Where Were the Whistleblowers When Big Pharma Offered Bribes to Doctors?

It’s getting so we don’t know who we can still trust. Drug company Insys Therapeutics was recently brought up on racketeering charges for offering bribes and kickbacks to doctors to push their product, an aerosol form of the painkiller fentanyl, according to this New York Times article. The drug is highly addictive and given the current prescription opioid epidemic it spurred the U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts to file the charges to look out for patient safety. But should we really have to rely on the courts, rather than our physicians, to look after our best interests when it comes to health? And where were the whistleblowers? This scheme only came to light because of criminal investigation. Too often executives at Big Pharma get off scot-free while the rest of us suffer. I agree with Patrick Burns of Taxpayers Against Fraud who was quoted in the article—if this means that Big Pharma and its executives are finally held responsible, this case could be a very big deal indeed.  

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When Police Officers are Accused of Sexual Abuse, Trust is also a Victim

Why don’t people trust authorities designated to protect them? Perhaps the answer lies in yet another incident of sexual abuse by police officers, this time in Great Britain. The national watchdog group, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, revealed 426 accusations against English and Welsh officers over two years. Sadly, the victims were some of the most vulnerable people in society, including victims of domestic abuse, addicts and sex workers, many of whom were in custody at the time. By abusing their power this way, police officers are not only scarring their victims for life, they are also committing perhaps one of the most egregious ramifications of the government bully—the violation of the public trust.

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Is Your Company’s Performance Management Plan Designed to Get Rid of You?

Performance management is all too often a wolf dressed up in sheep’s clothing. Touted as a path to self-improvement for employees, such programs are actually structured to get rid of people. And forget about employee review plans. They might as well come with a pink slip. This hard fact became apparent at the end of November when an Amazon employee survived a leap off a 12-story building at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters. The employee had previously sent a public email to CEO Jeff Bezos as well as hundreds of his colleagues. According to sources, he had applied for a transfer but instead was put on an “employee improvement plan.” In corporate speak this means: “you’re toast.”

I have written before about the toxic culture at Amazon, which was exposed in this New York Times article. Amazon isn’t the only company to take on this practice. Kimberly-Clark and Proctor & Gamble were also notorious for this. This sort of toxic environment doesn’t bode well for productivity in the long term—and it certainly has done no favors to national reputation for any company. 

Photo: REBusiness Online

When a Bully Moves into the Whitehouse, Resistance Matters

The American people are looking for ways to effectively protest. Unfortunately we can no longer rely on the mainstream media to provide necessary checks and balances, even though they are more necessary now than in any time in our lives. Perhaps this is why non-profit journalism groups are receiving an unprecedented flood of donations—Americans want to stay informed during what is beginning to look like an authoritarian regime from the incoming presidential administration.

As I discuss in my new book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye, Donald Trump is the textbook definition of a bully, so it’s no surprise that Americans are looking for ways to make their voices heard. And, like the bully that he is, he’s already made an unprecedented move to smother free speech by having his presidential inauguration committee block access to the Lincoln Memorial, and effectively most of the National Mall, with a massive omnibus blocking permit. To compound things, this is in effect days before AND after the January 20 inauguration. Hundreds of thousands of women have already made arrangements to join the Million Woman March during the inauguration. This effectively shuts them down. No wonder independent journalism groups are receiving such support. They will be desperately needed in the weeks and months to come.

Credit: Unidentified Photographer, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963

Job Seekers: Check Out the Company While They Check You Out

I’ve read a few different articles lately about what people should look for in a new job, and I thought I would chime in. In much of the material I’ve been reading the emphasis seems to be on workplace culture, but only in a shallow sense: Does it seem like the sort of place you can see yourself? Do the people there seem like the kinds of people you would want to spend your days with? And so on. However, something that I really encourage anyone fresh to the job market to do is full due-diligence on whatever organization they’re thinking about joining.

In addition to checking up on the business online, either in the news or on sites like Glassdoor, feel out the contacts you have at the organization about how the culture really is. Instead of just speaking to your prospective new boss during the interview (which is still really important), try to get some time with the person you’re replacing at the organization. If you don’t have any existing contacts at the organization, ask if you can have some time with a few employees who will give you candid answers about how the organization runs. Don’t be afraid to ask what the turnover rate is, or what exit interviews for the company found as have employees left.

Additionally, be sure to ask about the performance management system in place at the organization, as that can give you a real clue as to what’s valued in practice at the business, in addition to helping you understand opportunities for advancement. I go into this in depth in From Bully to Bull’s-Eye  (RCJ Press; January 10, 2017), but I sincerely believe that our workforce has the tools to see a toxic workplace coming. Many of the people I’ve worked with in toxic work environments could have saved a lot of heartache if they understood that when you go in for a job interview, you need to evaluate the organization as much as they evaluate you.

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Constraints on Whistleblowers Hurts Everyone

A jury sided with Patricia Williams, whose suit against Wyndham Vacation Ownership described time-share sales tactics that were particularly harmful to older buyers in this New York Times article: ‘My Soul Feels Taller’: A Whistle-Blower’s $2- Million Vindication. It reminds me of my personal history as a whistleblower, which I discuss in detail in my new book, From Bully to Bull’s-Eye: Move Your Organization Out of the Line of Fire (RCJ Press; January 10, 2017). Whistleblowers are particularly susceptible to harassment and bullying and sadly, laws and corporate structures actually exist to silence them. However, I strongly believe that attention must be paid; as long as the law takes the side of corporate interests over the health and well-being of people, industries will never improve and the very interests businesses are out to protect will suffer. 

