CSJT Ethical & Professional Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You witness a supervisor making a decision that clearly favors a personal acquaintance over more qualified candidates. You should:
- Accept it since supervisors have discretion in decisions
- Raise the concern with a higher authority or the ethics office (Correct answer)
- Discuss it with other employees to build a case
- Confront the supervisor publicly during the next team meeting
Correct answer: Raise the concern with a higher authority or the ethics office
Favoritism in official decisions undermines merit principles and should be reported to the appropriate oversight body.
Question 2: An agency regulation conflicts with your personal moral beliefs. The appropriate professional response is to:
- Apply the regulation as written while using legitimate channels to advocate for change (Correct answer)
- Ignore the regulation when your beliefs conflict with it
- Apply the rule inconsistently based on individual cases
- Immediately resign rather than enforce the rule
Correct answer: Apply the regulation as written while using legitimate channels to advocate for change
Civil servants are obligated to follow lawful regulations and must use proper channels to seek changes they disagree with.
Question 3: You are a public official and a journalist asks about an ongoing investigation. The ethical response is to:
- Share general details to maintain public trust
- Decline to comment and direct the journalist to the agency's public affairs office (Correct answer)
- Deny that any investigation is occurring
- Provide information off the record
Correct answer: Decline to comment and direct the journalist to the agency's public affairs office
Unauthorized disclosure of investigative details can compromise the process and violates information management protocols.
Question 4: Your agency has a strict no-social-media policy about work matters. A colleague posts agency-related content publicly. You should:
- Like the post to show team support
- Report the violation to HR or a supervisor (Correct answer)
- Post a comment asking them to take it down
- Ignore it since it is not your responsibility
Correct answer: Report the violation to HR or a supervisor
Policy violations should be reported through proper internal channels rather than addressed publicly online.
Question 5: During a public hearing, an attendee becomes verbally hostile toward you. The most professional response is to:
- Respond firmly and match their tone to assert authority
- Calmly acknowledge their concerns and follow established procedures for managing disruptions (Correct answer)
- End the hearing immediately
- Ask the attendee to leave without explanation
Correct answer: Calmly acknowledge their concerns and follow established procedures for managing disruptions
Maintaining composure and following established procedures protects both the process and the public servant's professionalism.
Question 6: You are asked to write a performance evaluation for a subordinate you personally dislike. The ethical approach is to:
- Ask a colleague to write it on your behalf
- Rate the employee lower than their performance warrants
- Evaluate based solely on documented performance data and objective criteria (Correct answer)
- Recuse yourself citing the personal conflict
Correct answer: Evaluate based solely on documented performance data and objective criteria
Performance evaluations must be grounded in objective, documented evidence regardless of personal feelings.
Question 7: A vendor who contracts with your agency offers you free tickets to a sporting event. You should:
- Accept since it is not cash
- Accept only if the value is under $20
- Decline because accepting gifts from contractors creates a conflict of interest (Correct answer)
- Accept and disclose it in writing afterward
Correct answer: Decline because accepting gifts from contractors creates a conflict of interest
Accepting gifts from contractors who do business with your agency creates a real or perceived conflict of interest.
CSJT Ethical & Professional Standards 3
You witness a supervisor making a decision that clearly favors a personal acquaintance over more qualified candidates.
You should: