Public Relations
Workplace Ethics & Conduct
Choosing actions that align with official procedures, safety laws, and ethical standards.
Scenarios involve indoor smoking violations, missing file discrepancies, financial overpayments, found money, bribery offers from vendors, and supervisors who informally override policy. The correct answer always aligns with the strictest reading of the stated rule or law.
What the exam tests
Situational Problem-Solving Passages
A short workplace narrative presents a conflict or dilemma; choose the most professional, ethical, or legal course of action from four or five options.
Strict Adherence to Official Procedure
Key rules
- ›Follow established rules even when pressured by peers or supervisors to ignore them.
- ›Example: if policy requires files to be kept indefinitely, report a missing file even if your boss said 'don't worry about it.'
Common traps
- !Deferring to a supervisor's informal instruction when it contradicts written policy.
Legal Compliance and Safety
Key rules
- ›When someone is breaking a law (e.g., smoking indoors), the correct response is to inform them of the law and direct them to comply, politely but firmly.
- ›Personal comfort or social pressure does not change the legal requirement.
Common traps
- !Ignoring a violation to avoid confrontation.
Ethical Standards and Integrity
Key rules
- ›Report overpayments to a supervisor even if no one else noticed.
- ›Found cash must be turned in. It is never appropriate to split or keep it.
- ›Refuse kickbacks or commissions and select the lowest bidder per policy, regardless of personal relationships.
Common traps
- !Rationalizing a minor ethical shortcut because the financial impact seems small.
Judgment in Escalation (Chain of Command)
Key rules
- ›Handle problems personally when they are within your authority.
- ›Escalate to your supervisor when the situation involves rule violations, misconduct, or is outside your authority.
- ›Go to a 'boss' boss' if your direct supervisor is the one ignoring the rules.
Common traps
- !Stopping escalation at a supervisor who is themselves part of the problem.
No Personal Inferences
Key rules
- ›Answer based only on the rules and data stated in the passage, not personal experience or outside knowledge.
- ›When multiple options seem acceptable, select the one that most strictly follows the stated policy or law.
Common traps
- !Applying real-world common sense that contradicts the rule explicitly stated in the passage.
Try one
Anne works the overnight shift at her job. Anne is there by herself most evenings and has procedures she is to follow for most situations. She is not allowed to let anyone into the building during the overnight hours. One night, a co-worker walks in and asks Anne to let him into another section of the building. What should Anne do?
Anne is to follow procedures and is not supposed to let anyone into the building, regardless of who is asking.
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