Responding to a coworker's unethical conduct: judgment, escalation and follow-through

Suppose you learned that someone you work with was doing something unethical. How would you respond? ```hint Calibrate before acting Ask yourself how your response should change with how sure you are of the facts and how much harm is involved, and which channels exist besides speaking to the person directly. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - What kind of conduct do you have in mind: something that harms users or breaks the law, such as misusing user data, or something internal, such as misreporting results or taking credit for others' work? - Is the colleague a peer on my team, someone I manage, or someone senior to me? - Did I see it myself, or did I hear about it secondhand? - Is the harm ongoing, for example a feature that is still live, or has it already happened? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Establishing the facts without running a private investigation, and recognizing when not to confront the person - Calibrating the response to severity, certainty and urgency, especially when users or the law are affected - Using the right channels (manager, HR, legal or compliance, a confidential reporting line) while respecting confidentiality - Treating the colleague fairly and protecting the working relationship where that is appropriate - Following through and keeping a record, plus a concrete example if the candidate has one ### Follow-up Questions - Your manager tells you to let it go because the colleague is a top performer. What do you do? - The unethical act is a product decision, such as a dark pattern that lifts a key metric. How does your approach change? - What if you later find out you were wrong about what happened?