Always cover your ass. Every "This is illegal" or "This is unsafe" email needs to be BCC'd to your private email adres.

I've had a company hire me as an indpendant consultant, because the law says they need someone qualified to check their waste management plans. Their plan basically said "We'll take one scoop of polluted soil, and mix it with the clean soil, making sure to stay under the legal limits for clean soil". I told them that was really, really illegal, would cost them their license, would cost me my license, and would cost every person who signed it several thousands of euro's personally. I also email them.

4 months later, I get inspectors ringing my doorbell, holding up the plan I very definitely didn't sign, with what absolutely was my signature. If I didn't have those emails, I'd be royally fucked. With those emails, we could add fraud to the charges.

Do yourself a favor and don't stick with these kind of employers. I've only worked for one company where I had to routinely send CYA emails. Should have resigned the second I figured out that the CEO was morally bankrupt and my boss was a spineless jackass who refused to stand up to him. I don't miss that job one bit.

I don’t know why, but I first read “org” as “dog” and I thought “excuse you, OP and all 100% of the upvoters but you can fuck right off. My dog absolutely has my back and he is more family to me than my parents are”

but then I re-read that and was like “oh, yeah. 100%”

• Don't break the Law for the company or the boss.
• Keep the company shit in company devices and your shit in your devices. That means company computer and phone for their stuff and your own for yours. If there's ever any Lawsuit or Criminal investigation on the company they won't take your stuff as evidence if you don't at all use it for company work and won't intrude in your privacy if the company stuff isn't used for your own stuff.
• Even if it's totally legal, if something that your are being ordered to do against your better advice might come back to bite you (i.e. you might get blamed for the negative outcome you predict will come from it), get that order in writing.

Even your direct lead can't be assumed to be your friend (no matter how nice: niceness is easily and commonly faked) until you've gone through some proper shit together and he or she has shown themselves to be somebody that will take the hit rater than "blame their underlings" - trusts is earned, not due.

Boss asked me to do some shady import paperwork. I did it as asked, but I made sure his name was on all of it, if this ship starts sinking I got my lifeboat ready.

Whats "your org" in this context? If your org is any sort of refugee help org then this seems impractical. I assume "org" is supposed to mean commercial company/employer?

I have a degree. I didn't take the PE exam. I just work as a drafter, though I've done a lot more before this. The lack of stress is something I've never experienced. I design some easy stuff, make drawings, and my supervisor has to sign off on everything. I don't stress about anything, I almost never even think about work after I leave. I make the same as I did 4 years ago but work 20% as hard and have 0% of the stress.

The kind of company were Management and HR go around trying to convince employees they're like family and other similar things are simply trying to act like abusive cults.

Oh they are family alright, just one of those extremely toxic and highly manipulative families that have your back by repeatedly stabbing you while gaslighting you into thinking a day-old pizza party will make up for it

Same goes for financial or health liability.