P ac ice Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Jä inen, H.-M., Sä kijä i, J. J., Teini, J.-P., & Vi a, U.-T.
A. (2025). E hical Challenges and Suppo o Enginee s. In Kangaslampi, R.,
Langie, G., Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual Con e ence.
Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e, Finland. DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.17631561.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
ETHICAL CHALLENGES AND SUPPORT FOR ENGINEERS
H.-M. Jä inen a,
1
, J. J. Sä kijä i b, J.-P. Teini c,
U.-T. Vi a d
a Tampe e Uni e si y, Tampe e, Finland, 0000-0003-0047-2051
b Academic Enginee s and A chi ec s in Finland TEK, Helsinki, Finland
c Academic Enginee s and A chi ec s in Finland TEK, Helsinki, Finland
d Tampe e Uni e si y, Tampe e, Finland, 0000-0001-5224-3504
Con e ence Key A eas: Enginee ing e hics educa ion, Dialogue be ween
enginee ing and socie y – e ec s on educa ion
Keywo ds: e hics, e hical suppo
ABSTRACT
This pape explo es he e hical challenges aced by enginee s in Finland,
highligh ing he need o s onge e hical compe encies and sys ema ic suppo
mechanisms. A 2020 su ey o TEK membe s e ealed a lack o e hics aining and
iden i ied a ious e hical dilemmas, including legal iola ions, exploi a ion, and o he
une hical p ac ices. The TEK Wo king G oup on E hics p oposed measu es such as
imp o ing whis leblowe channels, enhancing legal li e acy, and os e ing e hical
business discussions o add ess hese challenges. The s udy emphasizes he
impo ance o in eg a ing e hical educa ion in enginee ing p og ams and wo kplace
ini ia i es and sugges s u he esea ch on he ole o o ganisa ional cul u e in
e hical decision-making.
1 INTRODUCTION
E hical challenges a e an inhe en pa o p o essional p ac ice in he science,
echnology, enginee ing and ma hema ics (STEM) p o essions. These challenges
can be ela ed o decisions on echnical design, o ganisa ional p io i ies, socie al
expec a ions, and indi idual esponsibili ies, o h ough complex in e ac ions
in ol ing se e al o he a o emen ioned. Add essing such dilemmas e ec i ely
equi es a solid ounda ion in e hical capabili ies, which can be cul i a ed h ough
enginee ing educa ion (EE).
1
Co esponding Au ho
H.-M. Jä inen
hannu-ma i.[email p o ec ed]i
1.1 E hics educa ion in Finnish Enginee ing Educa ion
De elopmen o e hical compe encies in EE has been a equen opic in discussions
o de eloping EE in Finland o e se e al decades: o example, TEK has published a
ex book on echnology e hics in 2009 (Heikke ö 2009). Howe e , he in eg a ion o
e hical compe encies is s ill no c oss-cu ing in Finnish EE and when i is included,
b idging he gap be ween abs ac e hical p inciples and hei p ac ical applica ion
emains a pe sis en challenge.
This pape con ibu es o add essing hese gaps by e ining su ey da a on e hical
challenges aced by STEM p o essionals in o p ac ical case examples ha can be
in eg a ed in o educa ional se ings. The con en s o his pape e lec he publica ion
"Fai and E hical Wo kli e” (Tekniikan aka eemis en lii o, 2024) published by TEK
and made by TEK Wo king G oup on E hics. These cases aim o p o ide s uden s,
as well as p o essionals al eady u he in hei ca ee s, wi h an unde s anding o he
e hical dilemmas ha hey may encoun e in hei ca ee s. In addi ion, he pape
o e s ac ionable ecommenda ions o de eloping p ac ices and policies ha
p oac i ely minimize he occu ence o hese dilemmas in he u u e. By combining
empi ical insigh s wi h pedagogical inno a ion, his wo k seeks o enhance he
p epa edness o u u e p o essionals o na iga e he e hical dimensions o hei wo k
e ec i ely.
2 CONTEXT AND PRACTICAL WORK
2.1 TEK Wo king G oup on E hics
TEK is a ade union and p o essional o ganisa ion ep esen ing academic enginee s
and a chi ec s in Finland, wi h o e 80,000 indi idual membe s ha accoun o mo e
han hal o he wo k o ce in he p o ession. Collabo a ion be ween ade unions and
highe educa ion bodies does no seem o be ei he common o well epo ed based
on a ailable li e a u e. TEK di e s om a adi ional ade union in ha i was o med
by a usion o a ade union and associa ion o ien ed owa ds p omo ing echnology,
which explains i s in e es in echnology educa ion. Fo ealis ic enginee ing e hics
educa ion goals, collabo a ion wi h ade unions and o he simila associa ions can
p o ide i al link o he p ac icali ies o wo k li e.
