I work for an elected official, and the atmosphere in our office has hit rock bottom. During a recent meeting, my boss made it clear that they were aware some of us were job hunting, and I’m one of those people. I had to reach out to a couple of my coworkers to use them as references for a job I interviewed for, which made this situation even more uncomfortable. In the meeting, my boss stated that we should inform them if we are looking for new opportunities, claiming it’s unprofessional not to do so. They even suggested that we owe it to them, given what they’ve done for us. To top it off, they ended the meeting with a veiled threat, saying it was like a two-week warning for anyone considering leaving. Today, they reiterated this stance by calling in another coworker and insisting they encourage anyone looking for a new job to speak directly with them. I’m left wondering if this behavior is ethical or legal, and if I have any recourse to address this situation. It feels incredibly oppressive and has added to the already low morale in the office, especially with the election year pressures.