I applaud this discussion on integrity & ethics.
I believe it's imperative for the continued health & vitality of the
compliance community to raise the issue of honor & integrity on a
regular basis.
Our task is to provide an honest - independent assessment of products to
a defined set of requirements. When we give into the pressure to
"Adjust" compliance results we diminish ourselves and all others in the
community.
The comments by Doug, John, Dave & others make me proud to be associated
with a community that places honor & integrity as a prime directive.
I've been in the EMC trenches for over 33 years now. I have seen my
share of sleaze, slime, weaseling by others in charge when compliance
results were not up to requirements. It's been difficult at times to
hold fast and resist the pressure to bend to the "forces of evil" (read;
program directors, wanta-be Generals, etc.) and "adjust" reports to show
conformance. The shear number of creative arguments put forward on why
"it needs to pass - now" and "we'll fix it later" simply defy
comprehension.
In one case several years ago, a client tried to pass me an envelope and
said "this is to ensure the product passes". I returned the envelope
un-opened and told him to "find another lab -We don't do sleaze". (I
didn't open the envelope because I didn't want to be tempted beyond my
capability to resist).
The last 22 years of my career have seen me in charge of several labs.
In each lab I have worked in, I posted a sign that reads:
"REMEMBER - YOU CAN ONLY LOOSE YOUR CREDITABILITY --- ONCE"
It's a mantra I have always tried to live by and pass on to the troops
in the lab. I believe it has served me well over the years.
We may not always be the most popular person's in an organization, but
those we work for need to know they can always get an honest assessment
of their products compliance. In the end - the only thing we have is
our knowledge, experience, integrity and our honor. That can never be
taken away from us. I'm pleased to say the company I work for respects
& supports that position.
After I'm gone (not too soon I trust) - I'm hopeful I will be remembered
as "A pain in the $#% at times - but someone we could always depend on
to give us the straight story".
Enough pontificating.
Just one guys opinion.
Michael Taylor
Loveland, CO
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
Of C N
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 5:23 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: EMC Ethics
I have wrestled with this issue a lot it seems over the years as has
several other people in the field. I've come to two conclusions with
regard to working as a compliance engineer in the industry. Not as
someone who works in a regulatory lab:
1. I can't make an unethical boss ethical. And therefore, it isn't my
resposibility
to make him/her so. Quite bluntly, if someone is going to make an
unethical
decision, it's not going to be me. If this is a continual problem
with me at
work, I really shouldn't be working at the place.
2. Even with bosses who are ethical, there's a whole psychology to
compliance
with those in management. This appears to stem from the need to
control
with just about any manager I've had. Standards aren't something
they can
manipulate. They can't get their hands around it in a managerial
way.
You
either pass or fail and someone outside the company decides that.
And that
drives managers nuts sometimes.
I have run into people in other companies at seminars regarding
something such as the RoHS issue where they've said quite matter of
factly ... 'well, I guess we ship till they find out.'
Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I'm also sorry to hear that within a
system with which my company is trying hard as hell to comply there's
holes big enough so that whole other companies can drive through.
But I'm also sorry in that it's not my job to make those people ethical.
Even if I
were working for some regulatory arm, it's also not my job to make
unethical people ethical. It would be my job to penalize them for being
unethical.
Regards, Doug McKean
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