GAME: Webmaster ethics (Question #1)
 

I'm going to start a new series of posts inspired by the game called SCRUPLES.

Let's see where GFY's collective moral and ethical lines are!

Question #1:

You are unhappy with your current job and are ready to move on. You contact a few companies, and a couple that are interested want a face to face interview. You are being paid by your current employer to attend an upcoming convention in 2 weeks where all your prospects will be also.

What would you do?

1) Go to the convention and interview for a new position.
2) Go to the convention but not interview for a new position.
3) Quit your job before the convention, and attend anyway for the interviews.
4) Quit your job before the convention, and don't attend it at all.

if you go to the convention and do everything you are supposed to do for your current employer I think it's ok to talk to people/interview about possible jobs - discreetly. any industry that has gatherings/tradeshows this is going to happen.

unethical if u go there on your current employer's dime and you've already mentally left your current job and don't put on a good act and continue beating the drum for your employer - main purpose of the trip is to plan your getaway plan.

2 weeks away is Internext...random poll or a reality? :)

If a reality, who would want to leave your company Steve? I mean from Jordan to Tawni, they would have to be craaazy!

go and do interviews

but do them on my own time .. I would take care of the company business first

I mean a person is not expected to work 24 hrs a day are they at a convention ? if so that is some helluva lot of overtime pay they should recieve.

and as far as the travel being for the company, well what if the interview was in the same town as the person worked ? would they be unethical if they went and interviewed there on their own time ?

I am saying just because a person is in the same town for whatever reason, their own time is still their own time IMHO.

Ok, my take on the situation.

#1 If you're going to convention on a companies dime, it's a smack in the face to not only not do your job at the show, but look for other work. it's tacky. If you obviously have time to be interviewed at a show, you're not doing what you're being paid to do at the shows.

#2 It's best to look for a job when you still have one
When faced with these four outcomes, I don't see quitting your job and then looking for a new job as being a good idea, unless you don't plan on doing anymore work for the company. Now, if you are unhappy with the present company, look for a new job in your spare time.

Couldn't have said it better myself.


:thumbsup

I'd probably arrive there a day later or earlier too get the interview...

or at least do it in my spare time.

wheres the option to just stay home get stoned and order pizza?

#2.......

I'm guessing what I would do, because I haven't worked for anyone but myself in more than 30 years. That said, I see two potential ethical issues.

The first is whether it is okay to continue working for someone after you have decided to leave: yes if you can do your job as normal, no otherwise.

The convention, as such is a red herring, because it is wrong to pursue any activities during work hours, other than those required by your employer. It makes no difference whether you are at a convention, working in the office, or whatever. However your own time is your own, again regardless of circumstances, so if you can arrange an appointment in your own time, go for it.

It is probably worth recognizing that if your potential employer has standards of his own, he will not favor you if he believes you are cheating your present boss. Therefore if you do meet him at the convention, make sure he understands that you are on your own time.

:thumbsup :thumbsup

Here is my answer:

Give three weeks notice to your employer, and let him decide if he wants you at an upcoming convention or not. If he still sends you, do your job without making it public that you are leaving. If you want to do interviews, make sure they are DISCREET and don't interfere with your convention schedule and duties.

As an added measure of respect, tell your current employer that you'd like some personal time at the convention for interviews. Be upfront and avoid the drama!

If he doesn't want you at the convention, DON'T go anyway! Arrange with your prospects an alternate time/place to interview. Most employers are willing to compensate prospective employees when they are the ones insisting on the face to face interview.

Steve Lightspeed

go and do interviews I see nothing wrong with that I mean if you HATE your job you have to get out of it I guess.

i just cant answer because I'd be damned before I'd allow myself to be employed by someone else

If you are going to the convention with the sole interest of getting a new job, you shouldn't be going on the old company's dime. But if you are going and will work for them solidly through the event, and keep your interviews discreet and out of the public spotlight, then I don't see the issue.

If you get a new job as a result of the convention, you might want to offer to refund some of the trip back to the first company. Better yet, don't agree to anything until you get home, and don't start the new job for a few weeks after... keep it cool for everyone.

Well put.

I select #5: Go and do the work you have to do for your current employer, and do interviews on your own time

i would discuss my unhappiness with my employer first, give them first crack at improving the situation.

if the committment of tickets, transportation, or lodging has already been made by my employer, and they still want me to attend the show, then i would fulfill my obligation to them first, and meet with prospectives on my own time (probably a day before, or after the show-from what ive seen at shows, if you have a job to do, you dont have a lot of spare time for that kind of stuff)

if the employer has not spent money to get me to the show, and it is more than two weeks out, i think it would be reasonable to put in two weeks notice at this point, and attend the show on my own dime.

There is an apt expression in business which states, "the best time to look for a job is while you still have a job".

In most instances, you wouldn't be interviewing with other companies if you were 100% happy with where you were, or unless you were curious about what you were worth in the job market.

I was a National Sales Manager for one company, and I would complain to my boss to let me pay our people better and especially to lift the cap on commissions, because I didn't like training my reps for our biggest competitor. A few months later I was at that competitor too. A year later, the competitor bought the whole damn company.

I found I was most happy when I finally became my own boss...

ADG Webmaster