Scenario: Conference No-Show

Group Size: 4-15

Scenario

You and a colleague were sent out of town to attend a two-day work-related conference in Banff, Alberta. On the flight there, you and your colleague joke about how you were getting a free ski holiday and that you should take the rental car and tour around and have fun instead of going to the boring conference. You did not mean what you said, and you thought it was understood that you were just sharing a joke.

The next morning during the first break at the conference, your colleague suggests that you both take off and go skiing. You disagree and make it clear that you feel you should attend the conference. Your colleague seemed to let it drop.

After lunch, however, you return to the conference and you realize that your colleague is not there, nor do they respond that night when you call the room. You attend the next day of the conference and again, your colleague is nowhere in sight. It is a small conference and there is no way that your colleague could have attended without you seeing them.

As you get ready to check out of the hotel at the end of the conference, your colleague calls you about sharing a taxi to the airport. You return to work together with no mention of their whereabouts over the past couple of days.

Back in the office, your manager sends an invitation to meet with you and your colleague to talk about the conference. Your colleague stops by your desk and says to you, “Hey, I’m just going to let you talk in the meeting” and walks ahead into the manager’s office.

You, your manager, and your co-worker meet. You abide by your co-worker’s wishes in answering the manager’s questions regarding the conference.

Categories

• Principles: Respect the Dignity of all Persons, Serve Canada before Self
• Values: Integrity, Stewardship, Courage
• Cultural themes: Service, Teamwork
• Misconduct types: General Misconduct
• GBA Plus themes: Not Specific
• Audience: Defence Team

Facilitator’s Guide

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the ethical obligation of “Serve Canada before Self” and “Obey and Support Lawful Authority” in the workplace.  
• Discuss the ethical values of integrity, stewardship, and courage in the workplace. 

Facilitation Questions

1. What would you do in this situation? What are the considerations?  
   • Allow open discussion from the group.
   • Ethical concerns: The colleague’s fraudulent use of government-related travel funds causes a double dilemma. Not only is the colleague not obeying and supporting lawful authority, but they also implicate you by blatantly letting you know that they are breaking the rules.
   • Personal factors: You are now put in the difficult position of either denouncing a colleague, misleading authorities by your own silence, or lying to them on your colleague’s behalf.
2. What is the ethical dilemma in this situation?   
   • By making a joke about a “free ski holiday” on the trip to the conference, your colleague could turn that around to say that the idea was yours. The dilemma here is to find the courage to maintain your own integrity, even when it means reporting your friend’s abuse of the time and expenses allocated for a work conference.
3. What are some potential courses of action that you could take in this scenario?  
   • Option 1: Confront your colleague directly, insisting that they report themselves to his manager within a prescribed time frame, after which you would be obligated to approach the manager yourself.
   • Option 2: You could have searched for your colleague immediately when they didn’t show up for the conference. You could have tried to convince them to attend the conference and that not attending was an issue that would have to be addressed.
   • Option 3: As described in the scenario, say nothing about the situation with your coworker in attendance and answer the manager’s questions on the conference.You would still have the choice to bring it up with the manager at a future private meeting.