Whistleblowing

I’ve been a whistleblower.  I have also been outed.  At the time, I thought it was a normal part of the process, but I’ve since learned that’s not how it’s supposed to be.  Here’s the rub about coming forward.  Most people don’t fancy conflict or being involved in stressful situations, so we steer clear and try to live our lives without it.  It’s bound to come up every now and then, but the less we can expose ourselves to it, the more likely it won’t occur.  Kind of like things that are supposed to cause cancer.  Well, being a whistleblower or coming forward about some wrong done to us or in general is exactly that, isn’t it?  It’s a big, hairy, stressful pile of shit with teeth, because let’s be honest—you get bitten more often than not.

So, without going into too much detail so as not to “out” the people involved (see what I did there?), I’ll tell you about the time I was a whistleblower.  I was working for an organization that will remain unnamed, and I was in the room for a conversation I sometimes wish I had never heard.  As I heard it, I had a small underlying feeling that it may not be right, what was being discussed, but not enough that I felt I needed to report it.  Until I discussed it with another person that was basically my equal except for the fact they had more experience and a better understanding of the processes and rules. 

After gaining a better understanding of why the discussion was not right, I sought out my supervisor and brought it up.  This person was normally a great sounding board and supportive, but they offered an alternative reason.  Leaving their office, I felt a bit brushed aside and wasn’t really sure where to go from there.  Eventually, I found myself talking to my “equal” again and was encouraged to be a whistleblower.  I was afraid to do it, and in fact, I didn’t want to be a part of it at all.  But, if I didn’t do it my “equal” was going to and that wasn’t fair to allow them to take on that responsibility.  

So, there I was, at the ready to report it.  Because I was young and hated any kind of confrontation, I wanted to know the process first.  There was some comfort that it would take a while to investigate and I would not be around when it came to fruition because I wouldn’t be in my position too much longer.  Feeling the hesitation from me, the person I was talking to told me they couldn’t investigate anything unless I told them what happened.  I sighed and finally shared the information.  

Fast forward to about two weeks before I was going to leave my role, the information flowed down locally earlier than expected.  Cue the shit monster with teeth biting me in the ass.  The person I blew the whistle on was called in to discuss the situation, and when they returned from the meeting, they knew it was me and proceeded to tell everyone in the office that would listen that it was me and how awful I was for doing it.  Whistleblower outed.  Thanks.  But it didn’t stop there.  You would think that the talk would happen for a day or two and then it would die down, but it went on and happened in offices with open doors and behind cubicle walls.  I wanted so much to say, “I can hear everything you’re saying.”

I guess my only saving grace was the fact that one particular day this person was discussing the situation a cubicle away from mine with two other people and those people disagreed and said they felt what I reported was correct.  Other people in the office stayed out of it.  I remember another co-worker coming up and giving me some words of encouragement.  I can’t remember the exact words, but it was along the lines of keeping my head up and I’m going to run into these types of situations in the future.

I’d like to tell you that things got better, but I honestly wouldn’t know because all the stress of being an outed whistleblower caused me to leave my role early.  I look back on this one time in my life, and while I don’t regret being a whistleblower, I regret how it was handled.

The fact that we out whistleblowers or vilify people that come forward is the very reason why more people don’t do it, and instead suffer in silence or allow corrupt dealings to continue around them.  You might look at a group of people that surrounded someone or something with ill intent and wonder why no one spoke up about said intent.  It may not be the case that they aren’t ethical, it’s just that they are scared of being outed for doing the right thing.  No good deed goes unpunished, it seems.

Other than telling my story or being an advocate for whistleblowers, I’m not sure how to change how these types of things are handled.  You can write a law, but it’s only as good as the action to support it, right?  I guess that’s a good place to start…not only have protections for whistleblowers, but continue to uphold those no matter what.  No matter what.  There will always be people that want to tear others down or blame them for their own bad behavior.  Anything we can do to protect or shield people from retaliation is our biggest weapon against the machine.

What's the deal with the bad rap, anyway?

Photo credit:  Microsoft

Why does MLM and/or Network Marketing have such a bad rep?  The different levels are like status achievements for people.  Just like in corporate America where an IC strives to get to a higher level such as Manager, Director, Sr Director, VP, etc. 

Why is that a bad thing?  People by nature are title-driven to show achievement.  Just as it’s a bragging right to say you reached X level in that popular video game, it’s the same to say you reached a certain status with a direct sales organization.

What some may not realize is that some MLM/Network Marketing pay structures aren’t a pyramid (not to be confused with pyramid scheme, which is not a legal setup and where goods are not exchanged for money). What I mean by that is the pay structures aren’t such that those at the top get the most amount of money for the least amount of work and rely on people below them to bring in money.  If you want to get paid and make a certain amount of money, you must hustle just like everyone else.

In fact, many of the pay structures are set up to reward those that work hard and those at lower levels can even out-earn people above them by doing a higher volume in sales because of how the commission is structured. 

