The Law of the Land

The Law of the Land
Mike Cohen
COM325: Communication & Conflict
Angela Winfrey
January 17, 2012





    The Law of the land is term used in many different parts of life. Some would use it figuratively in regards to the physical land around us. When used by someone regarding the United States or any other country, it constitutes as all of the laws that are enforced within that particular region or country. In this case, The Law of the land is regarding ethics and administrative professional. The Law of the land is defined as: “If it’s not legal, it’s probably not ethical either.” To analyze this quote, it’s simply stating if you’re doing something that seems to be wrong morally or ethically, it’s probably wrong illegally as well.  Same goes for the latter, if you’re doing something illegally it probably doesn’t constitute as being moral or ethical either.  Many different situations come up while at the workplace, especially when paired up with your boss. Some may be normal and routine, others may seem difficult. In the following passages, we will explore a few different scenarios and go about it in the best of our abilities.
    Case 1: The Boss’ Expense Report. Your boss conveniently loses his expense report for his last trip. On his way into a meeting, he drops a blank report on your desk and asks you to fill in the blanks, saying, “Make it add up to $300 or so.” What will you do? In a situation like this which is could be a career ending situation, I’d search in my previous files to see if we have any expense report similar to one of the same amount of money. I would try to make it as realistic and accurate as possible. For the reasons of looking good in the eyes of my boss, looking good in the eyes of his boss and saving my job and definitely my reputation.
Case #2—Lunch Reservations.  Ever since you took the job last year, your boss has asked you to schedule a weekly lunch date with his mistress. You don’t like doing it, but you’ve made the reservations anyway. Last month you met his wife at a business luncheon. Now that she has met you, whenever she calls and he is out, she asks, “Can you tell me where he is?” You can’t stand being an accomplice. What will you do? This situation is easier than most may think. No matter what this is none of your business. Sure it’s unethical but it’s a personal matter that has nothing to do with your job description. I promise if you reread your employee handbook it says nothing about saving a boss’ marriage or being a family mediator.
    Case #3—Dinner a la Corporate Card. A very attractive manager from another department asks you out to dinner. You are surprised when you arrive at a restaurant with average prices of $50 a plate. But you enjoy the meal and the conversation—especially since work doesn’t even come up. Dessert and after-dinner coffee are added to the bill. The big surprise comes when your date pays for everything with the company’s credit card. What will you do? See if they’d pay for valet parking as well? This is a situation of which it’s a personal moral situation. It should weigh more on her conscious to see what she/he did with the use of the company credit card. Working in the restaurant industry, I’ve seen numerous times of which a customer would use a company card while dining with his family.
Case #4—The Confidential Report. It is afternoon and you have just received a very bulky interoffice mail package. As you begin sorting the contents, you discover a cover letter addressed to someone else and a folder stamped “Confidential” in big, red letters. As you begin to put it back in the mail bag, half the contents of the folder slip out and fall all over your desk. Since it is “Confidential,” you try not to look, but you can’t help yourself. You discover your company is involved in the scandal of the century. What will you do? This is a situation that I wouldn’t wish on the worst of my enemies. Sure I am an employee of this company and there may be some situations of which I could be implicated but in this situation I would directly bring it to the attention of a high position employee. I do not want to get involved with any legal side of this. I don’t get paid enough and don’t have a law degree to begin to understand.
Case #5—Party Marty. Marty is another administrative assistant who works in your office. Over the last two years the two of you have become great friends. The only thing you don’t like about Marty is her cavalier attitude toward “sampling” company property, like packages of ballpoint pens and reams of paper for her home computer. You have never said anything before, but now she has gone too far. Yesterday she announced that she had “borrowed” the keys to a condo at the corporate retreat. “No one will be there this weekend,” she says, “so I’m throwing a party! Wanna come?” You know Marty’s boss has no idea his keys are missing and you’re uncomfortable participating in such an incriminating activity. What will you do? I would politely not accept the invitation. Personally I’ve always taken a policy of not mixing business with pleasure. I respect my co-workers but would rather keep the two separated.
    Situations such as the previous come up more often than most would realize. Sure these situations were presented to us for us to analyze, but the actual situation of being involved in an uncomfortable situation is one most can never prepare for. If you have good morals and go by the ethics you’ve built and developed over the years of being in the workplace, you’re ahead of most of the pack. It’s never a good idea to be involved with sketchy situations, but you must act professionally and in the best interest of your own personal standards.









Reference Page

Cahn, D.D., & Abigail, R.A. (2007). Managing conflict through communication (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.