The analysis and ecommenda ions p esen ed in his pape a e a con ibu ion o TEK
Wo king G oup on E hics which was es ablished in 2020.
TEK Wo king G oup on E hics wo ks wi h he p ima y objec i e o p omo ing e hical
awa eness, p o iding p ac ical ools o e hical decision making, and ad oca ing o
sys emic imp o emen s in o ganisa ional p ac ices. To achie e hese goals, he
g oup engages in he ollowing key ac i i ies:
• Iden i ying E hical Challenges: Th ough su eys and o he means o
collabo a ion wi h TEK membe s, he wo king g oup collec s eal-wo ld
examples o e hical dilemmas encoun e ed by TEK membe s.
• De eloping P ac ical Tools and Guidelines: The g oup o mula es ac ionable
ools and guidelines o suppo e hical beha iou in bo h wo kplaces and
educa ional ins i u ions. These guidelines include ecommenda ions o e hical
de elopmen o echnology, add essing disc imina ion, and ensu ing
anspa ency in o ganisa ional p ocesses.
• Raising Awa eness and Ad oca ing o Sys emic Change: The Wo king G oup
wo ks on di e en ypes o publica ions o os e a cul u e o e hical
esponsibili y wi hin he enginee ing communi y. By dissemina ing knowledge
o membe s who wo k and s udy in he ield o echnology, he aim is o
empowe indi iduals o ac e hically and con iden ly in challenging si ua ions.
The TEK Wo king G oup on E hics emphasizes he impo ance o p oac i e and
collec i e e o s o add ess e hical challenges.
2.2 Su ey on E hical Dilemmas
This pape uses a su ey-based app oach o iden i y he e hical challenges aced by
enginee s in Finland. The goal was o analyse he equency and ype o eal-wo ld
e hical dilemmas aced by TEK membe s, and also wha kind o suppo he
membe s would welcome in mi iga ing u he e hical con lic s in he u u e (Figu e 1).
In addi ion o he esul s p esen ed in mo e dep h in his pape , he su ey included
ques ions p obing issues such as i he esponden had any enginee ing e hics
con en s in hei s udies which was ound o be e y low: 70 pe cen o he
esponden s epo ed hey ecei ed no aining in e hical issues du ing hei s udies.
Figu e 1 Responden s indica ed which me hods o suppo o dealing wi h e hical issues hey would wish a
labou union o o ganize. Responden s could selec mul iple op ions.
The su ey was conduc ed in 2020 and sen ia email o 6,000 membe s o he ade
union Academic Enginee s and A chi ec s (TEK). O hese, 4,000 we e ac i ely
employed, and 2,000 we e e i ed. A o al o 433 esponses we e ecei ed (7.2%
esponse a e). The esponden s co e ed a b oad ange o enginee ing ields and
ca ee s ages. (Vi a & Jä inen, 2021)
The su ey s uc u e is u he discussed in (Vi a & Jä inen, 2020), bu as a
summa y, he ques ionnai e included demog aphic ques ions, ques ions abou he
e hical a i udes o he esponden s, hei opinions on wha kind o suppo handling
e hical issues equi es and a possibili y o include mo e de ailed desc ip ions o
e hical issues hey had encoun e ed. The esponses p o ided mo e han 130 o
050 100 150 200 250
Educa ional ma e ial (example cases and solu ions)
Educa ional ma e ial such as e hical codes
Suppo pe sonnel du ing decision making
E hical boa d o commi ee
Legal se ices
Suppo pe sonnel o a e ca e
O ganised pee suppo
Uno ganised pee suppo
O he
Numbe o men ions
Means o suppo esponden s wan ed om labo union
hese desc ip ions. Responden s we e able o asse whe he hey allowed u he
usage, such as c ea ion o case o educa ional ma e ials, based on he desc ip ions.
Only esponses ha p o ided pe mission we e conside ed o he public case
examples.
2.3 Da a p ocessing and analysis o esul s
Fo he scope o his pape , only he esul s o he open esponse ques ions
ega ding si ua ions whe e e hical dilemmas we e expe ienced we e analysed. F om
he o al 403 esponses o he su ey, 137 esponden s also desc ibed hei job-
ela ed e hical dilemmas in mo e de ail in he open esponse. Some o he open
esponses we e oo b ie o ague in hei desc ip ion and we e no included in he
u he analysis. Also, as some esponden s did no gi e pe mission o u he
p ocess he answe s hey p o ided. In he end, a o al o 103 open esponses
emained o u he analysis.
