Integrity Counts But Costs
After 2 years, one lawsuit and a notebook, I can finally submit my taxes. It has taken its toll on our family, health & wellbeing but we are still standing. To those responsible for orchestrating this & other unlawful acts as punishment for refusing to engage in a litany of unethical business practices or cover up wage discrimination. My integrity still has no price tag.
I am grateful to my exceptional lawyer who skillfully helped me navigate a difficult chapter of my career and my beloved wife who has a knack for staying cool and focused under pressure. Taking on a multinationals’ war machine from a small law office in Nairobi is hardly a fair fight. But we prevailed.
Why share? It is part of the reality of my career & I know speak for the many victims who are too afraid to speak for themselves. Too often we share only the ups for fear of being judged especially by employers. Unethical leaders know they have reputational power, employment history & character assassination over you & many assert it as a means of blackmail. They even have a tag- “disgruntled”. In my case, they chose the wrong target but it still amazes me how entrenched, pervasive & self preserving these patronage networks are. Admittedly, I was unprepared for & alarmed at how far up the chain it went. It was sanctioned at the very top.
In the course of our careers we will have to deal with corruption, bullying, harassment, sexism, microaggression & prejudice. Incidentally, I just had a training on microaggression & learnt that complicit silence is in itself microaggressive as it permits & enables corrupt, oppressive or discriminatory environments in the workplace to persist. The dilemma is that when you speak up you equally risk being victimized. Channels purportedly provided to report for accountability in some organizations are in fact intelligence & risk management tools to identify & tag whistleblowers. This was certainly the case in my ordeal. I read with familiarity of a colleague at Google who was viciously hounded for raising concerns on #AIEthics.
In contrast, my experience over the past 2 years has shown me that many employers are genuine about fairness, equality, integrity & place a premium on high ethical standards. It tells them you will be a good custodian of their business, clients, assets & employees. I have been blessed to work for 2 amazing organizations that care about & reflect these values.
Speaking up is the hard part of being an ally to minorities & disadvantaged or disempowered groups. Enthusiastically painting your logo pink, reggae, or rainbow colors is the new color washing that needs to be backed by a fundamental change in values not just on paper policies & optics. Be advised that if you challenge harassment, discrimination or corruption, you will be targeted by those who benefit from the status quo. Patronage is alive, well, entrenched & does not go without a fight.
Those who speak up not those that stay silent make the workplace more just & fair.
