CSJT Ethical and Professional Conduct 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You learn that a colleague is misusing their government computer to run a small personal business. What is the most appropriate response?
- Ignore it since it is not your concern
- Participate in the business to share the risk
- Report the misuse through the appropriate internal channel, such as a supervisor or ethics office (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague publicly in front of the team
Correct answer: Report the misuse through the appropriate internal channel, such as a supervisor or ethics office
Misuse of government resources must be reported through proper channels to uphold agency integrity.
Question 2: A supervisor pressures you to falsify performance data in a report to make the department look better. You should:
- Comply, since your supervisor has authority over you
- Refuse and document the request, then report it to the appropriate ethics or oversight office (Correct answer)
- Falsify only a small portion of the data as a compromise
- Quit your job to avoid the situation
Correct answer: Refuse and document the request, then report it to the appropriate ethics or oversight office
Falsifying official records is illegal and unethical; it must be refused and reported regardless of who requests it.
Question 3: While reviewing applications for a grant, you realize one applicant is a close friend. What should you do?
- Review their application favorably since you know they are qualified
- Review the application normally, since personal knowledge is helpful
- Recuse yourself from reviewing that application and disclose the conflict to your supervisor (Correct answer)
- Reject the application to avoid any appearance of favoritism
Correct answer: Recuse yourself from reviewing that application and disclose the conflict to your supervisor
Recusing yourself from decisions involving personal relationships prevents actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
Question 4: You overhear two colleagues discussing confidential personnel information about a coworker in a public hallway. You should:
- Join the conversation to learn more
- Report only if you believe the information is inaccurate
- Remind them that confidential information should not be discussed in public spaces (Correct answer)
- Ignore the conversation entirely since it does not involve you
Correct answer: Remind them that confidential information should not be discussed in public spaces
Confidential personnel information must be protected, and colleagues should be reminded of appropriate handling.
Question 5: You complete your assigned tasks early and have free time remaining in the workday. The most professional response is to:
- Browse the internet for personal use since your work is done
- Leave work early without notifying your supervisor
- Ask your supervisor for additional tasks or use the time for job-related professional development (Correct answer)
- Socialize at length with coworkers to pass the time
Correct answer: Ask your supervisor for additional tasks or use the time for job-related professional development
Using remaining work time productively demonstrates professionalism and commitment to your role.
Question 6: A member of the public becomes verbally abusive with you while you are assisting them. The best course of action is to:
- Raise your voice to assert control of the situation
- Remain calm, set clear limits on acceptable behavior, and involve a supervisor if needed (Correct answer)
- Immediately terminate the interaction without explanation
- Apologize repeatedly to calm them down regardless of the cause
Correct answer: Remain calm, set clear limits on acceptable behavior, and involve a supervisor if needed
Remaining calm and setting professional boundaries protects both parties while maintaining service standards.
Question 7: You notice that a new colleague is repeatedly bypassing a required approval step in a workflow. They say it saves time. You should:
- Adopt the shortcut yourself since it saves time
- Report the issue to your supervisor or raise it with the colleague directly (Correct answer)
- Say nothing since the colleague is new and still learning
- Document the shortcut as a best practice to share with the team
Correct answer: Report the issue to your supervisor or raise it with the colleague directly
Required approval steps exist for compliance and accountability reasons, and bypassing them must be corrected.
CSJT Ethical and Professional Conduct 3
You learn that a colleague is misusing their government computer to run a small personal business.
What is the most appropriate response?