The il e ed open esponses we e i s eph ased o ensu e p o ec ion o anonymi y
and he ph asing o desc ibing e hical dilemmas was ha monized. The ha monized
esponses we e hen ca ego ized in o hema ic g oups based on he na u e o he
e hical dilemmas desc ibed. The p ima y hemes iden i ied included conduc ha is
con a y o he law, exploi a ion o a wo ke 's disad an aged posi ion, and o he
une hical p ac ices. Each o hese p ima y hemes was u he explo ed o iden i y
possible pa e ns and unde lying ac o s con ibu ing o he dilemmas.
3 RESULTS AND INSIGHTS
In he ollowing sec ions, each iden i ied p ima y heme is discussed in g ea e de ail,
wi h a ocus on he con ex s in which hese dilemmas a ose, he decisions made by
esponden s, and hei e lec ions on he ou comes o hose decisions.
3.1 Conduc Con a y o he Law
This heme encompassed ins ances whe e esponden s aced si ua ions in ol ing
non-compliance wi h legal egula ions. Common examples ca ego ized by legisla ion
included he Non-Disc imina ion Ac and he Equali y Ac , he Wo king Time Ac and
he Employmen Con ac s Ac , and he Co-Ope a ion Ac . These included ins ances
o disc imina ion in ec ui men p ocesses, unequal ea men o employees based
on gende , and ailu e o add ess ha assmen . Fo example, a quali ied candida e
was no hi ed due o hei eligious belie s, and emale employees aced ha assmen
and unequal pay.
3.2 Exploi a ion o a Wo ke 's Disad an aged Posi ion
Employees we e p essu ed o engage in mo ally ques ionable asks, such as
manipula ing inancial eco ds o p epa ing dubious inancial decisions unde du ess.
Examples also included demo ion o employees o bene i supe iso s, exploi a ion
o in e ns wi hou p ope guidance, and o e ing un ai employmen e ms o
inexpe ienced young wo ke s.
3.3 O he Une hical P ac ices
This ca ego y included sub-ca ego ies business e hics, ques ionable subo dina e
beha iou , wo k cul u e and en i onmen and legally pe missible bu e hically
p oblema ic ope a ions.
3.3.1 Business e hics
Employees ound hemsel es in e hically ques ionable business si ua ions, such as a
company delibe a ely wi hholding in o ma ion om cus ome s abou p ojec delays o
ailu es, despi e being ully awa e o hem, and an employee eeling p essu ed o
p o ide esco se ices o a clien , hough i was unclea whe he his was explici ly
demanded by he employe .
3.3.2 Ques ionable subo dina e beha iou
Though he e hical dilemmas we e mo e commonly ela ed o poo managemen ,
also ques ionable subo dina e beha iou appea ed in many esponses. These
include o example an employee a emp ing o blackmail hei supe iso by
h ea ening o gi e a poo wo kplace clima e a ing unless hey ecei ed a sala y
inc ease and a wo ke esponsible o main aining he pay oll sys em publicly
compa ing hei sala y o colleagues' sala ies, b eaching con iden iali y.
3.3.3 E hical Challenges S emming om Wo kplace Cul u e o A mosphe e
This opic included colleagues o an employee igno ing wo kplace sa e y egula ions,
bu he employee e aining om epo ing hem o ea o social epe cussions and
epu a ional ha m.
3.3.4 Legally Pe missible bu E hically P oblema ic Ac ions
Many business ope a ions a e legal bu aise e hical conce ns. The examples om
his opic included a company engaged in business wi h in e na ional obacco
companies, ye no in e nal discussions we e held abou he e hical implica ions o
such pa ne ships.
The da a also e ealed emo ional and p o essional olls associa ed wi h hese e hical
dilemmas. Many esponden s desc ibed expe iencing s ess and s uggling o
econcile hei alues wi h he demands o hei oles.
4 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
The indings o his s udy highligh he wide ange o e hical challenges aced by
enginee s in hei p o essional li es. While some dilemmas in ol e clea legal
iola ions, many all in o mo ally ambiguous a eas whe e legal compliance does no
necessa ily equa e o e hical in eg i y. These cases demons a e ha e hical
decision-making is no always s aigh o wa d and ha employees may ace
con lic ing p essu es om o ganisa ional goals, p o essional esponsibili ies, and
pe sonal alues, and ha employees would bene i om s onge e hical
compe ences.
