What has been described shows how easy it is for someone wishing to cause you trouble to claim that you or your firm will be biased in favor of the development company in all matters.?ÿ It is not true.?ÿ But, ignorant people will jump to that conclusion.?ÿ They have nothing to stand on but their own bias against you.?ÿ There is nothing unethical here.?ÿ There is no conflict of interest.
In my community I have done multiple surveys for quite a number of individuals.?ÿ I might not get hired by an adjoiner to do a survey because they know about my previous work for their adjoiner and ASS-U-ME bias on my part in favor of the adjoiner.
Hypothetical here. ?ÿI work for a company where we receive 30% of our annual profit from a large development company. This developer has exclusively used our company for their Survey work for the past decade+. Over the years most of us have personally come to know many of the people within the development company. We potentially have a lot to lose if we come up with a boundary resolution that ends up losing them a lot of money and they move on to another Surveying Company for their needs. Do we need to disclose to the public whenever we perform Survey work on their properties since a significant amount of our company wages (including my own) depend on this Client??s continual use of our services?
It's an issue with a simple answer. Involvement with a development company is always public. Your name will appear in the minutes of the SCS meeting, the Fire Dept meeting, the Weed and Pest report, the planning staff notes of the original application meeting, the preliminary plat, on and on. If you're in this state filings and petitions with the SEO, DEQ, Water Boards, Irrigation Districts.?ÿ
Basically you're slapping the public across the face telling them who you are and what you're doing.?ÿ
This business is an extremely public disclosure business.?ÿ
There is no need to take out an announcement in the newspaper. However, one will be purchased and I normally pay the paper for it before the commission meetings.?ÿ
Rest assured this is one "conflict of interest" that's moot.?ÿ
So it wouldn??t be unethical then to perform the same process if it were a property I personally own since my work would be open to the public for disclosure? The amount I would make on this project would pale in comparison to the money our company makes from this development company on other projects as a whole throughout the year.
It would not be unethical for you to perform a survey for property you own.
It would be unethical for you to intentionally alter a survey of your own property to somehow benefit yourself.?ÿ This intentional alteration could easily be found by a surveyor someday working for an adjoiner.
Hypothetical here. ?ÿI work for a company where we receive 30% of our annual profit from a large development company. This developer has exclusively used our company for their Survey work for the past decade+. Over the years most of us have personally come to know many of the people within the development company. We potentially have a lot to lose if we come up with a boundary resolution that ends up losing them a lot of money and they move on to another Surveying Company for their needs. Do we need to disclose to the public whenever we perform Survey work on their properties since a significant amount of our company wages (including my own) depend on this Client??s continual use of our services?
It's an issue with a simple answer. Involvement with a development company is always public. Your name will appear in the minutes of the SCS meeting, the Fire Dept meeting, the Weed and Pest report, the planning staff notes of the original application meeting, the preliminary plat, on and on. If you're in this state filings and petitions with the SEO, DEQ, Water Boards, Irrigation Districts.?ÿ
Basically you're slapping the public across the face telling them who you are and what you're doing.?ÿ
This business is an extremely public disclosure business.?ÿ
There is no need to take out an announcement in the newspaper. However, one will be purchased and I normally pay the paper for it before the commission meetings.?ÿ
Rest assured this is one "conflict of interest" that's moot.?ÿ
So it wouldn??t be unethical then to perform the same process if it were a property I personally own since my work would be open to the public for disclosure? The amount I would make on this project would pale in comparison to the money our company makes from this development company on other projects as a whole throughout the year.
The public disclosure argument will be taken care of during the development process. It's baked in. As far as is it ethical to survey your own property, there's 12 pages of back and forth over that question.?ÿ
That's a separate issue, I can tell you that a former state board president did it all the time.?ÿ
I??ve read this entire thread an it??s interesting how polar opposite the thoughts are on the subject, specifically with surveying your own property. Some have pointed out the inherent issue that one has the appearance of something to gain if performing services on their own property. I??d argue that same person has the appearance of much more to gain if performing the same exact work for a repeat Client due to the volume and magnitude of the type of work. It??s definitely an interesting subject to hear peoples opinions on.
Is concern about the appearance of erroneously surveying your own property (or the property of long-time clients you have developed professional relationships with) similar to being woke? And should I also stop doing work for clients that are racist?
Not trying to be sarcastic or funny. (I shouldn't even have to say that)
Aha.?ÿ We need to create a form similar to the one at the doctor's office we seem to fill out every time we go in.?ÿ List 30 or more questions per page with a minimum of three pages.?ÿ The client must fill it out in advance of your agreement to do work for them.
Do you smoke?
Are Lithuanians equal to or superior to Poles?
Do you drink alcoholic beverages weekly?
Are you a member of the Roman Catholic Church?
Should the border wall be completed?
Etc.
Etc.
And should I also stop doing work for clients that are racist?
That is a matter of personal ethics, and has nothing to do with professional ethics.
@bill93?ÿ ?ÿHow is providing surveys for people where doing so might gather a poor appearance, not a proffesional matter?
Aha.?ÿ We need to create a form similar to the one at the doctor's office we seem to fill out every time we go in.?ÿ List 30 or more questions per page with a minimum of three pages.?ÿ The client must fill it out in advance of your agreement to do work for them.
Do you smoke?
Are Lithuanians equal to or superior to Poles?
Do you drink alcoholic beverages weekly?
Are you a member of the Roman Catholic Church?
Should the border wall be completed?
Etc.
Etc.
Call it the:
PARALYSIS BY ANALYSIS FORM
@oldpacer Define "woke".
Wow, where have you been? "The pointing out of perceived injustices, real or imaginary" is my best attempt.
@oldpacer Define "woke".
Wow, where have you been? "The pointing out of perceived injustices, real or imaginary" is my best attempt.
@oldpacer Just by your definition you already know those items are similar so I'm confused why you asked the question?
@lurker?ÿ ?ÿI disagree with your presumption. I don't already know the answer to my question. It has been pointed out to me that I lack a predetermined concern about other peoples perception. Based on this thread, my lack of concern about appearance is concidered unethical by many posters. Is this a real concern that I must address OR is it just a new social concience like wokeness?
I??ve seen it happen first hand. One of the surveyors I worked with surveyed and subdivided his own property.
?ÿthe only comfort I see in this is that our work is always under collateral attack by others in our profession. I would always err on the side of caution if I had to make a decision. Someone else is going to verify my work. Our job is not a one and done deal as compared to the examples being used here.
a surveyor is under constant scrutiny from his/her peers. Cheating will get your license pulled.?ÿ
My older brother once surveyed his own land. He divided up a piece into about 3 parcels. He took the project to another local surveyor. They went over it together. The other surveyor wound up signing and stamping the job.?ÿ
To remove appearance of malfeasance.
Just an idea.
Nate
This would be a perfect topic to have an actual poll where you can vote. I bet a 50/50 split!?ÿ
My older brother once surveyed his own land. He divided up a piece into about 3 parcels. He took the project to another local surveyor. They went over it together. The other surveyor wound up signing and stamping the job.?ÿ
To remove appearance of malfeasance.
Just an idea.
Nate
I doubt that he was intending to do something underhanded, but isn't this worse than stamping work on your own property??ÿ?ÿ
This just hides the fact that you did your own survey.
