What would you do in this position?
You know that your team will be laid off in two months, but you’re instructed by upper leadership to keep it confidential and avoid panic. As you ponder this, you learn that a few members of your team are making major life decisions, such as planning to buy real estate. A couple of others are facing huge medical bills after an accident and are heavily relying on their health insurance to avoid debt. Withholding the information becomes increasingly stressful, as the team discusses declining other job offers because they feel happy and secure where they are. Telling them early might cost you your managing position.
What would you do in this position?
Your friend starts asking you to babysit for her, and more often than not, she brings the 6-year-old to your house. At first, you don’t really mind, but the visits become more frequent. You find out she’s been asking you to babysit because she’s been lying to her new date for 3 months, saying she doesn’t have any children. Babysitting is starting to tire you out, and when you first meet your friend’s new boyfriend, they make a passing joke about hating children, while your friend gives you a worried look.
In this scenario, it’s better to…
During your friend Pamela’s baby shower party, you notice that Alan, the soon-to-be father, is making weird moves on Pamela’s sister. At first, you don’t make anything of it, but as time passes, it becomes increasingly uncomfortable. When Alan confronts you about staring and tells you to mind your own business, you bump into Pamela, right before someone drags Alan by the hand into the bathroom. Pamela looks extremely happy, but asks you why you look like you’ve just seen a ghost. You’re unsure if Pamela knows, but it seems hard to miss.
In this scenario, it’s better to…
Your sibling is always favored by your parents because they started a small business by themselves, while you struggle with keeping a job. However, you know that your sibling quietly avoids certain regulations to stay financially afloat. Their customers are satisfied, and no one has been directly harmed, but some authorities begin poking around and asking questions, and you are in a position to confirm or deny what you know. You know it’s big enough to potentially shut down the business, but lying will perpetuate the favoritism that you can’t stand in your family.
What would your choice be in these circumstances?
You discover that a patient has only a few months to live. The patient has explicitly told you they don’t want to know the prognosis if it’s bad because they’d rather live peacefully instead of becoming a “living pity party” for their family and “an experiment for the next newest treatment.” The patient’s family privately begs you to tell them how it is so they can look for ways to improve their relative’s comfort and stay with them for their last days. You come out of your office and find both the patient and their family waiting for the news.
If you found yourself in this predicament, which would you choose?
As political tensions in your town rise, you come home from work to find a refugee in poor shape hiding in your living room. He begs you in tears to stay silent, but before you can answer, authorities come knocking on your door. They might have seen you entering your home just now. Two officers ask you if you’ve seen a person, as they show you a picture of the man in your living room. They tell you he’s potentially dangerous, but you notice that it doesn’t say so next to the picture, and the officers’ knuckles seem heavily bruised.
How would you act in this case?
Your partner bakes a delicious cake for your birthday, and you both have an amazing day together. You frequently show your appreciation during the day and tell them how much you enjoyed the cake they made. You think to yourself that it’s second only to your mom’s signature chocolate cake. At the end of the day, your partner jokingly asks if they’ve finally surpassed your mother’s cooking. They’re laughing, but their facial expression seems serious.
What’s the better choice in this situation?
You applied to the same university as Joanna. You don’t make it, but Joanna does, and you learn that Joanna cheated on the entrance exam and secured the prestigious scholarship that could have gone to you. When you talk, Joanna insists it was a one-time mistake and promises to “make it up to you.” Later the same day, you receive a call from the university informing you that your paper was pulled from the race due to suspicions of cheating, but it might have been mixed up with someone else's.
What would your choice be in these circumstances?
Your elderly father with dementia frequently asks about your mom, forgetting that she’s passed away. From frequent visits, you know that lying might preserve his emotional stability in the short term, but it further distorts his understanding of reality, while telling the truth each time causes fresh grief and confusion, making the conversation difficult.
If you found yourself in this predicament, which would you choose?
You discover your business partner has hidden significant debt that could threaten your company. As investors ask you directly about the company’s financial health, you realize that confronting your business partner directly could destroy trust and potentially collapse the business, but ignoring it risks even deeper financial disaster later.
How would you act in this case?
You’re a lead researcher who discovers that a newly approved, life-saving drug causes severe, fatal organ failure in about 4% of patients due to a genetic anomaly. The drug is currently saving tens of thousands of terminal patients. Publicizing the truth will cause regulatory bodies to pull the drug globally. You decide you need more time to think about it, but the next day, your colleague asks you about the papers you left on your table.
What’s the better choice in this situation?
Your new coworker confides in you that they secretly started running a side business using company time and resources. Their work performance is excellent, on par with yours, and management frequently praises them. Reporting it would likely result in their termination, while ignoring it would allow an unfair advantage and the misuse of company assets to keep your new coworker well-off. During a one-on-one meeting with your direct manager, they ask you what you think about the new hire.
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