I was out with my buddies at a bar one night, catching up and having some drinks, when I heard a conversation that made my jaw drop.
A few of my other friends were talking about how one of their acquaintances had found out that his boss was a regular in Geylang, the red-light district in Singapore.
They were discussing how this man had seen his boss walking around the area late at night and had realized what he was up to. This particular acquaintance made his way over to the area and saw his boss getting into a car with a woman and he took a photo of it.
I was shocked to hear about this. I couldn’t believe that a respected professional like my boss was so reckless and unprofessional. I started to think about what I should do with this newfound information.
I was already struggling to get ahead at work and had been passed up for promotion several times. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a move. I decided to use my knowledge to my advantage and indirectly blackmail my boss into giving me a promotion.
I started to keep an eye on my boss more, making sure I was always around when he had meetings with other staff members. I wanted to make sure he was aware that I had seen him in Geylang and that I knew what he was up to.
He started to look really uncomfortable whenever I was around and eventually started to give me more attention and responsibility.
After a few weeks, I finally got the promotion I had been wanting.
I never confronted my boss directly about what I had seen in Geylang. I was happy enough with the outcome and didn’t want to rock the boat. I know it was wrong to use the information to blackmail my boss, but I couldn’t help but feel proud of myself for taking advantage of the situation.
It’s understandable that people want to make the most of their career, but it’s never worth compromising your integrity for a promotion.
I’m grateful that I managed to get the promotion I wanted without resorting to unethical measures, but I will never forget the lesson I learned.