The Ethics Coach's Top 3 Strategies for Creating an Ethical Workplace Also: Should you work with a bullying client? And is it unethical to be solely motivated by money?

Q: I work for an executive search firm. One of my longtime client companies was forced by its parent to make cost-cutting layoffs. The cuts included two talented people my firm had recruited for the client less than three months earlier. Both individuals had left good jobs to accept my client's offer. The client says he won't pay us for these placements or work with us in the future if we challenge him. Should we accept this treatment in hopes of an ongoing relationship?

A: There are two ethical issues here: a bullying client and the matter of what is owed to the recruits whose careers were upended.