SAEE Professional Ethics and Conduct 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An employee discovers that a coworker has been falsifying time sheets. What is the most ethical first step?
- Confront the coworker publicly
- Report the concern through the proper internal channel (Correct answer)
- Ignore it to avoid conflict
- Falsify your own time sheet in retaliation
Correct answer: Report the concern through the proper internal channel
Ethical conduct requires reporting suspected misconduct through established internal channels.
Question 2: Which principle requires professionals to avoid situations where personal interests conflict with their duties?
- Confidentiality
- Conflict of interest avoidance (Correct answer)
- Punctuality
- Networking
Correct answer: Conflict of interest avoidance
Avoiding conflicts of interest keeps personal gain from compromising professional judgment.
Question 3: A professional receives an expensive gift from a vendor seeking a contract. The most appropriate response is to:
- Accept it quietly
- Decline or disclose it per policy (Correct answer)
- Share it with the team
- Demand a larger gift
Correct answer: Decline or disclose it per policy
Gifts that could influence decisions should be declined or disclosed under organizational policy.
Question 4: What does maintaining client confidentiality primarily protect?
- The professional's reputation only
- Sensitive information entrusted to the professional (Correct answer)
- Company profits
- Public marketing efforts
Correct answer: Sensitive information entrusted to the professional
Confidentiality safeguards the private information clients entrust to a professional.
Question 5: Acting with integrity means a professional should:
- Tell people what they want to hear
- Be honest even when it is difficult (Correct answer)
- Hide mistakes to look competent
- Prioritize speed over accuracy
Correct answer: Be honest even when it is difficult
Integrity requires honesty and consistency even when truth is inconvenient.
Question 6: Which action best demonstrates accountability in the workplace?
- Blaming others for errors
- Owning your mistakes and correcting them (Correct answer)
- Avoiding difficult tasks
- Taking credit for team work
Correct answer: Owning your mistakes and correcting them
Accountability means accepting responsibility for one's actions and fixing errors.
Question 7: A professional code of conduct primarily serves to:
- Increase company revenue
- Guide ethical behavior and decision-making (Correct answer)
- Replace all laws
- Limit employee creativity
Correct answer: Guide ethical behavior and decision-making
A code of conduct provides standards that guide ethical decisions and behavior.
SAEE Professional Ethics and Conduct 2
An employee discovers that a coworker has been falsifying time sheets.
What is the most ethical first step?