Unethical Behaviour

How I Responded (Initial Steps)

My immediate goal was to resolve the issue internally and discreetly while ensuring the client received accurate information.

Gathered Evidence: I discreetly saved a copy of the raw, complete data set and Alex's manipulated draft, noting the specific discrepancy in the reported date range.

Private Confrontation (The "Coffee Chat"): I approached Alex in a private setting and brought up the discrepancy directly but non-judgmentally. I said something like, "Hey Alex, I was looking over the campaign data, and I noticed the report you drafted only covers the last three days. Was that intentional, or did you accidentally filter out the data from the first two weeks? If we don't include the full scope, the conversion rate in the final report will be inaccurate for the client."

Alex's Response: Alex admitted to the manipulation, claiming, "If we show them the real numbers, we'll lose this client. I was just trying to save the account, and the numbers are trending up anyway."

Stated the Ethical Issue: I firmly, yet calmly, explained that while their intentions might have been to save the account, misrepresenting data is unethical and a fireable offense. I stressed that it damages our company's credibility and exposes us to risk if the client ever audits the raw data. I insisted the report be corrected before submission.

✅ How I Solved the Situation (Escalation)

When Alex refused to change the report, doubling down on the lie, I had to escalate.

Escalated to Management: Since the initial direct attempt failed, I immediately informed my direct manager privately. I presented the manager with the complete facts: the raw data, Alex's manipulated report, and a summary of our conversation, focusing only on the behavior (data misrepresentation) and the impact (risking client trust and company credibility), not on personal feelings.

Managerial Intervention: The manager immediately pulled Alex and the report. They acknowledged the severity of the issue, corrected the report to show the accurate full-campaign data (along with an action plan for improvement), and submitted it with an honest explanation to the client.

Sample Answer

Example Scenario: Misrepresenting Performance

The Situation

I (the hypothetical employee) worked on a small team responsible for client reporting. My coworker, Alex, was responsible for compiling data from a new marketing campaign and presenting the results to the client. I noticed that the campaign's key performance indicator (KPI), customer conversion rate, was significantly lower than the client's goal. While reviewing a draft of Alex's report, I saw that they had manipulated the time frame of the data included. By only reporting on the last three days of the campaign—when results slightly spiked—and omitting the first two weeks of poor performance, Alex's report showed a positive, successful trend, which was factually inaccurate for the campaign as a whole. This was an act of data misrepresentation, a clear breach of ethical conduct, as it misled the client.