Harassment
During their lunch break, a group of co-workers are eating together. Shawn jokingly says another co-worker is "chopped". She laughs but later tells the person to stop. The jokes continue.
Is this harassment and if so, what kind?
Verbal Harassment - Once the person has asked the behavior to stop, continuing it is inappropriate and can create a hostile work environment.
A long-time salaried employee who works many extra hours discovers they are low on paper at home. It's already late so they grab a package before they head home that evening.
Is this an ethical issue?
Yes. At best, this is unauthorized use of company property. At worst, it's theft.
A student aid sees their best friend's brother is failing two classes in the elementary and tells their friend about it. Because it is the child's family, this is fine.
True or False?
False. FERPA protects all student records from those who have a genuine educational interest.
Work is slow so the employee scrolls Tik Tok. This is fine because there wasn't much going on.
True or false?
False. This is a misuse of company time.
A manager is responsible for choosing a company to provide landscaping services. One of the companies belongs to the manager's brother.
How could the manager ensure there is not a conflict of interest in selecting the company?
Any answer that emphasizes the need to separate him or herself from the decision. Examples:
Have another manager evaluate the proposals and decide.
Choose the lowest bid submitted to a third party.
Candy Bonus: What is it called when family is given an additional benefit in the hiring process?
A coworker regularly stands extremely close to another employee, blocks their path as a joke, and occasionally grabs their shoulder even after being asked not to.
Is this harassment and if so, what kind?
Physical Harassment
An employee wants to buy the newest video game that comes out today. Pay day isn't for another week so they use the company credit card and plan to pay it back after pay day.
Is this an ethical issue?
Yes. Using company funds for personal purchases without authorization is misuse of company property and potentially theft or fraud.
A hospital employee looks up a celebrity patient's medical record simply because they are curious.
Is this fine as long as they don't share what they learned?
No. Accessing protected health information without a legitimate job-related reason is a privacy violation.
An employee clocks in at 8:00 but does not actually begin working until 8:20 because they are getting breakfast and chatting with friends.
Is this an ethical problem?
Yes. They are being paid to work but are not actually working.
Candy Bonus: Does this answer change if they are a salaried employee?
You work for a company that is choosing a new printing vendor. Your best friend's company is one of the companies submitting a bid.
What should you do?
Disclose the relationship and follow company procedures. You should not secretly influence the decision to benefit your friend.
An employee repeatedly sends a coworker sexually suggestive messages and memes. The coworker does not respond and eventually asks them to stop.
Is this simply a joke between coworkers or something more?
It could be sexual harassment. The fact that the behavior occurs through electronic messages does not make it acceptable. The fact that the employee asked them to stop also makes it harassment.
An employee is given a company laptop to use for work. Their friend left their chromebook at home so they let them use their work laptop.
Is this an issue? Why or why not?
The employee is allowing unauthorized use of company property and potentially exposing company information to someone who should not have access.
Candy Bonus: Is it fine if the employee uses the company laptop at school and gives the student their chromebook?
A teacher posts on their personal social media: “So proud of my student who just received a 36 on the ACT!” The student's name is not included and neither is their picture.
Is this a FERPA violation?
Potentially. Even without a name, other details could make the student identifiable. Employees should follow school policy before sharing student information.
A teacher spends part of their workday working on a class they're taking for their Master's degree using their school computer during their plan time.
Is there an ethical concern here?
Yes. Misuse of school time, school resources, and school equipment.
Candy Bonus: What would make this a non-ethical issue?
An employee recommends a company to their employer because it is the cheapest option. They do not share that they secretly own 20% of that company.
True or False: This isn't an ethical issue since they are the cheapest option.
False. This is an undisclosed conflict of interest. There is potential for personal gain which makes it an ethical issue.
A supervisor tells an employee, “If you go on a date with me, I'll make sure you get the promotion you've been hoping for.”
What ethical issues are involved here?
Sexual Harassment
Abuse of Power
The supervisor is connecting a workplace benefit to a personal/sexual relationship.
An employee finds a $50 gift card in a desk drawer at work. No one appears to be using it.
Can the employee use it if no one claims it in the next week or so?
No. Finding company property does not make it personal property. The employee should report it or follow company procedures for found property.
A medical office employee tells a patient's neighbor, “She's doing much better after her surgery!”
This is fine because they all know each other. True or false?
False. They employee has just disclosed protected health information. Whether they know each other doesn't matter. The form that gives permission to share protected health information is what matters. Unless that's on file, this is a HIPPA voilation.
An employee consistently takes long lunches but records just the one hour of allowed time. When questioned, they say, “Everyone does it.”
Is this unethical? Why or why not?
Other people's behavior does not make dishonest time reporting acceptable. The employee is misrepresenting hours worked and being paid for time they did not work.
Your company is hiring for a position. Your cousin applies and is highly qualified. You are part of the interview committee.
What should you do?
The conflict comes from your involvement in the hiring decision. You should disclose the relationship and follow the company's procedures, which may require you to remove yourself from the decision.
An employee says, “I was only joking. Everyone knows I don't mean anything by it.” However, the jokes repeatedly target a coworker's race, religion, disability, gender, or other protected characteristic.
Does saying "I was only joking" make the behavior acceptable?
No. Intent does not erase the impact or make inappropriate workplace conduct acceptable. Repeated offensive conduct can constitute harassment.
Candy Bonus: If the other person acknowledges they knew they were just joking there is no issue.
An employee learns an old office chair at the company going to be thrown away. They assume that because the company is throwing it away, it is fine to take.
Are they right?
They should ask for permission first. Even if an item is being discarded, it remains company property until the company authorizes its disposal or transfer.
A teacher's friend is at the school track meet and sees one of the students off by themselves with another adult and asks "What's wrong with them?”
How should the teacher respond?
"I'm not allowed to discuss student specific information"
A weights coach is supervising the summer weight room. A male athlete gets a cramp in his hamstring after maxing out on squats. He asks the coach to massage it to help the cramp go away.
Is it unethical for the weights coach to help since the athlete is a male?
Gender doesn't matter here. Unless its an emergency situation, the weights coach should not place his or her hands on the student.
An employee has demonstrated the ability to separate their personal feelings from their work decisions, so they don't have to tell anyone that their spouse owns the company that is applying to do construction work over the summer.
Ethics is not only about actual bias. The appearance of bias matters too. Transparency allows the organization to determine whether the employee should participate in the decision.