Rules

I am a rule follower. I like rules. I think rules help to avoid a lot of problems. They provide clear expectations for appropriate behavior. They bring a certain civility to life.
That being said, I think I'm a dying breed.
Almost every day I see people breaking traffic laws (texting, running red lights, causing grid lock, speeding through school zones). These things are illegal and downright dangerous. And don't even get me started about how awful people are when dropping off and picking up at school.
I have recently had conversation with a couple people who are dealing with bad employee behavior. The employees do not like some changes that have occured within their respective companies. (On a side note- companies often have to change due to economic or industry factors just to keep their doors open.)
Instead of adjusting to the changes or forming a plan to make the changes work in their favor, they have chosen behaviors that are unethical and damaging to their company and, ultimately, themselves. Some of the actions include coming in late or leaving early (but not changing their time card), not waiting on customers in a timely matter, taking extended lunches & smoke breaks, trash talking their company, complaining to co-workers...the list just goes on.
So what do they accomplish by breaking the rules their company has set? Customers will not want to frequent the business. Sales go down. Commissions go down. Morale goes down. Ultimately, the employee will quit and blame the company, or they will be fired for not doing the job they agreed to do (and blame the company).
Do you not like your job? Then do something different! No one is holding a gun to your head. That may mean go do something else, or it may mean that you have to come to terms with the expectations and step up. Either way it is NOT okay to do a bad job or break the rules because you are not thrilled with the situation.
"The time is always right, to do what is right." Martin Luther King, Jr.