How do I fight off bribery pressure from my boss?
My boss keeps putting pressure on me to pick a bribe on her behalf. Before she tried persuasion in vain, now she’s out rightly forcing me. This is against my principles, what do I do? I do not want to lose my job. Rose
Dear Rose
Given the chance, we would all undoubtedly choose a boss who is honest, respectable, and admirable over the alternative, a boss who lacks integrity. Unfortunately we do not always get to choose our supervisors.
The weight can be crushing when you feel pressured to act outside of your personal integrity. But the best response to a lack of integrity is to honour the boundaries of your own integrity.
If your boss does not demonstrate integrity, you do not have to just accept it and suffer in silence. The truth is that it may feel strange to voice your concerns but have the courage to speak up rather than cower in silence for fear of an awkward situation.
Remember not to judge and assume your supervisor is not able to take feedback. When you approach him/her with respect and with a genuine desire to make things work better, you might open the door to whole new levels of trust and collaboration.
If your boss is forcing you to do things you are not comfortable with, stand firm.
Keep your head held high as long as you are doing the right thing and do not give him the satisfaction of pushing you about. Rather ask questions, seek to understand, and work to defuse a difficult situation.
If you feel you have run out of options for dealing with him reasonably, follow proper procedures for registering complaints with Human Resources or with higher-level superiors, documenting each step of the way.
Alice Nankya L. Nsibuka
HR business partner
NMG - Uganda
[email protected]
