Clear foundational principle of God’s word: Obey God Rather Than Men (Acts 5:29).
Before you react, assess the situation and gather accurate information. Don’t hastily and naively react. Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). While standing firm, you don’t need to be confrontational or accuse aggressively initially. How you handle this situation can be a powerful testimony (for good or ill) to your colleagues and your boss.
Understand Roles and Responsibilities: Your boss will be responsible for his actions. You don’t have to police all his activities. This becomes an issue when you are being asked to directly commit the unlawful act. Be certain that what you’re being asked to do is truly illegal or unethical. Is it a minor deviation? Not All “Laws” are Equal: Distinguish between minor company policies (which can change basis pragmatic business needs) and actual laws of the land. Your primary concern here is the “law of the land.”
Once you ascertain you are being asked to do something clearly unlawful,
Step 1 : Express concern with a gentle pushback. I would probably state “Sir, I’m a bit uncomfortable with that request, as it seems to contradict legal guidelines and I believe when we do something unlawful, we may solve a temporary issue, but it will always come back to bite us in a big way tomorrow. Great organizations that have stood tall and succeeded in the long run are ones built on strong ethical principles of integrity. I want our company to succeed like that. So can we avoid this? You can also suggest alternatives: “Would there be another way to achieve this goal that stays within legal boundaries?”
Step 2: If the gentle pushback doesn’t work, you may need to clearly state that you cannot participate. “I cannot in good conscience do that, as it goes against my ethical/moral principles. Firmly but respectfully refuse to do unlawful act.
I know your boss might not take kindly your refusal. There could be potential negative repercussions, verbal harassment or being sidelined, etc. He cannot go beyond that knowing he will be in trouble! But this response will establish in your boss’ mind that you are person of integrity and principles, and God may speak to him either through conscience or subsequent providential events which may make him understand that you helped him avoid a great pitfall. In the long run, it will only result in you being respected as a person of noble character. All this could pave a way for gospel witness.
Pray For Wisdom: Ask God for discernment on how to speak, when to speak, and what actions to take. Pray For Courage: It takes courage to stand up for what is right. Pray For Your Boss: Pray that their eyes would be opened to the wrong they are doing. Pray For Protection: Ask God to protect you from harm and negative consequences.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 