the year more often than not.
Everyone thinks there should be a simple solution to this but there ISN'T. Eventually, good staff members get disgusted and quit. So, we are just letting them get away with this. People have complained to the council who agree with us in private but say what can they do. Sure, it looks like they are spending too much money on supplies but what are they going to do, make them account for every pencil? Besides, this is just one little program. No one cares that much. My representative said,
My husband said we could tell the police and get a federal sting operation going. I talked to my friend whose husband works for tribal police and he laughed and said,
The thing is, though, I could fix it ..."
By now, Martha is almost crying.
"I am in charge of our accounts. I could go in and edit the money spent for the rest of the year to show it was paid to the Program Director as a payroll advance. I found this by accident when one time I typed in the wrong things and it went through the whole system as if Bonnie had gotten an extra check. She came to me, I found my mistake and fixed it. If I did this, no one else would know. They wouldn't know who did it or how. The money would get taken out of the Program Director line item and we would have money in our budget for supplies and the rest of the staff salaries. She could argue all she wanted with the council but if that is what is showed in the computer, no one would listen to her. Besides, they would like to get rid of her without too much trouble.
So, all I am really doing is taking back the money she took. Bonnie could keep working here. I wouldn't have to go without two months pay. We would have our summer programs."
Now, Martha's eyes are really filled with tears,
"I was going to do it. I really was. I sat down at the computer and I got sick to my stomach. I had to run to the restroom. I tried again, and I just could not hit that last button. It's lying. It's saying something that didn't happen did happen. Just like them. What if I do it and somehow I get caught? I'll lose my job at the very least, my reputation. Even if people think it's an honest mistake they'll think I am too stupid to be trusted at a job. Working with that program, no one is going to believe it was an honest mistake.
If I don't do anything, she gets all these freebies for her whole family while I get behind on my bills and Bonnie is out a job and all the people we are supposed to serve get nothing. So, me being honest helps those lying cheaters.
Then, I think, I tell my kids every day to be honest. How can I face them? If I did it and got caught, how could I ever face them.
In the end, I just couldn't do it. So, the layoffs will be announced by the project director next week, although no one else knows that, just me, since I handle the budget.
Let me tell you about Martha. I have changed identifying information to protect the innocent and guilty. Martha said,
"I have cried over this, prayed over it and actually gotten sick. Sometimes I don't know what I should do. Sometimes I know but cannot do it. Here is what is going on ...
Martha's program is average size, has a budget between $300,000 and $500,000. They are totally broke. No programs for the summer. Layoffs or time off without pay for all staff. This has happened several times in the ten years she has worked for the program. A lot of people talk about her program, suspect something is wrong. Here is what Martha found out ...
"Over $30,000 of the money on our program has been misspent. There is no way I can prove it. For example, we spent $12,000 on office supplies. The Project Director has a big family. She goes to town and buys thousands of dollars in notebooks, pens, paper, printer cartridges, flash drives and all of that stuff two or three times a year. On the weekends, or at the end of the day, her children will show up to 'help her' at work and each leave with a backpack full of supplies. Say $100 per kid and she has a dozen grandkids and this happens a few times a year. We have receipts for all of the office supplies, so she can prove these were a legitimate expense. Since it has been going on for years this is even our USUAL expense.
Other expenses, from toilet paper, to cleaning supplies - same thing. This program has probably been adding to the income of her extended family $3,000 a month, for years.
OF COURSE people have brought it up before. At one point, her son, who used to work on the program was fired, supposedly it was for coming to work drunk, which he did, but a big part, too, was people knew funny things were going on with this program. Still, she is still here and the rest of it is still going on. It has improved a little since he was fired six years ago, since he really didn't do anything and now the program has that salary back in our budget. Still, we end up out of budget before the end of the year more often than not.
Everyone thinks there should be a simple solution to this but there ISN'T. Eventually, good staff members get disgusted and quit. So, we are just letting them get away with this. People have complained to the council who agree with us in private but say what can they do. Sure, it looks like they are spending too much money on supplies but what are they going to do, make them account for every pencil? Besides, this is just one little program. No one cares that much. My representative said,
'What are we going to do? Search everybody when they exit the building? And how do we know they did not have that stuff in their bag when they walked in?'
My husband said we could tell the police and get a federal sting operation going. I talked to my friend whose husband works for tribal police and he laughed and said,
"Your husband watches too many cop shows on TV. They aren't going to do that for not very much money on a not very big tribal program. "Lots of people have suggested that the workers should really work on collecting proof over the next year and getting the director fired. That's not going to work. Certainly not for everybody. Bonnie can't afford to go without pay for two months in the summer so she'll just have to quit. What about the people who use our program? They'll get no services at all.
The thing is, though, I could fix it ..."
By now, Martha is almost crying.
"I am in charge of our accounts. I could go in and edit the money spent for the rest of the year to show it was paid to the Program Director as a payroll advance. I found this by accident when one time I typed in the wrong things and it went through the whole system as if Bonnie had gotten an extra check. She came to me, I found my mistake and fixed it. If I did this, no one else would know. They wouldn't know who did it or how. The money would get taken out of the Program Director line item and we would have money in our budget for supplies and the rest of the staff salaries. She could argue all she wanted with the council but if that is what is showed in the computer, no one would listen to her. Besides, they would like to get rid of her without too much trouble.
So, all I am really doing is taking back the money she took. Bonnie could keep working here. I wouldn't have to go without two months pay. We would have our summer programs."
Now, Martha's eyes are really filled with tears,
"I was going to do it. I really was. I sat down at the computer and I got sick to my stomach. I had to run to the restroom. I tried again, and I just could not hit that last button. It's lying. It's saying something that didn't happen did happen. Just like them. What if I do it and somehow I get caught? I'll lose my job at the very least, my reputation. Even if people think it's an honest mistake they'll think I am too stupid to be trusted at a job. Working with that program, no one is going to believe it was an honest mistake.
If I don't do anything, she gets all these freebies for her whole family while I get behind on my bills and Bonnie is out a job and all the people we are supposed to serve get nothing. So, me being honest helps those lying cheaters.
Then, I think, I tell my kids every day to be honest. How can I face them? If I did it and got caught, how could I ever face them.
In the end, I just couldn't do it. So, the layoffs will be announced by the project director next week, although no one else knows that, just me, since I handle the budget.
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