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My boss told me to ignore a safety report from a new hire. It cost us a $5000 fine.

About three months ago, a fresh grad on my team flagged a potential data privacy issue with how we were storing client survey responses. He wrote a clear report. My boss, a 20-year veteran, pulled me aside and said, 'Don't worry about it, kid's just trying to make a mark. Our system has worked fine for a decade.' I followed that advice and shelved the report. Last week, we had a random compliance audit. They found the exact issue the new guy spotted. The fine was five grand, and my boss acted like he had no idea. In my experience, seniority doesn't always mean they're right. It put me in a bad spot ethically, because I knew the report was valid but deferred to authority. Has anyone else been told to overlook something that clearly needed fixing, just because it came from a junior person?
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3 Comments
angela_harris
That's such a frustrating spot to be in... you trusted your boss's experience and it totally backfired. Seen similar things where a manager brushes off a process tweak from an intern, then we all waste weeks fixing a mess that idea would have prevented. It really does make you question when to push back, even if you're going against someone higher up.
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janah83
janah8311d ago
Ugh, exactly. How do you decide when it's worth the risk to push back?
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avery_flores17
Classic case of ego over safety. Always trust the report, not the rank.
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