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The Red Flags That Democracy is in Danger

New research tries to spot the collapse of liberal democracies before they happen, and it suggests that Western democracy may be seriously ill as shared in this New York Times article, How Stable are Democracies? ‘Warning Signs Are Flashing Red.’

The findings are VERY disturbing. Based on the hundreds of people I spoke to over six years doing the research for my books on bullying in the workplace, I reached the same conclusion. People do not trust the establishment in the broadest context. Much of this distrust stems from what they experience at work, which has been reinforced by the illegal, unethical, abusive activities and behaviors that have been, and continue to be, exposed in the media—all of which has led to levels of incivility that jeopardize a civil society.  My previous blogs on the U.S. election highlighted the amber lights on what became the outcome. Since the election we are already witnessing signals which indicate that democracy is at risk and the checks and balances that should be in place are fragile.

Given my assertion that the current level of discontent started in the workplace, it can and should be reversed there. There’s ample evidence of what is going on. A work health survey of just under 12,000 people conducted by Mental Health America and sponsored by the Faas Foundation showed that an astounding 80.39 percent speak poorly about their company to family and friends and the remainder would rarely or never do so.

Everyone can play a role here to fix this, starting by identifying the unnecessary stress factors in the workplace. A first step to understand this is by participating in the Emotion Revolution in the Workplace survey sponsored by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and the Faas Foundation. Reducing unnecessary stress factors in the workplace will create a more civil environment, which will spill over into society. This will trigger the biggest check and balance to autocratic rule—the attitude of the people. Please take the time to complete the survey and ask everyone you know do the same.

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The Philosopher Who Cracked the Code and Predicted the Rise of Trump

All of America’s ad agencies, with all their years of creating focus groups and analyzing trends, are waking up to the fact that they have little idea of how their consumers really feel. This piece in the Wall Street Journal, “Trump’s Win Has Ad Agencies Rethink How They Collect Data, Recruit Staff,” is reminiscent of the millions of dollars spent on how voters, customers and employees feel and behave—are still clueless. And yet, in 1998 law professor Richard Rorty broke the code—and predicted the rise of Trump. Jennifer Senior’s excellent New York Times column reveals the factors that Rorty saw even before the administration of our first African-American president. The enormous level of discontent he observed was the primary driver in the Faas Foundation’s Emotion Revolution in the Workplace initiative. We realized that business, government and media needed to gain a real understanding on how workers feel and why they feel the way they do, and to promote positive change to reduce the unnecessary stress workers feel. We must not allow the ranting of extremists to dominate the issue. Indisputable evidence and practical solutions must trump Trump, his henchmen and the neo-Nazis.

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Canada's So-Called Literary Heavyweights Like Margaret Atwood are Dangerously Wrong

Canada's former Ambassador to the United States once observed "They write well – they speak well – but they are wrong." This applies in spades to an open letter by the so-called "literary heavyweights" calling for an investigation into the handling of the Galloway case by the University of British Columbia. Galloway was fired by UBC after being accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment, bullying and other inappropriate behavior. 

This article highlights how the open letter by a group of writers, particularly Margret Atwood, backfired because they were trying to protect one of their own under the notion that the UBC handling of the scandal was not fair and transparent. Quite rightly Atwood was called out on her position to which she responded: "My position is that UBC process was flawed and failed both sides, and the rest of my position that the model of the Salem Witchcraft Trials is not a good one." 

As an expert in harassment and bullying in the workplace, I must point out that Atwood's position on this is dead wrong and dangerous. The process did not "fail both sides." 

UBC handled this scandal properly. To open this up to further inquiry will not only require that the targets of the harassment and bullying be further victimized by additional exposure and being forced to relive what they have experienced. It will also discourage others who are abused, harassed and bullied to come forward.

If Galloway feels his firing was unfair, he has every right to appeal. Given that he has signed a confidentiality agreement, this suggests that he has settled with the university. The open letter by his friends is an attempt to fight the dismissal in the court of public opinion is frighteningly wrong insomuch that if they were successful in doing this, organizations will continue to turn the victims into the villains, which is one of the biggest, if not the biggest obstacle, in encouraging targets of the predators to come forward.

Atwood is considered to be a "feminist icon." Considering the position she has taken on this and her premature defense of Jian Ghomeshi, Canada's notorious sexual predator and workplace bully, suggests that she is the opposite—an anti-feminist icon. It would be interesting to hear her weigh in on Fox's Rodger Ailes, Donald Trump and Billy Bush.

Bravo to Marsha Lederman and the Globe and Mail for calling out Canada's tight-knit literary community on this.

Photo: IBL/Rex Shutterstock

Congratulations to Canada's College System on its 50th Anniversary

Canada’s college system will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year and to mark the occasion they will present a special interest feature on “College All Stars” November 21. Since graduating from St. Clair College in 1972 I have maintained my association with the college system, serving as chair of the Board of Governors of George Brown College, Canada's largest college, and co-chair of Vision 2000, where we developed the strategic framework for Ontario's colleges and universities for the new century. Our system has proven to be world class and a model for synchronizing education with current and future jobs, partnering with industry and governments, innovation and creativity and has produced incredibly successful graduates of influence, positively impacting every segment of society. I applaud Maclean's for recognizing the college system, and am humbled to be featured with such remarkable fellow alumni. So many of them have helped me throughout my career and I’ve been the honored to develop lifelong friendships—for which I’m truly grateful.

Photo: St. Clair College SportsPlex