Ethics Scenario #1: State Association of Veterans Organizations

1. Patty is working late at the State Association of Veterans Organizations. She hears some light tapping on the windowpane, and looks out the window to determine how hard it might be raining. Her office overlooks the office building parking lot. She notices that one of her colleagues, Tom, the organization’s government affairs officer, is loading boxes of bubble envelopes into his SUV. Immediately, she suspects that Tom, who recently started a home eBay business selling sports cards, has likely taken these from the supply closet for his personal use. Feeling a bit guilty that she may have jumped to a false conclusion, she leaves her office, walks down the long hallway to the supply closet, and confirms that the four boxes of these bubble mailers that were recently placed there by the office manager are no longer there. Patty and Tom have worked together for several years, and they have a good relationship. She decides to simply ignore this, as it is not her job to police the organization and she doesn’t want to get anyone in trouble, particularly Tom.

a. Is Patty acting unethically by not reporting Tom’s behavior?