FREE Civil Service FAQ Employee Ethical Conduct Questions and Answers Flashcards

A civil service employee receives a gift basket from a contractor whose bid is currently under review. What is the appropriate action?

Answer: Return the gift and report it to a supervisor

Accepting gifts from parties involved in pending government decisions violates ethics rules and creates the appearance of impropriety.

Which principle best describes the obligation of civil service employees to use government resources solely for official purposes?

Answer: Stewardship

Stewardship requires employees to protect and properly use public resources entrusted to them.

An employee discovers that a coworker is falsifying time sheets. Under federal ethics rules, what should the employee do?

Answer: Report the misconduct through official channels such as an Inspector General hotline

Federal employees have a duty to report known violations of law or regulations through proper reporting mechanisms.

A civil service manager awards a contract to a company owned by their brother-in-law without disclosing the relationship. This is an example of:

Answer: A conflict of interest

Awarding contracts to family members without disclosure violates conflict-of-interest regulations and procurement integrity rules.

Under the Hatch Act, which of the following activities is generally PROHIBITED for most federal employees?

Answer: Running as a partisan candidate for public office

The Hatch Act bars most federal employees from running as candidates in partisan political elections.

A federal employee is asked by a supervisor to perform a task that appears to violate agency policy. The employee should:

Answer: Seek clarification and, if confirmed improper, report it through appropriate ethics or legal channels

Employees must follow lawful orders but are obligated to refuse and report directives that violate law or policy.