Integrity & professionalism

You find a £20 note on the office floor near the shared printer with no indication of whose it is. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AKeep the note, on the basis that there is no way of identifying the owner and nobody would ever know
• BLeave the note exactly where it is on the floor and carry on with what you were doing
• CHand it in to reception or your manager and let colleagues know it has been found✓
• DUse it to buy coffees for everyone in the office, so that at least the whole team benefits from it

Answer: Handing in found money and notifying others is the honest action and gives the owner a chance to reclaim it.

Your manager asks you to report that a task is complete when you know it is only about 80% done, so the figures look better to senior leadership. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ARefuse, and report your manager to senior leadership straight away without first discussing the request with them
• BReport the task as complete as instructed, but keep a private written note in case it is questioned later
• CDecline to misreport it and explain the actual status, offering a realistic completion date✓
• DReport the task as complete, on the basis that you were simply following an instruction from your manager

Answer: Refusing to falsify a report while constructively providing accurate information upholds integrity without unnecessary escalation.

You made a mistake in a piece of work that has already been sent to a client. The error is significant but might not be noticed for a while. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ABlame a system glitch if anyone asks
• BWait to see whether the client notices the error before deciding whether anything needs to be said about it
• CFix it quietly in the next version and say nothing
• DPromptly inform the relevant people, explain the error, and put forward a plan to correct it✓

Answer: Owning the mistake promptly and proposing a fix limits the damage and demonstrates accountability and integrity.

A close colleague and friend confides that they have been claiming expenses for personal items as work costs. They ask you to keep it between you. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AStart claiming the same expenses yourself, on the basis that it appears to be accepted practice across the organisation
• BEncourage them to stop and correct it, and if they will not, follow your organisation's policy on reporting it✓
• CKeep their secret in order to protect the friendship, since raising it formally would seriously damage your relationship
• DIgnore it as it is not your responsibility

Answer: Encouraging them to put it right first, then following policy if they refuse, balances loyalty with your duty to act on dishonesty.

You are asked to sign off a document confirming a safety check was carried out, but you were not present and cannot verify it actually happened. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ASign it but add a small note of doubt
• BAsk a colleague to sign it instead
• CSign the document, since the safety check is routine and was almost certainly carried out as normal
• DDecline to sign until you have verified the check was genuinely carried out✓

Answer: Never confirming something you cannot verify, especially regarding safety, is essential to integrity and protects everyone.

A supplier you work with sends you an expensive gift just before you are due to decide whether to renew their contract. Company policy on gifts is unclear to you. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ADeclare the gift to your manager and check the policy before deciding whether to accept or return it✓
• BAccept the gift quietly as a normal business courtesy
• CReturn it rudely to make a point
• DAccept the gift but assess the contract renewal on its merits anyway

Answer: Declaring the gift and checking policy avoids any conflict of interest and keeps the decision transparent and fair.

You overhear two colleagues sharing confidential information about a client in a public area where others could hear. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AReport them straight to senior management without first mentioning the problem to the colleagues themselves
• BDiscreetly remind them they are in a public space and the information is confidential✓
• CJoin in the conversation, on the basis that you have already overheard the confidential details anyway
• DIgnore what you heard, on the basis that the client belongs to another team and is not your responsibility

Answer: A discreet reminder addresses the confidentiality breach immediately and respectfully, protecting the client without overreacting.

You realise a report you are about to publish contains data that, while technically accurate, is presented in a way that could mislead readers to a favourable conclusion. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• APublish the report exactly as it is, since every figure in it is technically accurate
• BRemove the data entirely to avoid the issue
• CAdjust the presentation so the data gives a clear and fair impression✓
• DAdd even more favourable framing to strengthen the message

Answer: Presenting accurate data fairly, rather than in a misleading way, upholds honesty and the credibility of your work.

You are running late and could quickly copy a colleague's completed compliance training answers to mark your own mandatory training as done. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AComplete the training properly yourself, even if it means doing it later✓
• BMark the training as complete in the system without actually working through any of the material
• CAsk your colleague to complete the training for you under your own login details
• DCopy your colleague's answers to save time, since the content is much the same every year

Answer: Genuinely completing mandatory training ensures you actually understand it and is the only honest course of action.

A colleague asks you to clock them in early because they are running a few minutes late and do not want it to count against them. They say everyone does it. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• APolitely decline and explain you are not comfortable falsifying records✓
• BClock them in as a favour, since it is only a few minutes and they would do the same for you
• CClock them in but tell them not to ask again
• DReport them immediately for even asking

Answer: Politely refusing to falsify time records protects your own integrity while handling the request with tact.

