Ethics in Business Somethings to be aware of and watch out for Ethics in Business Test 1 If my boss asked me to lie to cover one of his her mistakes I would A Quit B Lie C Say it made me uncomfortable D Do it this time but refuse if it became a pattern 2 If I knew that a fellow employee spent time in the office writing personal e mail I would A Report the employee to our supervisor B Keep an eye on the employee to make sure it doesn t affect her work C Talk to the employee and then decide what to do D Try to convince the employee that this may not be a good idea 3 If I knew my boss and a coworker were having an affair I would A Try to transfer to another department B Ignore it C Wait to see if I were affected D Talk to my boss to clear the air 4 If a headhunter approached me with an attractive offer I would A Discuss it with my boss before proceeding B Ask my current employer to beat the outside offer C Meet with the headhunter and talk to my boss if I was serious about leaving D Ask each side for their best offer and take the highest offer 5 If I thought an employee I supervised had a drug problem I would A Exercise my right to ask the employee to take a drug test B Wait and see if the employee s performance declines C Talk it over with the employee D Seek guidance from the human resources department 6 If a fellow employee was being discriminated against because of his her sexual orientation I would A Document the problem B Offer my support if the employee complained C Complain to a superior likely to be sympathetic D Advise the person that he or she might be happier elsewhere 7 If I took a job with a competing company I would A Never use information from my current job B Use information to support my new employer C Use only general information D Talk to my own lawyer before using information 8 If a key software vendor who was also a personal friend offered me a free laptop I would A Turn it down and report the vendor to our purchasing officer B Accept the gift if it was personal rather than business related C Ask my supervisor if there was a problem with accepting the gift D Accept the gift but tell the vendor that they will get no special consideration TEST KEY There is no strictly right answer to any of the test questions but some who take the test show identifiable patterns of ethical approach Based on years of experience in workplace ethics research and consulting the Council has identified four such patterns If you answered A most often you are a Conformist You tend to be inflexibly by the book You will run into work related ethical conflicts unless you work for an organization with rigid rules and little room for compromise If you answered B most often you are a Negotiator You tend to try to make up the rules as you go along You will eventually run into trouble if your job requires you to exercise judgment without guidelines If you answered C most often you are a Navigator You have a basically sound moral compass as well as flexibility to make ethical choices even when none of your alternatives is perfect You can act ethically and succeed in most organizations but will leave those that are unethical If you answered D most often you are a Wiggler You will run into trouble when others sense that you dodge ethical issues to protect your own interests Health Ethics Trust 2013 What is your type The conformist is an employee who follows rules rather than questions authority figures One might think this person could be counted on always to do the right thing The conformist might look the other way however if a higher up were acting unethically After all a manager is supposed to be obeyed This person will run into work related conflicts unless there are strict rules and well defined consequences for not following them The negotiator is someone who tries to make up rules as he goes When faced with a sketchy situation say a co worker is drinking on her lunch hour this person might wait to see if the behavior affects his job in any way to see if the drinking gets any worse or to see if anyone else notices The negotiator will eventually encounter ethics related trouble if he is required to exercise judgment without guidelines because this person changes the rules according to what seems easiest at the time The navigator is someone who when confronted with a situation in which people are behaving unethically is able rely on an innate ethical sense to guide her actions even if these decisions aren t easy This person has a sound moral compass which provides the flexibility to make choices even unpopular ones The navigator s ethical sense imbues her with qualities of leadership Other people respect and count on this person The navigator will succeed in most organizations but will leave a company that is unethical The wiggler doesn t give a lot of thought to what is right Instead this person takes the route that s most advantageous to him For example he may lie to appease a supervisor The wiggler is motivated by self interest getting on a manager s good side or avoiding conflict The wiggler will run into trouble when others sense that he dodges ethical issues to protect his own interests Pastin Mark 2013 Bloomberg Business Report Great Resource http www scu edu ethics center aboutcenter My list Nepotism having a family member work directly for you Can lead to unfair practices cause disgruntled employees If a family member works in the same organization they need to report to someone else Includes payroll reviews etc Avoid socializing at work Dating in the workplace Avoid it at all costs Especially if it is publically known that you are married or committed to someone else Dating and hiding it means you know it is wrong Dating a subordinate great way to get served a lawsuit for harassment Put it in writing either a policy or an acknowledgement of relationship Sexual Harassment Have a clear policy All staff trained use scenarios case studies Detailed outlined policy on steps to take who to report to consequences Jokes teasing etc can all be misunderstood Save them for home Workplace Bullying Uneven power Coercion Aggressive and Assertive Can be within ranks Reporting process Conflict of Interest When the outcome of a situation can be influenced through someone s involvement Board members having own agenda Stockholder of a private company gets business to purchase items Being paid full time but consulting for a fee while on the job Whistler Blower Protection Act OSHA OSHA s Whistleblower