Situational Judgement: Ethics Flashcards

Your organization's whistleblower policy protects anonymous reporting. A colleague urges you not to report misconduct because 'the ethics office always figures out who filed.' What should you guide your decision?

Answer: Make your decision based on your obligation to report misconduct, using available protections and seeking advice if needed

Fear of identification should not override the duty to report misconduct; use available protections and focus on the ethical obligation.

You are asked to prepare a briefing and find that presenting all the data would undermine the conclusion your supervisor wants to reach. What should you do?

Answer: Present all relevant data accurately and note that the full picture may not support the preferred conclusion

Selectively presenting data to reach a predetermined conclusion is misleading; accurate and complete information must be provided.

You are working remotely and your home internet fails during core hours. You decide to spend two hours on personal tasks while waiting for it to be repaired. What is the ethical approach?

Answer: Notify your supervisor of the outage, document the downtime, and make up the lost work hours

Technical disruptions to remote work must be disclosed to supervisors, and lost work time should be accounted for honestly.

You witness a supervisor make a discriminatory joke at a team meeting. Others laugh, but you find it inappropriate. What is the most appropriate response?

Answer: Calmly note your discomfort either in the moment or by speaking privately with the supervisor or HR afterward

Discriminatory remarks must be addressed whether in the moment or through proper reporting channels; silence implies acceptance.

You are negotiating a contract on behalf of your organization and the other party offers you a personal side payment to approve favorable terms. What must you do?

Answer: Refuse the payment, terminate the negotiation, and report the bribery attempt to your ethics or legal office

A bribery offer must be refused and reported immediately regardless of whether the deal terms seem acceptable.

You are aware of an internal audit scheduled next week and notice a colleague rushing to fix records beforehand. What is the ethical course of action?

Answer: Report your concern that records may be improperly altered to the audit team or compliance office

Pre-audit record manipulation is a serious integrity issue that must be reported to those conducting the audit.

Your organization's policy prohibits using official resources for personal gain. You are offered a paid speaking engagement that draws directly on your official expertise. What should you do?

Answer: Review organizational policy and obtain written approval before accepting any outside paid engagement

Outside paid engagements that leverage official expertise require prior written approval under most organizational conflict-of-interest policies.