Articles & Dilemmas

 

person with their hand to their ear listening

The ethics of confidential information

08 Mar 23
by Anonymous
You are a loan officer in a bank and a client who is currently trying to get funding has passed on some confidential information on the land they are looking at buying.
team of people working around a round table

The ethics of priorities

23 Feb 23
by Anonymous
You are working on a joint project with another team from your organisation. You have worked with this team successfully before but this project feels different and now the client has approached you with some concerns.
woman walking away

The ethics of walking away

09 Feb 23
by Anonymous
You have seen and been subject to unethical behaviours in an organisation that you decide you can no longer be complicit to, so you leave.
calculator, model home, coins and pen

The ethics of knowing too much

04 Jan 23
by Anonymous
A colleague is making a big life decision and you know something about their employment that they don't know yet.
harrassed worker with head in hands

The ethics of working with an abuser

04 Jan 23
by Anonymous
You are a new employee and have quickly become aware that one of your colleagues from a diverse background is struggling with a verbal harasser the bank still employs.
People shaped magnets drawn to a larger magnet

The ethics of loyalty to your workplace

15 Dec 22
by Anonymous
Your office holiday shutdown period has been extended and is using up a large portion of the leave your were hoping to take next year.

The ethics of confidentiality

02 Dec 22
by Anonymous
It’s the festive season and you’re attending quite a few social events where conversations have been flowing freely between colleagues and peers following two years of cancellations.

The ethics of managing up

18 Nov 22
by Anonymous
You have been asked to manage out a new employee who is not performing well, but has also not had much supervision or guidance due to starting during lockdown and their direct report moving on not long after they started.

The ethics of avoiding responsibility

03 Nov 22
by Anonymous
You have uncovered a potential data capturing issue that won't affect your member's account, but could affect the fee calculation. Knowing that you will be the one who will have to investigate further if you bring it up, you are reluctant given how busy you already are.

The ethics of questioning a colleague's decision

19 Oct 22
by Anonymous
You have uncovered a discrepency with a client's account that your manager had previously accepted as OK, but you're not so sure.

The ethics of decision making under pressure

29 Sep 22
by Anonymous
Although efficiency is a value in so many organisations and an important part of delivery to key stakeholders, often we don’t see potential risks or mistakes until something goes wrong.

Up x BFO

14 Sep 22
by Up and The Banking & Finance Oath
Acting in an ethical, trustworthy, and transparent manner underpins everything the team at Up does, and is the reason Up are keen supporters of The Banking and Finance Oath (The BFO).

Why keeping better data is the key to Australia's artificial intelligence revolution

14 Sep 22
Fintech, now a $7 trillion industry worldwide, has caused a rapid upheaval of the core utilities of banks. But this new form of debt poses a major issue if emerging fintech players do not act responsibly.
yellow traffic sign with the words opportunity ahead

The Ethics of Opportunities

07 Sep 22
by Anonymous
A company that has recently experienced some backlash and reputational damage have offered you a more senior position
key lying across a keyboard

The Ethics of Secrets

24 Aug 22
by Anonymous
Your organisation has just started on a large project being led by your friend who has also just confided in you that they may be leaving.
dice that spell the word quota, but the q is interchangeable with a male symbol or female symbol

The Ethics of Quotas

10 Aug 22
by Anonymous
You're the Head of HR in a large bank and your organisation has recently committed to a new gender quota, encouraging more diversity into leadership positions within the workplace.
a sign asking how your day is with the option of green smiles or red frowns

The Ethics of Data Privacy

21 Jul 22
by Anonymous
You work in superannuation, spending much of your time analysing client data to help understand how best to add value and engage people with their future self. You also have a similar responsibility for anyalysing data from the anonymous employee survey and have received some challenging results.
a field of daffodils

The Ethics of values clashes

19 May 22
by Anonymous
You work for a large industry super fund and with the election coming up there has been a lot of talk of politics, in particular housing policies that will affect your industry. Most of your personal views are the opposite to the views of your industry and colleagues.
Jenga blocks about to fall

The Ethics of accountability for bad decisions

05 May 22
by Anonymous
A member of the executive team has confided in you, the HR manager, about ongoing bullying from the CEO, to whom they report directly.
Ethics of Favouritism

The Ethics of Favouritism

08 Apr 22
by Anonymous
You are working in a small wealth management organisation which suffered through Covid because of work dropping off and redundancies were made. As a result, you were forced to pick up several duties which required quick learning on your behalf.
Ethics of Reporting photo by Amy Hirsci

The ethics of reporting… what would you do?

24 Mar 22
by Anonymous
A colleague in the same team has been working on a project with you which requires you both to meet in person. As you live quite close to each other, rather than meeting in the office you are meeting in each other's homes.

The ethics of collaboration… what would you do?

10 Mar 22
by Anonymous
You have been working on a proposal with a colleague who is in the same team and junior to you. You’ve both put in a significant amount of work and you can see that your colleague is really extending themselves.

Acting ethically isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s good business

02 Mar 22
by Marnie Baker, Managing Director at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank
Returning from my summer break I use the opportunity to reflect on the year that has passed and the year ahead. Like many large organisations Bendigo and Adelaide Bank faces both opportunities and challenges, with the holiday period delivering a valuable and fresh perspective.

The ethics of managing conflicts

03 Feb 22
by The BFO
You’re a financial services executive with many years industry experience and were recently invited to apply for a position  on the board of a large Australian construction company.
Person lying on couch

The ethics of transparency

19 Jan 22
by The BFO
It’s the start of a new year and you’re in a new role as a People & Culture Officer at a retail banking institution and a number of employees have been sick over the break with Covid-19, when most of them were on their pre-booked annual leave...

Allianz raises awareness of insurance misuse in domestic abuse

13 Dec 21
by The Banking and Finance Oath and Allianz
Financial services designs and provides products that help people and families set financial goals for the future and remain financially secure. But sometimes there are unintended consequences and a risk it could be used for ill. Reflective thinking is where ethics plays such an important role to deeply consider ALL consequences. Here is a case study from a financial institution – Allianz – that has undergone a process to have a deeper understanding of how their products can be used. They are sharing this with the aim of raising industry and community awareness.

Getting it right in identifying and responding to conflicts of interest

13 Dec 21
by Pauline Vamos, Chair of Governance Institute of Australia
Identifying and responding to conflicts of interest is easier said than done and we get it wrong often. So how can we get it right?

The ethics of confidentiality post lockdown

24 Nov 21
by The BFO
As we all limp towards the end of the year and social and industry gatherings ramp up in a post lockdown world, do we need to remind ourselves of the rules of engagement and what the consequences could be if we break them?

The ethics of accountability

10 Nov 21
by The Banking and Finance Oath
A new GM, an office 'gem', an audit discrepancy, missing funds, and an investigation with no sign of finding who was at fault... who do you hold accountable?

The ethics of workplace friendships

28 Oct 21
by The BFO
You’re the HR Manager of a regional bank with a number of branches in country Victoria. Friendships amongst employees in the organisation is inevitable given its size and most of them being locals in their communities.
Total 199 articles in this section.
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The Oath

  • Trust is the foundation of my profession.
  • I will serve all interests in good faith.
  • I will compete with honour.
  • I will pursue my ends with ethical restraint.
  • I will help create a sustainable future.
  • I will help create a more just society.
  • I will speak out against wrongdoing and support others who do the same.
  • I will accept responsibility for my actions.

In these and all other matters;
My word is my bond.