What the CEO says has to go no matter what

Question

I work in an IT / web development team for a retailer. We were a larger team but have been downsized 50% due to staff leaving recently and not being able to find replacements. We did have a manager filtering info from the CEO to us and now we deal with the CEO more directly. (250 ish staff total)

Recently he told us that we need to stop asking questions and do exactly as he says no matter what, even if we foresee a problem then it will be his problem to own. There have been times when he wanted to do things like making customer details (emails and phone numbers) etc public-facing just for one example of requests we have advised against.

I do understand he is the CEO (who also owns the company) and at the end of the day what he says needs to be done, but I don't see a reason why he can't tell us what he wants to achieve and then we can think of a way to achieve his goals. Versus him telling us what he wants us to code exactly whether it will work or not. Is this normal?

Answer 1

If you believe it is illegal, you tell the CEO, and you are not going to do it unless the CEO tells you in writing that it is legal. Or if it happens, you go to a lawyer and ask what you need to do to make sure any legal trouble isn't your problem.

If you think it's a bad idea and will cost the company money, reputation or in other ways, you tell the CEO in writing and keep a copy for yourself. You will need it when the CEO realises that he was stupid and wants to blame you.

If you think it's a bad idea because there are better uses of your time, you just write down what you have been told, no need to tell the CEO, just in case he realises you wasted your time and blames you.

And lastly, if you think your job or your salary are unsafe because he drives the company into the ground, you look for a position elsewhere. And when you have signed a legally binding contract for a new and better job, you give notice and leave at the end of your notice.

Answer 2

Is this normal?

It's unusual. But of course it depends on the personality of the company owner.

But what does it matter if it's "normal" or "abnormal"? The owner of the company gets to decide how the company works - normal or not.

Now you get to decide if you want to work that way, or find a new company (with a new owner).

Answer 3

No, it's not normal, and it should be a huge red flag to you.

even if we foresee a problem then it will be his problem to own

He's being disingenuous. If you foresee a problem and don't raise it, then you will be the one thrown under the bus when it actually blows up. If you foresee a problem and do raise it, you'll face his wrath. Not a good choice, but covering your back is definitely the better of the two.

Answer 4

No, it's not normal, but you are still obligated to follow this policy.

The company pays you to do what they tell you to do. That's what your work contract says. Well managed companies will tell you to do whatever is in the best interest of the company and speak up when you believe they are making a mistake. But unfortunately not all companies are well managed. So when the company owner tells you to "stop asking questions and do exactly as he says no matter what", then that's what you are being paid to do. Personally I would not want to work in such a company. I would also be worried if a company which still operates under such an antiquated authoritarian mindset has much of a future in the world of the 21st century. But whether or not you want to put up with this company philosophy is your personal decision.

One exception would be if you are asked to do something which you believe would break the law. (you did not say where your company is situated and IANAL, but publishing contact information of customers might be an example of something which could be illegal in a lot of jurisdictions). In that case you should refuse in order to protect yourself or at least insist on a written confirmation that your concerns were noted. If you are unsure about whether or not an instruction is legal, then you might want to consult a lawyer. You should also make sure that you received the instruction in writing and secure that evidence in a way where the company is unable to delete it (which means outside of your email inbox). Just in case the whole thing blows up and the company tries to defend itself by inventing a narrative where you acted on your own accord.

Answer 5

I'm going to buck the trend. Yes - he is your employer, and you have effectively agreed legally to perform tasks which are assigned you and are legal.

However - you are also a person, with your own moral understandings. If any manager in any capacity asks you to do something which you feel is not right, you do have the right to push back and inform them that you will not do it, and ask if you might fulfill the business objective another way.

They, of course, have the right to terminate your employment in response. Most answers here say to do whatever is asked of you if it's legal. The rest suggest you should just leave. I suggest a middle ground - riskier than either, as you could end up unemployed, but it's worked so far for me.

I've found that many people who push hard respect (though they don't like it) when people push back. If the company is really in dire need of workers in your field, you have a fairly strong negotiating position. You should make every reasonable effort to keep the company afloat, and your CEO has should have a better understanding of what's needed to make that happen. However, you, and nobody else, are ultimately responsible to your own conscience.

