What would you do?
It is your first month at your new job. You’re working at a local fitness gym, dealing with the clients’ contracts. You have continually expressed your gratitude to your friends and family to have this job after an extended time of unemployment – especially in the economic climate we are currently in – to have a job is indeed a blessing. You interact well with the other employees in your office and by now have even learned that your manager is a Christian who prays daily on their commute to work.
This morning the assistant manager informs you that if a certain client calls or stops in the office, you need to inform them that your company no longer has a record of their contract and they need to renew their membership. This is not actually the case – in fact, you recently saw their contract amongst the files you recently put away. Your assistant manager tells you that their contract was a lifetime contract that the former owner established with many members, but that your new company is trying to get out of. The assistant manager informs you that this is plan of action is coming directly from the “Christian” manager. “Do not tell them we have their contract,” he says. “It will cause us both to have big problems.”
It doesn’t really hit you right away but as the assistant manager walks away you realize that he is asking you to lie. You know you don’t feel comfortable lying, but do not want to disobey your boss, especially after his stern warning about “big problems. Immediately you pray and ask God to keep you out of this situation – “let them call on my day off if they need to call at all,” you ask. “ Just as you finish praying, this client walks in the door.
What would you do?
Hi,
how about:
“Hello … nice to see you.
The assistant manager just informed me that your membership needs to be renewed. If you have any questions, the best would be to talk to him directly concerning the matter … ”
It’s called putting the monkey back on the shoulder where it belongs
IF that brings those announced “big problems”, then perhaps the problems too can be moved to where they belong when the facts concerning the case come into the open …
Cheers,
Wolfgang
Well stated Wolfgang!! I agree that lying is NOT the right thing to do.
Sometimes we have to just tell things like they are, awkward as that may seem.
Rich
What about our concern for a just ephah–the whole idea of doing business equitably. Should we stand by in full knowledge as a customer gets taken advantage of?
Hi Sean,
by referring the customer to the management, the customer has the opportunity to refuse “the renewal” and in particular deal directly with those from the management who are responsible … and thus is not necessarily automatically taken advantage of. If they continue to be so stupid and claim that they “have lost his contract”, he can simply offer to provide a notarized copy of his copy of the contract for their files …
Actually, come to think of it, one could have also greeted the customer and mentioned to him that the assistant manager had said something about his contract being lost and therefore he needed to renew his membership and then just sort of mention “conversationally” that he perhaps has a copy at home to clear up the matter ?
before sending him on to the manager ? 
Cheers,
Wolfgang
Sean’s concerns mirror my own in this WWYD situation.
We should not be silent if an unethical business practice is being done – especially if you clearly know about it.
I would not listen to the Assistant Manager’s “warning” and go directly to the Manager him/herself. We know from the information given in this scenario that the Manager is a Christian who prays daily on the way to work. Perhaps the Assistant is doing something that the Manager has no knowledge of. Perhaps the Assistant Manager is being over zealous in trying to make money for the gym. (I was a retail store manager years ago and I had to “re-train” some of my people when they weren’t doing the right thing(s).)
Regardless lying to the customer and trying to get out of an honest & valid contract to simply better serve the company’s financial interests (to the harm of the customer’s) is not ethical and certainly not “Christ-like”. Therefore why not approach the Manager and tell him/her the situation and that as a fellow Christian yourself, you believe that this type of situation should be handled in a honest & ethical manner. Customers should be treated as YOU would want to be treated (the Golden Rule/”love your neighbor as yourself” that Jesus upheld as the second greatest commandment). Any purported follower of Christ should do whatever is possible to uphold this.
If the Manager sides with the Assistant Manager, the Company, or who-ever is wanting to conduct unethical business practices, why would you want to work there anyway? You’re sure to face this type of situation again and perhaps worse.