Why isn’t it a good thing to reward people for the hard work they do?  Compare MLM/Network Marketing to Corporate America jobs where you are fighting with other people for a piece of the pie, and at the end of the day, you may be the highest performer, but you may not even get the highest raise because of how a company does their annual review system.  If you’re in a ranking or calibration-type system, your performance is subjective, based on who is discussing you and how well your manager can speak about your accomplishments.  And what about those managers that don’t even attend, and their people are never even discussed and get the short end of the stick when their money is divvied up?  Yes, I speak from experience.

We work at corporate jobs because they give us a sense of comfort. We get health insurance, we get paid on a regularly basis, and we feel relatively secure that our job will always be there.  Really, it’s a false sense of comfort.  Anything can happen to the company and you could either not get paid, be laid off, or even be fired for some mistake you or someone else did. 

People miss out on their potential because it’s uncomfortable to go out on your own and not have a consistent hourly or salaried paycheck.  It’s also uncomfortable to have to buy your own health insurance if you work for yourself...or get the other perks you enjoyed at your corporate job.  But if you stop and think about it, really think about it—is your comfort really outweighing the cons of working for someone else?  Could you have untapped earning potential that is being held back by your inability to get out of your comfort zone?

To conclude my thoughts, I leave you with this:  just because a few bad apples got into the box doesn’t mean all the apples are bad.  Before you make a blanket assessment and think all MLMs or Network Marketing businesses are a scam or a pyramid scheme, I urge you to actually look at how the comp and title structures work.  I think you’ll be quite surprised, and it may even have you jumping from your corporate job to working for yourself. 

As I finish out this post, I’m reminded of a meme circling the interwebs.  It’s a picture of a sea of cubicles and the words, “No thanks, sounds like a cubicle scheme to me.” 

Job automation and the future of how we make a living

Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash

In a recent presidential candidate debate, the topic of job automation was brought to the table by Andrew Yang.  In his campaign website, he speaks about jobs you wouldn’t necessarily think would be on the list for automation, but his explanation of why makes a lot of sense.

Technology is increasing in leaps and bounds.  Just ask Google, Alexa, or Echo.  Machine learning has become the thing because it makes life simpler.  Feed it enough information and it begins to learn what your needs and wants are.  Remember the Furby toys?  Those cute, big-eyed furry guys were probably before their time, but they were a prime example of machine learning.  So smart that they became banned at the NSA for fear they would learn and repeat secret information.  At least they weren’t connected to the Internet, right?  Oh, wait, they are … just rebranded as Google, Alexa, and Echo.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) has grown to a point that it has been coded to act and think like humans.  If you don’t think your job could ever be done by an AI computer, don’t be so quick to write-off the idea.  There are cars that drive themselves for crying out loud!  And can we talk about the fact that fifteen years ago, I didn’t think I’d be using my mobile phone to check the weather, ask a question, deposit a check, learn a language, or even run a business on social media. 

So, with the threat of job automation, why aren’t we talking and planning more for the future of jobs?  Why don’t we look at what the career environment might look like in two, five, seven, or even ten years from now?  Andrew Yang sees the importance of bringing the topic to the table and it got me thinking about what the future might hold.  Incidentally, Futuristic is also one of my strengths from StrengthsFinders so of course this would interest me.  

Along with being a writer, I’m also in direct sales/network marketing.  Anyone in this career will tell you people often think what we do is a scam or a pyramid scheme because a couple of other companies gave the establishment a bad rap because they did operate as an illegal pyramid scheme.  People also balk at the idea of paying for a kit of products to get started because they’ve been told that any legitimate job doesn’t require you to pay up front to get started.  What people fail to realize is this isn’t a job, it’s a business you’re investing in AND you are paying for product to get started with AT A DISCOUNT, I might add.

That aside, because I’m not writing this to argue the merits of a direct sales/network marketing business, I got to thinking about job automation and what the future of the job market holds.  I had a bit of an epiphany of sorts and it leads to this prediction:  as we see more jobs done and held by people become extinct, there will be a boom in the number of people moving out of the traditional (and should I say… eventually defunct?) workplace and into the direct sales/network marketing arena.  

I’m not sure people realize this, but having a direct sales/network marketing business is pretty easy to get into.  You don’t have to rent office space because you can do it from anywhere and at any time, a computer and/or cell phone is really all that is required, and there are really no skill or education qualifications.  Most, if not all companies, offer you a supportive team, onboarding and training, and some even offer additional sales and network marketing training.  You may even think you need to be confident and be a sales person to enter this type of business, but you don’t!  I can’t tell you how many people I’ve worked with that have learned this along the way.  It’s important to note that it’s not easy and requires a person to be a self-starter and good at organizing and driving your own day vs. being told what to do.  However, it can be very rewarding to have control over when and where you work and to make it what you want it to be.

Now is the time to think about where your chosen career field may end up and if it’s ripe for automation.  Working for Corporate America isn’t as safe as it once was.  Although it feels comfortable because you know how much your next paycheck is going to be and when it will come … or do you?  What would you do if your job was eliminated tomorrow due to automation?  Nothing is guaranteed anymore.

I implore you to begin thinking about the future now and look into adding your own direct sales or network marketing business to your plate and work toward that full-time.  There are a lot of options out there:  cosmetics, nail polish strips, chocolate, organizational totes, hair care, bath and body, vacation or business rentals, etc.  The moral of the story is be ready.  Change is coming and it’s coming fast.