Ethics at Work

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END cl_flash2_widget Everyone benefits when ethical situations in the workplace are managed correctly. BEGIN cl_toggle_widget END cl_toggle_widget ZOOMSTOP END cl_main_page_content

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How ethical are you?

CALL ui_contentProcessor BEGIN cl_main_page_content ZOOMRESTART Activity derived from Jeffrey L. Seglin, "Business with a Conscience: Do It Right." MBA Jungle, November 2001. BEGIN cl_toggle_widget END cl_toggle_widget BEGIN cl_flash2_widget BEGIN cl_alt_media_text_object

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Read each of the 10 scenarios that follow and choose a response for each. Manually record your answer to each question as you go.

Scenario 1

An employee you manage tells you he's about to put a down payment on a house. You know he's going to be laid off before the month is out, but you've been told this information in strict confidence. He wants your advice on the stability of the company. What do you do?

A. Suggest he wait until the end of the month before making a decision.

B. Tell him that he's about to be laid off.

C. Tell him the company is doing just fine, and wish him well.

Scenario 2

During your annual review, your boss praises you lavishly for the wonderful job you did on a project. You know that the bulk of the work was done by a colleague whose contributions have gone unnoticed. When the boss stops speaking, what do you do?

A. Thank him, and let him know that your colleague was the chief contributor to the project.

B. Thank him, and let him know it was a team effort.

C. Thank him, and smile.

Scenario 3

You're the only one at the office working late. As you pass by your boss's office, you notice her e-mail is still up on her screen. What do you do?

A. Pass on by. It's none of your business.

B. Pass on by. You might get caught.

C. Walk in and read as much as you can.

Scenario 4

Company policy is not to pay for in-room movies when managers are traveling on business. Nevertheless, you call up a few films on the hotel television, and an $18 charge appears on your bill. What do you do?

A. Decide not to request reimbursement for the $18, and pay for the movies out of your own pocket.

B. Choose not to request reimbursement for the movies, but add $18 to your expense account disguised as another expense.

C. Insist to the hotel front desk that you never saw the movies and you've been billed incorrectly.

Scenario 5

Bids come in from three equally qualified vendors for a project you're managing on a tight budget. Your company has a policy against accepting gifts from vendors, but the high bidder has offered to slip you tickets to a major national sports event. What do you do?

A. Give the job to the lowest bidder and tell the high bidder that company policy forbids you to take gifts.

B. Give the job to the low bidder, and ignore the high bidder's ticket offer.

C. Give the job to the high bidder—telling yourself the tickets are a sign he wants your business more than the others do.

Scenario 6

A colleague tells you that her boss has discriminated against her. What do you do?

A. Encourage her to report the incident to the HR department.

B. Report the incident to the HR department yourself.

C. Suggest that she look for job openings in other parts of the company.

Scenario 7

Your company is seriously considering entering a new market, and you want to find out how much its competitors charge for their goods and services. What do you do?

A. Call the competitors, identify yourself, and see if they'll share pricing information with you.

B. Pose as a prospective customer and get as much pricing material as you can from the competitors.

C. Pay a friend to call the competitors and tell them he'd like their pricing information for a market study he's working on.

Scenario 8

A highly talented member of your team misses a critical meeting with your company's largest customer. As a result, you lose $100,000—half of the expected fee. A few days later, you discover that the employee is suffering burnout from taking on too many outside commitments. What do you do?

A. Get him to agree to attend a stress-management workshop and give him another chance.

B. Forget about the incident. He's too talented to lose, and in the long run he'll more than make up for this one lost customer.

C. Fire him on the spot.

Scenario 9

On your way into the office, you wait in line for 10 minutes at a busy coffee shop to buy a coffee and a muffin. A few blocks down the road, you realize that the clerk gave you change for $20 rather than for the $10 you gave him. What do you do?

A. Go back to the coffee shop, and tell the clerk he gave you too much change.

B. Wait until the next time you're at the coffee shop, and return the difference then.