How to Answer: What would you do if you were made aware of a co-worker being dishonest or stealing from the company?
15. What would you do if you were made aware of a co-worker being dishonest or stealing from the company?
The Goal
The interviewer wants evidence that you are an honest person who would do the right thing even in an uncomfortable situation. The goal of your response is to show the interviewer that you have the confidence to address dishonesty amongst your co-workers and that you would support integrity inside the organization.
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
What to Avoid
Avoid answers that make it seem like you are sympathetic to dishonesty. Instead, show that you are proactive in protecting your company and work environment while balancing 'doing the right thing' with being kind to others. For instance, you would report the situation according to company policy without embarrassing the co-worker or gossiping about it to the rest of your team.
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
Pro Tip
The interviewer wants to know how you would proceed in a situation involving employee dishonesty. Because this question is positioned as, 'What would you do if,' you can respond hypothetically. The Situation, Solution, Benefit formula is helpful in this instance.
Step 1) Situation: Express your understanding of the hypothetical situation.
Step 2) Solution: Outline the solution you would introduce in this hypothetical situation.
Step 3) Benefit: Highlight how your approach to handling this dishonesty will benefit the hiring company.
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
How to Answer
Companies want to know they are hiring loyal employees. Make sure that you illustrate in your answer that you would do the right thing and represent the company for which you are working. If you have an example from when this happened, you can talk to the interviewer about it but avoid naming people outright or speaking poorly of anyone.
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
Answer Example
"I certainly would not consider myself a 'whistle-blower' in the workplace. If I found that a co-worker was stealing or doing anything to harm the company, I would approach them directly to ask what was happening. There is a good chance of the situation being a simple misunderstanding. If it wasn't a misunderstanding and the co-worker was outright defiant with their damaging actions, then I would bring it, professionally, to the appropriate parties."
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
Retail Example
"When I was a server in college, I became aware that another server was altering his tips. It was an incredibly uncomfortable situation. The server was open about having many family issues and financial problems. I was empathetic to his situation; however, stealing is never okay. I told him that I knew what he was doing and expressed how I felt about the situation. He brushed it off as though I imagined the situation. So, I approached our manager with my discovery, and he was terminated shortly after. It's important to me that I work with honest individuals who are unafraid to hold each other accountable."
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
Sales Example
"In a previous role, I had a hunch that one of the appointment setters was inflating the number of appointments that he was setting but had no solid proof. There was a sudden uptick in productivity, but it appeared he was not putting in any extra effort. That said, it was not my department, direct report, or my place to address the situation. So, I mentioned the situation to another account executive, who was in his department, and they agreed to keep an eye on the situation."
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
Teacher Example
"I have never found myself in this situation, but I feel I'd address it with the person in question and then involve the appropriate supervisory parties as necessary if the behavior continued. As a teacher, there isn't much opportunity to take or be greedy, so I can't see this happening, honestly, but if it did, that's how I would handle it."
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
Admin Example
"If I knew that an employee was stealing from the company, I would report it to my manager. When employees steal, their actions put everyone at risk."
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
Manager Example
"I have caught employees stealing before. I have zero patience for this type of behavior. It costs the company a lot of money, resulting in increased costs to my customers, and potentially jeopardizes future raises and team growth. Whenever I have caught an employee stealing, I bring the matter up with HR, along with supporting evidence. This approach ensures a clean termination eliminates the company being at risk of being sued by the disgruntled former employee."
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
Marketing Example
"I have caught a co-worker plagiarizing their work before. This practice is a huge faux pas in our industry, resulting in immediate termination. When I caught the co-worker, I reported it anonymously to our marketing director. He had been terminated shortly after, which I felt a bit bad for, but reminded myself that he put our entire agency's reputation at risk, including my job."
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 16th, 2022
Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Rachelle's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Rachelle's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Marcie's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Amanda's Feedback