Frankly I don't see why being a member of a corporation should protect an individual from criminal charges. If you do or authorize something illegal on behalf of your company, you should be personally responsible.
I know it's a long-standing doctrine in law and there is probably a good reason for it, but it just seems too easy to abuse.
The issue is really whether corporation itself, as a legal "person" can be convicted, and if so, what does that actually mean, legally?
It wouldn't be up for debate if responsible entities at corporations were actually held responsible for their actions. Corporate personhood is a smokescreen in this case.
What if you don’t know that your actions are illegal? Who could reasonably do a job as an employee if they didn’t have that liability shield?
This isn't an excuse for private citizens, so why should it be an excuse as an employee?
That said, we should propagate responsibility as high as possible. If you are a rank-and-file employee and your manager is asking you to do something illegal, unless you have enough professional autonomy to decline the request without being fired then your manager is responsible, not you.
Private citizens are employees. Employees have agreed to exchange their labor to another party that intends to profit from it. Why should the labor face the liability when ultimately it is the company that interfaces with the public and profits from their efforts?
I know it's a long-standing doctrine in law and there is probably a good reason for it, but it just seems too easy to abuse.