Answer 6

I'm seeing a lot of duplicate advice and questionable advice from several answers here. If you are told to do something and you don't want to then don't. There are consequences to the choices you make, of course. Could you be terminated if you don't do what the boss wants you to do? Of course. But you could also be terminated if you do do what the boss wants you to do. (I'm assuming you're hired at-will.)

I do find myself in a position at times against what my boss wants me to do. I do get things done in the way he wishes sometimes, but other times I do find ways to do it my way. You have to balance it. Give 'im just enough of what he wants; you do the rest.

Please note that if you do something illegal, it doesn't matter if someone else told you to do it. You are still breaking the law. And, yes, you, and you alone, can be held accountable for that.

Take this story I heard recently: At an airplane manufacturing plant, certain components need to be X-rayed to verify their quality. The components are sent on a conveyor belt, and the technician checks the X-ray at his workstation and clicks the button that says Accept or Reject. One particular incident resulted in airplane crashes. After several months of investigation, they discovered the culprit, and they had recorded video. This technician was eating his snacks at the X-ray terminal and watching his phone. While distracted, he was simply pressing the Accept button for every single one of the components. He was legally held accountable (i.e. arrested).

At the same time, it is important not to get your feelings mixed up in legalities. You may feel that exposing your customer's data to the public is illegal, but I'm not aware of any US law that states that. There may be something in Europe. In the US, like it or not, it's the company's data, not the customer's. Now, if that data included credit card information, then that might be an issue with PCC compliance, but I'm not sure how law enforcement can get involved in that. You'd have to look into that. As others stated, go seek advice from a lawyer if you're worried.

Answer 7

Personnaly I would do as he says (what is legal) and still voice concerns and keep a log.

If his ideas fail he will probably blame you and you will have a log. This will either make him angry and eventually fire you or he will realise that he isn't fit for this.

Either way if he wants to drive his company to the ground let him do so. In the meantime look for a better manager organisation to work for.

Answer 8

Short answer: He's your boss, he's paying you, you do what he says even if you think it's a bad idea.

Longer answer: If you feel the need to protect yourself (e.g. you're being instructed to do something that you feel is illegal), take appropriate measures: get confirmations in writing and save them, voice-record conversations on these topics (if voice recording is legal; TBH I'd voice record anyway and just not tell anyone about the recordings until it's relevant, you can always reverse-engineer "meeting notes" or whatever out of a voice recording if instructed to do so by a lawyer), etc. The CEO absolutely won't take responsibility when the s*** hits the fan so don't trust that nonsense.

But then, do what you're told. If you're told to make customer email addresses and phone numbers public, then warn the CEO about the concerns you have, CYA as above, and then make them public. That's what you're being paid to do, so do it. Do it, or find another job.

Answer 9

It's unusual to be so upfront with that aggressive sentiment; however, it's not unusual for the CEO or owner to think that way.

I would recommend documenting whatever you can when questionable situations like this arise.

People like this rarely change; if you cannot work in this manner, I'd suggest looking for a new job.

Answer 10

That’s not normal but sadly, it’s also not uncommon.

There’s no reason he can't tell you what he wants and ask you to think of a way to achieve his goals, and do you see that has almost nothing to do with the gist of your Question?

No complaint and since you brought it up, this is the first time I’ve ever heard “downsized” used to describe people leaving, rather than being pushed out. If your “250-ish staff total” applies to the whole organisation, how is that relevant to your department? If that describes your department alone, the idea that any one person could realistically keep track of, let alone control 250 people is worse than ridiculous.

If he says any problem is his to own, fine… follow his instructions and find a suitable variant of “I’m following your instructions and please note, that means (blah la lah)…” and be sure there is a paper trail recording your warnings.

Quite separately, it’s not clear what “making customer details… public-facing” means but making details visible other than on a need-to-know basis would clearly be illegal here in the UK, and throughout the EU… I have no knowledge of data-protection or privacy laws elsewhere, but I doubt they’re much different. If that crops up, you need to find a way of saying “Following your instructions will mean breaking the law. How are you going to indemnify me?”

You need to understand that because he’s the CEO and owns the company doesn’t at all mean what he says needs to be done… even if arguing about it means you need to quit your job and then sue for constructive dismissal. Please look at how many Nazi war criminals tried the bogus defence “I was just following orders…”