Ethics Dilemma Discussion

In this activity, employees have an opportunity to work through various ethical dilemmas and decide the best route to take. In order to reinforce the desired decision, a leader should discuss what is the best route to take. Some examples may be:

1. You see a coworker harassing another employee, or you see a supervisor harassing or bullying a subordinate. What do you do?
2. A coworker is consistently late, and you know it’s because of their home situation; however, they continue to slide into work unnoticed. Do you say something or not?
3. You hear a colleague make a pejorative slur against another racial or ethnic group. Do you address it?

Activity Directions:

• Employees are arranged in groups of four to six. Make sure the groupings are random; ensure that no “cliques” or clusters of friends are put together.
• From a set of cards that explain various ethical dilemmas, one is drawn and read aloud to all the groups.
• Each group then discusses the variables of the situation and the best way to handle it.
• When all groups have reached a decision, the facilitator asks a representative from each group to explain what the group decided.
• At this point, the facilitator manages whole group discussion of what would be the best decision and the pros and cons of that and other decisions.