My company sent me to a conference, recently, and in the conference there was a raffle and I won a $200 Visa prepaid credit card which I, in turn, used to buy groceries and other things for myself.
Now a coworker is telling me that I acted unethically and that I should have turned the prepaid cre...
@PeterM - they had what they called a sponsor bingo. If you stopped by all the sponsor booths your name would be automatically entered into the raffle at the end of the conference. So I didn't purchase it separately and as for whether or not it was included in the cost of the conference... I guess? I mean, simply purchasing a conference pass wouldn't get you into the raffle. Also, you had to be there, in-person, to collect the prize fwiw
@neubert - in that case, it could be construed to be an improper gift from the conference itself and it could induce you to convince your employer to send you to the conference again in the future.
@DavidLindon I guess this question was addressed in earlier comments. I know conferences where one's business card is the ticket to participate in the raffle. The search for leads is the reason to give something away.
@JulieinAustin: I disagree. The raffle entry was contingent on OP visiting specific booths, which is an action OP took, not under instruction (nor paid for) by their employer. It may not be a separate "purchase" in the sense that no money was exchanged, but it is OP who personally decided to pay the required cost (visiting the sponsors) of entering into said raffle.
Your co-worker is just jealous. If you were walking around and found $1k, would you give it to your company? What if you saved someone from choking and you were rewarded with $10k? It was a raffle. It was luck/chance. What if you bought a winning lottery ticket while on the building? Was the raffle set up in a way that you'd win in order for you to put a good word for a potential client/customer? Now THAT'S unethical; but this is not the case... God, what a ridiculous coworker.
@Flater - Visit a "booth" on a trip paid for by ones employer isn't paying for a raffle entry. There are several key components which create the conflict of interest, and once that conflict of interest exists, it needs to be resolved with HR.
@JulieinAustin Since visiting the booths is precisely what you need to do to be able to enter the raffle, it is the cost of a raffle entry. It's just not a financial cost.
I don't think there is much of an ethical question here, kind of splitting hairs over free stuff. It seems like the question belongs on the philosophy site instead of here.
@Flater but the (time) cost of the raffle entry is still being paid by the employer: if I wasn't on the clock I'd be down the beach, not wandering round booths at some conference centre!
Way too much analysis and speculation here. You won it in a raffle. It is your property. Prizes are 99.99% of the time non-transferable. A prize in a competition i.e. raffle that is random can no way be construed bribe. Ethics doesn't even come into this. In terms of your coworker you should tell him to look up definitions and be sure before he goes round spouting unfounded speculation. It would also be a good idea for him to get some therapy to deal with his jealousy and envy. FWIW I would keep my distance from this coworker in the future
Sometimes, it's best to walk around these problems by keeping one's mouth shut. I've had similar debates with work colleagues in the past. I personally have no ethical issues with receiving gifts and think I'm mature enough to not be influenced by a few trinkets. I take the view that if someone gives a gift to me personally, then that's mine and none of the company's business. Luckily I am self-employed these days so my employer tends to agree with me :)
Many years ago, 1960s, a neighbor kid won a "Coca Cola" company contest including a Honda motor bike. The young kids Grandfather was a top CC executive. It strongly suggests that the contest was 'rigged' and that would be unethical. You entering a public raffle sponsored by your company - even if fair - can reflect badly on your company and is a poor decision. You describe nothing unethical, but it reflects poorly on your company, and your judgement.
Discussion on question by neubert: Et…
Discussion on question by neubert: Et…