Updated February 24, 2025 at 13:36 PM ET
If your boss asks you to do something you consider unethical, do you resign or hold the line?
Some federal workers are wrestling with that question now, as President Trump calls to reshape the mission and perceived politics of government agencies. In one recent example, multiple prosecutors resigned after Trump's Department of Justice ordered Manhattan officials to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
"I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me," wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagan Scotten in his resignation letter.
Ethical quandaries are not limited to the public sector.
When NPR asked listeners to share their stories about leaving workplaces that didn't align with their values, we heard from people who had worked at nonprofits, charities, and private companies.
NPR listener Emily Noyes told us she quit her nonprofit job after observing leaders misappropriating grant money.
"I had submitted a competitive state grant for my program, and once awarded, I learned leadership intended to divert grant funds from the project by padding my salary in our budget," Noyes said. "I reported this to our grant liaison and quit that day."
LaTresse Snead said her former employer went to great lengths to appear committed to racial equity, but she eventually realized its efforts were superficial.
"I was only hired to make the organization look like they cared about diversity," Snead told NPR. "My talent, expertise and my voice weren't valued or respected. Just the presence and the appearance of my Black face."
But sometimes, sticking around is the more ethical choice, Rutgers philosophy professor Alex Guerrero told NPR. He spoke with Morning Edition host A Martínez about what to consider before leaving a job that conflicts with your values.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
A Martínez: How have philosophers wrestled with the question of ethical red lines in the workplace?
Alex Guerrero: I think for a lot of people, this comes up as a question—should I be in this kind of job? Do I like this kind of job? But also, does this job give me a sense of meaning and purpose? Or do I feel alienated and disconnected, or worry I'm making the world worse by working in this job? I think those issues have been ones that philosophers have thought about, both in the workplace context and more generally for how to live a good ethical life.
Martínez: So for prosecutors that have decided to resign [over the Department of Justice's order to dismiss corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams], it seems like that goes beyond what they feel is something they don't want to do. They feel it goes against their mandate to serve the public.
Guerrero: Yeah, I think those things can overlap in some cases. So you might think, I have this power that's been given to me by this constitutional system, but I can only use that in certain ways. There are certain things that if I were to do them with this power, it'd be unethical and illegal. So those come together, especially when you're asked to do something that you believe to be unconstitutional. And I think in some of those cases, you might think it's unwise or illegal, but you might also think it's immoral.
Martínez: Is there a difference between ethical red lines in the public sector versus the private sector?
Guerrero: I think both can matter quite a lot, especially because private corporations play a huge role in our world. With public roles, the reason you have this power is because the public has trusted you in some form or other, so I think that makes a difference. But with private corporations, there are ethical issues that apply there too. Too often, people substitute thinking about what's legal for thinking about what's actually ethical. There might be lots of places where you're legally permitted to do something, but in fact, it's deeply immoral, and you should really think about whether it's the right thing to do.
Martínez: But not everyone has the ability to make these kinds of decisions. Are people as principled as they can afford to be?
Guerrero: I think that is really important. There are some cases in which people are limited in their career options. Maybe the job is keeping their family afloat. But also, I think we should be wary of overly emphasizing those in some cases where, yeah, it might be inconvenient or difficult for the moment, but there's a real collective action problem here. If too many people just go along, it makes it very hard for the few who might try to push back.
Martínez: I always think about situations like, say, an American company has a product they make overseas by children who earn pennies for their labor. If you're working in that company's marketing department, for example, how responsible are you for your employer's actions?
Guerrero: I think there is some responsibility there. You aren't entirely separate from it, and in some cases, you will benefit from unethical practices because your company will be more profitable, perhaps. I think there is a real ethical stain that comes along, especially as you become aware of these things and do nothing. I think corporations try to shut people down and prevent them from thinking in these terms. But one of the ways in which very bad things happen is by many people looking the other way.
Martínez: Is there an argument that some people who choose to resign for ethical reasons ought to stay? Maybe they can do more good by staying as opposed to making a public statement by leaving.
Guerrero: Absolutely. I think especially in cases where you might not be in a particularly high-profile position, maybe nobody will really notice that you leave. But also, there might be cases where it's really important that people stay and look for ways to fight from within: to try to push back against what's being done, to gum up the works. I think in many cases, the ethical thing to do actually is to stay in the role, as hard as it might be, because if you leave, you might be replaced by somebody who is gung ho about the immoral thing and will push forward in a much worse way. But also, you might well be able to help slow down the things that are being done.
Kaity Kline produced the audio version of this story and Majd Al-Waheidi edited it for the web.
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