Hi,

I see that many have focused on the specifics of the VW case. While interesting in itself I was intending to see if there was any support from the IET and other professional engineering bodies for engineers who find themselves in (similar) situations which would allow them to confidently stand up against their superiors within whatever organisation they are working within.

Rather than look to see if the VW engineers are members of the IET or other bodies and seek to expel them, I would suggest the professional bodies actively seek to speak to them in as much depth as possible. Learn what went wrong... What pressures were they under? Their jobs / livelihood threatened by their line managers if they didn't follow the instructions given? Some industries such as automotive are close knit communities - a bad word from a senior figure in the industry could completely destroy a career. Did their company have procedures in place to allow them to speak up against what was going on with out fear of some kind of retaliation. Retaliation doesn't just come in the form of unfair dismissal. Your line manager may just give you the most boring and menial tasks, exclude you from interesting projects, exclude you from key meetings / decisions.

While some may be brave enough and financially stable enough to make a bold stand against something that they think is wrong, some people may be in more difficult situations where they can't afford not to be taking home a salary - even if only for a short time whilst they find another job. You may have kids and a family relying on you to put on the table.

Rather than demonising those engineers involved in recent cases I think it of greater benefit to ask what went wrong and what lessons could be learned from them in order to make the engineering community much stronger and to have the power and confidence to do the right thing when they come up against similar to those we see in the news.

We all know that we should seek to do the right thing as professional engineers. My question is what tools and backing does the IET (and other professional bodies) and its' members give to any member who might find themselves in such an unfortunate position as having to stand up against their line manager, senior management, and even an entire organisation? Where is the support / back up? If we do not have any support / back up at the present time... Is it time that the IET and Engineering Council start to put in place mechanisms and support? What support is appropriate and most effective?

Hi,

I see that many have focused on the specifics of the VW case. While interesting in itself I was intending to see if there was any support from the IET and other professional engineering bodies for engineers who find themselves in (similar) situations which would allow them to confidently stand up against their superiors within whatever organisation they are working within.

Rather than look to see if the VW engineers are members of the IET or other bodies and seek to expel them, I would suggest the professional bodies actively seek to speak to them in as much depth as possible. Learn what went wrong... What pressures were they under? Their jobs / livelihood threatened by their line managers if they didn't follow the instructions given? Some industries such as automotive are close knit communities - a bad word from a senior figure in the industry could completely destroy a career. Did their company have procedures in place to allow them to speak up against what was going on with out fear of some kind of retaliation. Retaliation doesn't just come in the form of unfair dismissal. Your line manager may just give you the most boring and menial tasks, exclude you from interesting projects, exclude you from key meetings / decisions.

While some may be brave enough and financially stable enough to make a bold stand against something that they think is wrong, some people may be in more difficult situations where they can't afford not to be taking home a salary - even if only for a short time whilst they find another job. You may have kids and a family relying on you to put on the table.

Rather than demonising those engineers involved in recent cases I think it of greater benefit to ask what went wrong and what lessons could be learned from them in order to make the engineering community much stronger and to have the power and confidence to do the right thing when they come up against similar to those we see in the news.

We all know that we should seek to do the right thing as professional engineers. My question is what tools and backing does the IET (and other professional bodies) and its' members give to any member who might find themselves in such an unfortunate position as having to stand up against their line manager, senior management, and even an entire organisation? Where is the support / back up? If we do not have any support / back up at the present time... Is it time that the IET and Engineering Council start to put in place mechanisms and support? What support is appropriate and most effective?