Reflection on Young Professional’s Study Guide

There will be a time in our workplace where people ask us to do things that may be unethical. It is important to know how to talk your way out of it. I experienced a professional responsibility dilemma my freshman year when I was working in the dining hall. My position was working the front desk and swiping people in. As a freshman, I was still adapting to the college life. My friend was a junior and he was not living in a dorm, so he did not have dining credits. He tried to persuade me to “fake swipe” him in, so that he could get a free meal. He reiterated that I wouldn’t get in trouble. I was contemplating if I should sneak him in since he is my friend. Being new to the job, I felt like I could get away with many things.

My five core values are respect, integrity, responsibility, independence and service. Each of these values contributed to my decision whether to allow him in or not. The managers were very easy to talk to and I bonded with them easily. I had respect for all of my managers and I did not want to break the rules and potentially ruin our relationships. My parents have always taught me to be honest and I apply integrity in every situation. It is unethical for me to take advantage of my job position. It is my responsibility to do my job correctly and I was instructed not to allow people into the dining hall for free. I value independence in a workplace and it allows me to make my own decisions. Lastly, I value service because I want to provide the best experience for everyone. It is unfair for me to allow my friend in for free, yet other people are paying for it. The rules in play are the dining hall guidelines and the student employee handbook. I am instructed by my boss to not allow people in without swiping their iCards. If they don’t have dining hall credits, then they are required to pay for their meal. The resources I had available to me were my managers, other dining hall employees and the student employee handbook. I could email or call my managers with questions. The handbook could be found online or by asking a manager for it.

Jason: Hey Kevin, what’s up?

Kevin: Nothing much, I’m getting ready for work

Jason: Where do you work at? Kevin: The dining hall in ISR, it’s right under me so it’s pretty convenient. Jason: Oh, nice! What is your position? Kevin: I swipe people in.

Jason: I was wondering if you can sneak me in man. Sometimes I don’t have time to cook dinner and I am trying to save money.

Kevin: Sorry, I will have to get back to you tomorrow, I am tired today.

The next day…Jason: Hey Kevin, what’s the word? Can you sneak me in?

Kevin: Hi Jason, I been thinking about it and I don’t think that it’s worth it. Are you sure you want to put me on the line to sneak you in?

Jason: What do you mean? Nobody will know.

Kevin: The benefit of sneaking you in does not outweigh the risk of getting caught. Also, I am not comfortable because there will be people around.

Jason: Nobody will even know, I can come when nobody is there,

Kevin: There are cameras and the managers are watching. Sorry, but I do not want to lose my job. Also, if you get caught then you will get in trouble as well. You would have to go through a whole process with the managers and the school and it is simply not worth 15 dollars.

Jason: I did not think about it like that, I totally understand where you’re coming from. Sorry for asking you.

Young Professional’s Study Guide changed my approach because it gave me ways to stall and deal with the situation. For example, to exit the situation immediately, I told him that I'll get back to him tomorrow. Also, the book advises us to ask questions to make the other person really think about the problem and the potential consequences. Without reading the book, I would have straight up told him no as an answer. Having a personal script gives reasoning behind your answer and it isn’t straight up. It is important to have a personal script as it can help you whenever you encounter a problem.