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I started a thread a while back on what you do when your boss tells you to do something unethical. I reported her to the department head who did NOTHING for over a week while bad data got reported when I was out sick. After I got back I got together with another employee and stressed to the department head how bad it was and she countermanded my boss's order. Then my boss threatened to get me fired for disobeying her so I reported her to our QA manager. The did an ethics investigation and told me they wanted to 'move forward.' Then my boss put some unrelated lies on my performance evaluation and I rebutted it, not mentioning the fraud. I did mention how she was violating other rules that were in the policy manual and creating a hostile work environment. My boss was finally demoted after that. But it wasn't over.
My ex-boss was demoted but they still had her working in the chromatography section where she had ordered me to commit fraud. She quickly did something else that was fraudulent and convinced the department head that it was ok. It wasn't. The department head is a radiochemist who knows nothing about chromatography. I showed her how some data could ethically be reprocessed, but she went to my ex-boss who didn't agree on the reprocessing. They both approached me and the department head said she would sign of on the bad data and allow it to be reported. I was going to go to the top and report it to HR, but my coworker convinced me to report it to our QA manager again. I was really irate that my ex-boss is allowed to keep working in chromatography and I have told everyone that. The woman told me that ethics are arbitrary at one point. One problem is that the QA manager knows nothing about chromatography either. My coworker said she had a meeting with the QA manager and department head and she said "they are going through a learning process." It's really concerning that they don't trust my knowledge of chromatography. I've been doing it for 10 years.
Then late Friday the department head sent me a nasty reprimand and threatened to get me fired for talking out loud in the cubicle area about the fraud. She called me into a meeting where she said my ex-boss is complaining that I'm creating a hostile work environment. I was irate and said "SHE'S A CROOK. She ordered me to commit fraud and threatened to have me fired for refusing to obey. AND she's still in the chromatography section and continuing to commit fraud!" The problem is that the department head is somewhat guilty too for not stopping the initial fraud. I have proof that I reported it to her in an e-mail and she did NOTHING for a week. If they fire me it looks like illegal retaliation against a whistle-blower. It looks to me like they want this all covered up and kept within the lab. She didn't have to threaten me like that. She could have just had an informal meeting. I'm considering my options over the weekend but I think I have to to to the top and report it to the head of HR. I think I'm about to get suspended or even fired. At my last post I found out I was suspended when I tried to log into my computer and couldn't get in.
If there is fraud, you need to document everything, & show yourself in the clear. Good luck on getting the mess straightened out. I hope you have some kind of record saved.
If there is fraud, you need to document everything, & show yourself in the clear. Good luck on getting the mess straightened out. I hope you have some kind of record saved.
There are many e-mails from me to the department head and some to the QA manager. The problem is that the lab could get decertified and shut down if I make too big a fuss about it. Then as a whistleblower I am unemployable. But if I don;t do enough to protect myself I could get charged with fraud. I'm just trying to get them to kick the unethical crook out of chromatography but they won't do it. If they come after me I have to defend myself and it could blow up into public accusations of lab fraud. I really don;t like being threatened. I tend to fight back when that happens. I did't report my boss to QA until she threatened to fire me. Now the department head has threatened to fire me.
Wow that sucks. It's always hard to fight against management when so many of them are only interested in protecting and covering themselves. If someone was in a similar situation as yours and went along with the fraud because they were afraid to speak out against it, if things go wrong, guess who is going to take the fall for it. A lose-lose situation sometimes.
There's some articles about whistleblowers, but it assumes that one hasn't gone through the process yet. If it were me, I might consider speaking to an attorney who specializes in these things since you are already at a point where people know what you did at the job and your job is threatened.
There are many e-mails from me to the department head and some to the QA manager. The problem is that the lab could get decertified and shut down if I make too big a fuss about it. Then as a whistleblower I am unemployable. But if I don;t do enough to protect myself I could get charged with fraud. I'm just trying to get them to kick the unethical crook out of chromatography but they won't do it. If they come after me I have to defend myself and it could blow up into public accusations of lab fraud. I really don;t like being threatened. I tend to fight back when that happens. I did't report my boss to QA until she threatened to fire me. Now the department head has threatened to fire me.
Forward immediately all your emails that you sent to the department head and the QA manager to your personal email account before your company suspends you to access to your work computer. Delete the forwarded emails in your work computer. If or when you need a lawyer to fight for you, you have your emails as proofs.
Forward immediately all your emails that you sent to the department head and the QA manager to your personal email account before your company suspends you to access to your work computer. Delete the forwarded emails in your work computer. If or when you need a lawyer to fight for you, you have your emails as proofs.
I actually have to be careful about what I forward to my personal e-mail. Fraud charges and supposed to be confidential and forwarding it to someone else would be a violation.
I actually have to be careful about what I forward to my personal e-mail. Fraud charges and supposed to be confidential and forwarding it to someone else would be a violation.
Then print them out so you have a copy, if you are fired, and no longer have access to company email, you still need proof of what you sent.
I actually have to be careful about what I forward to my personal e-mail. Fraud charges and supposed to be confidential and forwarding it to someone else would be a violation.
You forward to yourself, not to someone else. That's the difference. You don't show the confidential documents to anybody other than you. But when you go to see your lawyer or go to court, you need a proof that you sent emails to the head and manager. You have to do this quickly before you cannot do it. If you can access from home (like many workers can do that), do it today, right now. If you print them out, somebody in the management may follow you and take all the copy back, they may accuse you of stealing "property" of the company, and fire you on the spot. When things become ugly, those in the management who hate you can be very ugly, they can watch you every step of your way. They can twist and turn things to get rid of you before you can make a move.
Last edited by AnOrdinaryCitizen; 08-22-2021 at 12:01 PM..
If there is fraud, you need to document everything, & show yourself in the clear. Good luck on getting the mess straightened out. I hope you have some kind of record saved.
I would talk to an employment lawyer about this (the initial consultation should be free) and would consider reporting all of this to state regulators, law enforcement, etc.
But tone it down while you're at work- don't yell, don't talk about the fraud where others can hear you, etc.
I would talk to an employment lawyer about this (the initial consultation should be free) and would consider reporting all of this to state regulators, law enforcement, etc.
But tone it down while you're at work- don't yell, don't talk about the fraud where others can hear you, etc.
This.
Always, always talk to a lawyer before even thinking about anything like what you're doing. What you know doesn't matter. What you can prove is all that counts. That's a skillset you and I really don't have, and that's what lawyers are for.
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