This is your annual integrity test
Please read each described situation carefully and judge to what extend you find the behaviour appropriate.
1= highly inappropriate, 2= inappropriate, 3= difficult to judge, 4 = appropriate, 5 = very appropriate
1 Lunch
Daphne is CEO of a mid-sized company. She has been in her job three years. The job is very demanding, and she easily works 70 hours per week. When she has no lunch appointment, she asks her secretary Iris to get some food from the company restaurant. Usually a salad and a piece of fruit. The costs of the lunch are put on the company account.
2 Business Class
Arne is flying to New York with a junior consultant, Jacky, to make a pitch for a large law firm. The company policy: partners can fly business class on intercontinental trips. The consequence: Arne flies in the front, Jacky in the back. “See you later” Arne said, when he was able to board as one of the first.
3 I deserve a 5-star hotel
The company where David works has no explicit expense policy. The expectation is that people can make their own judgment on what is appropriate. David always chooses the best five-star hotels in town. When a colleague makes a remark about this, his reasoning is: “I work very hard for the company, and I have to be fit when I negotiate with clients. Choosing a cheaper hotel is penny wise pound foolish”.
4 Can you help my daughter?
Dick’s daughter is studying international business at university. Part of her study is an internship of six months, at an organisation that is working internationally.
Dick contacts several of his big suppliers, to ask them if they would have an internship for his daughter.
5 Males only
Karen is the sales manager in a medium-sized company. This company wants to develop more business in the Middle East. Karen can hire two people for business development who will focus on the Middle East, working out of the UK. When Karen briefs the recruiter of HR her specification is clear: I want to see only male candidates, as it is difficult for a woman to do business the Middle East.
6 A personal touch
Donald is the leader of a business unit in a big multinational. Each year five young graduates start in Donald’s business unit, as part of the corporate trainee program. Donald likes to work with the young graduates, and his custom is to invite each of them for a dinner, to get to know them better.
7 Malaga
Ross is working in the London office. He has a second home in Malaga, Spain. He always plans the annual off-site of his management team in a hotel in Malaga.
8 Good morning, sunshine
It is early on a Monday morning. Jack is always one of the first in the office. At 8.30 his secretary Marilyn arrives. He welcomes her by saying: “Good morning, sunshine”.
9 A secret relation
Carl is working in HR. He is the business partner of the Fluid Liquids Division. He has a crush on Denise, a young high potential who works in one of the teams in the division. They date a couple of times and they start a relation. They keep it a secret from their colleagues at work.
10 Call Mohammed
Since a couple of months Shahid works at the IT help desk. He is responsible for installing the laptops for new employees and solving IT problems for the people at HQ. When Hans, the manager of corporate strategy, needs him, he asks his assistant: “Call Mohammed, I need him now!”.
11 Whiskey
Patrick has visited the Columbus office. Rodney, the Columbus office manager, has given Patrick a good bottle of whiskey, to thank him for the support during the difficult last year. Patrick takes the bottle home.
12 Flowers
Rose is leading a big team in region South. She is a fantastic people manager. She knows the birthday of all her people. On your birthday there is always a big bouquet of flowers on your desk, with a personal message of Rose, like “happy birthday, great you are part of our team, Rose”. The flowers are charged to the company account.
13 Can you pay the bill?
The marketing team had a fantastic dinner at one of the trendy restaurants in town. They were celebrating the successful launch of the new campaign. With 200 dollar per person the bill was on the high side. Tom, VP marketings, asks Rupert, marketing manager, to pay the bill. In this way Tom can approve the expenses, and he does not have to ask his boss to approve.
14 Cash for the intern
Anne is very positive about the new intern, Bob. Bob is fantastic, and in fact he is a lot better than many of the junior people they hired in the past years. When Anne learns Bob only gets 300 Euros per month, as an internship allowance, she thinks he deserves more. For his last two months of his internship she pays him an additional 300 Euros per month extra (cash), out of her own pocket.
15 Friends
Charles has worked for a big advertising agency. In his new corporate position he gives most assignments to his old agency. “They are the best, and we need the best”, is what he says.
16 Sign for me
Simon is traveling abroad. A letter, confirming the booking of a hotel for the annual shareholders meeting, has to signed latest Friday. Simon asks his assistant Mandy to sign. “You know my signature better than I do”.
17 I want a house
Ted always asks his assistant to book KLM, even if it is more expensive than another airline. He likes the airmiles and the Delft Blue houses with jenever you get in business class.
18 Analysing cv’s
The recruitment team is using some clever new tools. One of the tools is able to derive the personality profile of candidates, just using the cv and cover letter of the applicants. It saves a lot of time!
19 Working from home
Tom can work from home two days per week. On those days he brings the children to and from school, cleans the house and visits his mother. He compensates the missing working hours by doing some additional work during the weekend.
20 Hand holding
When Amanda wants to make a point, and that is very often, she tends to touch you to emphasise her arguments. She will touch your hand or your arm. If she is really serious, she will take your hand in her hands.