During a client pitch, a senior colleague states something about your product's capabilities that you know to be inaccurate. The client seems impressed. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ACorrect your colleague sharply in front of the client
• BTactfully clarify the accurate position, and speak to your colleague afterwards to align✓
• CStay silent to avoid undermining your colleague in front of the client
• DRepeat the inaccurate claim to reinforce it

Answer: Tactfully clarifying the truth protects the client relationship and your integrity, while handling your colleague respectfully afterwards.

You are working from home and have completed your tasks well before the end of the day. No one is monitoring your hours closely. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ATake on no further work and simply wait for the end of the working day to arrive, since everything assigned to you has been finished
• BUse the remaining time productively, such as helping colleagues, learning, or getting ahead, while remaining available✓
• CLog off for the rest of the day as soon as your tasks are finished, on the basis that nobody is checking your hours closely
• DStay logged in but do personal tasks

Answer: Using paid working time productively and remaining available reflects professional integrity even without supervision.

You are asked to handle a customer account but realise you previously had a personal dispute with that customer outside of work. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ADeclare the conflict of interest to your manager and ask for the account to be reassigned✓
• BRefuse to take on the account but decline to give your manager any explanation for the refusal
• CHandle the account as normal and rely on your own judgement to stay neutral despite the history
• DTake the account on and use the opportunity to settle the personal score in ways that would be hard to detect

Answer: Declaring the conflict of interest and arranging reassignment keeps the service fair and protects both the customer and your integrity.

Your organisation has just introduced a new policy that you find inconvenient and you suspect other colleagues will too. You have not yet been asked your view. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AEncourage colleagues to resist the policy so that management withdraws it
• BIgnore the policy and carry on as before
• CComply with the policy while feeding constructive feedback through the proper channels✓
• DComply silently but complain loudly to others

Answer: Complying while channelling constructive feedback appropriately respects the organisation and still allows the policy to be improved.

You are working on a confidential project and a friend from another company, who would find the information very useful, casually asks you what you are working on. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• APolitely decline to discuss the work, as it is confidential✓
• BShare the information but ask them to keep it to themselves, since you trust them completely
• CHint at the general nature of the work without saying anything directly
• DShare a few general details, since they are a trusted friend and the specifics stay confidential

Answer: Politely keeping confidential information private, even with trusted friends, is essential to professional integrity.

You realise that you accidentally sent an email containing sensitive information to the wrong recipient outside the organisation. You notice within minutes. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ASend the recipient a casual follow-up message asking them to delete the email and simply ignore whatever they may have read
• BDelete the message from your sent items so that there is no record of the email ever having been sent from your account
• CReport the error immediately following your organisation's data breach procedure and try to recall the email✓
• DHope the recipient does not read it and say nothing

Answer: Promptly reporting the data breach through the correct procedure limits harm and is required for integrity and compliance.

A task you have been given conflicts with what you believe is the ethically right thing to do, although it is not strictly against any rule. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• ACarry out the task anyway, since it breaks no rule or policy
• BDo the task but tell colleagues you objected
• CRaise your ethical concern with your manager and discuss alternatives before proceeding✓
• DRefuse to do anything and say nothing about why

Answer: Raising ethical concerns through the proper channel and seeking alternatives reflects integrity and good professional judgement.

You are asked to estimate how long a piece of work will take. You know an honest estimate will be unpopular because it is longer than people hope. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AGive a shorter estimate than you believe is realistic so that people are pleased with the answer
• BGive an honest, realistic estimate and explain the reasoning behind it✓
• CRefuse to give any estimate until you can see how the work actually progresses
• DGive a deliberately inflated estimate so that you are protected if the work takes longer

Answer: Providing an honest, well-reasoned estimate, even when unpopular, supports realistic planning and maintains trust.

You spot a potential health and safety hazard in your workplace, such as a trailing cable in a walkway, that has not yet caused harm but could. What is the MOST appropriate action?

• AMention the trailing cable to a colleague in passing, but take no further action about it yourself and leave it where it is
• BStep over the cable each time you pass and assume that somebody whose job it is will eventually get round to dealing with it
• CWait to see if anyone trips before reporting it
• DMake the area safe if you can do so quickly and safely, and report the hazard through the proper procedure✓

Answer: Making the area safe where possible and reporting the hazard prevents harm and meets your responsibility for workplace safety.