The best companies to work for–and the companies that are the most profitable–have a distinct ethical culture. These companies have a strategic competitive advantage. But this does not come easily. As an employee today, you cannot pretend your decisions about right and wrong do not matter. You can no longer say, "I did it to keep my job." We are all the new "corporate conscience keepers."

Say good-bye to the stress of an unethical workplace! Here is your guidebook to building an Ethical Office, where you manage your work life so that it is aligned with your authentic morals and ethics. Packed with real-world examples and advice from experienced peers, you will learn how to:

• Extinguish harassment, gossip, and lies

• Balance loyalty to your boss versus company loyalty

• Steer your career with Nan's Ethical Priority Compass

• Be smart about handling cupid's arrows in the workplace

• Think before you blow the whistle

• Deal with "ethically challenged" vendors

• Participate in events without hangovers or regrets

• Build a culture of confidentiality

• Keep your boss (and others) ethical with Nan's 12-Step Program

• Recover from a mistake that leaves you embarrassed and ashamed

In You've Got to Be Kidding!, ethics expert Nan DeMars presents her easy, step-by-step techniques for dealing with ethical dilemmas. This handbook picks up where the law leaves off and offers detailed guidance on virtually every workplace ethics issue. Both you and your company are tested by ethical dilemmas, and your choices frame who you are and what you stand for. You've Got to Be Kidding! prepares you for these tests and helps you build a more ethical office that reinforces your natural desire to do the right thing.

"Nan DeMars defines the new integrity in our time. Media coverage of 'corporate' greed and irresponsibility in the midst of a global economic crisis that personally impacted so many people will result in new law, new regulation, and new accountability for everyone in the workplace. Nan takes us all there now and prepares us for who we must be, as corporate employees (at all levels of responsibility), if we are to repair and enhance the corporate reputations of tomorrow."
―Scott B. Baucum, Global Ethics Director, Monsanto

"For many years, I have enjoyed watching Nan DeMars fine-tune the workplace ethics issue so that employees no longer have to take the blame for things their bosses asked them to do or be reprimanded for doing the ethical and right thing! You've Got to Be Kidding! transforms how employers and employees view their responsibilities today―to the benefit of all."
―United States Vice President Walter Mondale

"Little exists to prepare employees today for the exercise of moral courage. Nan DeMars sets about remedying this discrepancy, engaging readers with thought-provoking examples from the business world. You've Got to Be Kidding! leads a discussion that forms the basis of ethical decision-making and, thereby, encourages readers to practice for the exercise of moral courage before they find themselves in the type of situation where it is required."
―Colleen Rowley, 2003 Time Magazine Woman of the Year, attorney-at-law, former FBI agent and whistleblower

"Nan DeMars is internationally known for her take on personal and professional ethics. She takes the nebulous world of ethics and brings it down to a level you can not only understand but also relate to. She provides you with guidelines on how to respond when you find yourself in an awkward and often potentially damaging situation so that you can maintain integrity and still keep your job, your credibility, and your optimism (much less keep you out of court, hot water, and harm's way)."
―Susan Fenner, PhD, Education/Professional Development Manager, International Association of Administrative Professionals