Is this ethical? Or did they have that coming?

Question

I got out of college at 22, and accepted a job in an assembly plant in the Quality department. The job put me in a position where I was responsible for anything that could go wrong; because I was new I accepted a very low salary for a job that should be paid a lot better. After the first year, I was graded as “Exceeded Expectations”, however, I got no raise. The next year, the plant expanded, and they opened up another process engineer position, but the guy they hired never did anything, he was just buck passer, he got along with the boss great, but I ended up doing all my work and his for a year. A year later, he got promoted above me. This time, I confronted my boss, and told her this was not right, she said she had to give the other guy a promotion because if it wasn’t for him, none of my projects would had been done on schedule. I hesitated before doing it, but I did. I quit, and I didn’t explain to anyone how to pick up from where I left off any of the projects.

Ex-coworkers were telling how everything was chaos. They had to hire 3 more engineers just to figure out where I left off, and pick up from there. I took them about 3 months to get all of the projects running again.

I still don’t regret it, would you?

Answer 1

nope. i did the same thing at my old job. low paying rihgt outta college and taken advantage of when it came to working overtime. they hired a new girl that barely had experience in the software and hardware used (im a graphic designer) when i left i heard that they had to work about a 70 hr week for the next 2-3 wks just to catch up, and their still swamped....hehehe....guess they realize what they had now :)

Answer 2

I did the same thing at my old job... I was always doing everyone elses work but they didn't want to give me a raise or promotion and one day I just had it... told them all to f**k off and I quit. Heard about a month later that they were losing alot of business and customers and that they had to down-size about 50 percent of their employees. Made me feel hella good. The only thing I regret is that I really loved my job and working with the customers, it was just my bosses I hated. Good luck to you.

Answer 3

Congratulations, you did the right thing.

In terms of ethics, it sounds like everything the company did to you, in terms of the work done and non-promotion, were the most unethical practice of all.

You responded to the unethical situation by getting out of there as quickly as you were able. That's probably the most ethical thing you could have done.

Don't feel guilty for leaving a company that had no ethics to begin with. They probably would have taken advantage of your good work habits for as long as they could.

If they were in chaos for months, then maybe that's a sign of bad karma on their part, more than a sign of your lack of ethical behavior.

ForeclosureFish
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Answer 4

I wouldn't regret it. You should be compensated for your achievements, and no employer has the right to take advantage of an employee, unfortunately many employers do, and they get away with it because the employee doesn't take a stand for themselves. So I say, "Nice job, and let them worry about the problem that they created!"

Answer 5

Hell no, the only thing I would regret is the loss of income, but if that is not a factor for you, then I would not worry about the implications for the company. They should regret what they have done for you, they never even considered the implications of their actions (or inaction) towards you!

Answer 6

Dude

Respect to you. Lots of people complain that they are underappreciated and that "any day now they're gonna leave" and that "they'll realise once I've gone" - well you did it, and they realised - so fair play to you.

I hope this story has a happy ending and you're doing something better and more fulfilling now.

Best of luck.

Answer 7

Kudos for standing up for yourself. You owe nothing to a company that obviously felt they owed nothing to you. Once you quit, its their responsibility to continue with the business. I hope you've found a better job.

Answer 8

You did the right thing, as long as you have another job option - and as long as you don't need recommendation from them.

Answer 9

No I wouldnt regret it. They treated you like crap and assumed you would allow it to continue. I wish you luck wer ever your career takes you.

Answer 10

I think you did what was right for you. STICK IT TO THE MAN. Never work somewhere that does not appreciate you.