A key obse a ion is he lack o sys ema ic e hical aining and suppo mechanisms
a ailable o enginee s. Many esponden s epo ed eeling unce ain abou how o
na iga e e hical dilemmas and he demand o be e guidance, such as e hical
codes, pee suppo , and whis leblowe p o ec ions, was e iden in he su ey
esul s. This sugges s a need o mo e s uc u ed e hical educa ion in enginee ing
p og ams and wo kplace ini ia i es ha ac i ely os e e hical awa eness and
decision-making skills.
Addi ionally, he esul s e eal ha e hical challenges a e no limi ed o isola ed
inciden s bu a e o en embedded in o ganisa ional cul u e and indus y p ac ices.
Whe he i is misleading business communica ion, ques ionable inancial
a angemen s, o wo kplace powe dynamics, hese issues a e shaped by b oade
s uc u al ac o s. Add essing hem equi es no only indi idual e hical awa eness bu
also sys emic changes in policies, leade ship p ac ices, and co po a e accoun abili y.
TEK Wo king G oup on E hics discussed and p oposed measu es o mi iga e and
p e en he epo ed e hical challenges in he u u e. Based on he indings on e hical
dilemmas aced by TEK membe s, he ollowing lis o ecommenda ions was
assembled:
• Whis leblowe Channels: Es ablishing and imp o ing anonymous epo ing
mechanisms o p o ec indi iduals who epo une hical p ac ices.
• Legal Li e acy: Encou aging and aining o s udy laws o unde s and he legal
amewo k o p oblem si ua ions.
• Ac i e In e en ion: Encou aging p oac i e measu es o add ess legal and
e hical issues, suppo ed by adequa e esou ces and p o ec ion o hose who
ake ac ion.
• Solida i y Obliga ion: P omo ing awa eness o he du y o epo e hical issues
wi hin he o ganisa ion, ensu ing ha all le els o he hie a chy a e held
accoun able.
• Guidelines o Fai Dismissal: De eloping and publicizing guidelines o e hical
e mina ion p ocesses o ensu e ai ness, anspa ency and digni y.
• So Landing Ag eemen s: Implemen ing ag eemen s o suppo employees
ansi ioning o e i emen , ecognizing hei con ibu ions and easing he
ansi ion.
• Employee Ve o Righ s: Allowing employees o anonymously aise conce ns i
ini ial solu ions o e hical issues a e inadequa e.
• S eng hening Leade ship Skills: P o iding aining o manage s on e hical
leade ship and ai ea men o employees.
• Se ing Wo kplace Values: Encou aging pa icipa ion in discussing and se ing
he se o alues o he employe , making i simple o appeal o hem when
he need a ises.
• E hical Business Discussions: Fos e ing open discussions abou he e hical
implica ions o business decisions, in ol ing employees in he decision-
making p ocess.
• Fos e ing a C i ical Wo kplace A mosphe e: Encou aging an a mosphe e
whe e ques ions and dialogue a e welcomed o enhance ou comes.
By in eg a ing hese s a egies, o ganisa ions can cul i a e a obus e hical
ounda ion o add ess cu en challenges and p oac i ely p e en u u e dilemmas.
These measu es highligh he impo ance o a sys emic app oach o e hics, whe e
indi idual, o ganisa ional, and socie al dimensions a e aligned o os e a cul u e o
e hical esponsibili y in STEM p o essions.
While hese esul s a e aimed o wo king li e, hey can be used o planning e hical
educa ion o enginee s, oo. The ma e ials can be used as is, o as a basis o he
eache s o c ea e ealis ic examples and plan discussion opics.
The su ey and i s analysis also spa ked ideas on u he esea ch needs. These
include an in-dep h analysis on he pe asi eness o e hical compe ences cu en ly
p o ided by EE, impac o he TEK Wo king G oup on E hics publica ion in u u e EE
and an explo a ion o how di e en enginee ing disciplines pe cei e and add ess
e hical challenges. Addi ionally, u u e esea ch could in es iga e he e ec i eness o
a ious e hical aining me hods in p o essional se ings and examine he ole o
o ganisa ional cul u e in shaping e hical decision-making.
5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Acknowledging usage o AI: Gene a i e AI ools ha e been used o help o c ea e,
e i y and imp o e he English ansla ions om he o iginal publica ion
“Oikeudenmukainen ja ee inen yöelämä”, la e ansla ed as “Fai and E hical
Wo kli e”. The con en s o he “Fai and E hical Wo kli e” we e mos ly discussed in
he Resul s and insigh s, and Conclusions and implica ions -sec ions o his a icle.
Gene a i e AI has also been used o imp o e language and c ea e a basis o he
abs ac .
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Vi a, U. T., & Jä inen, H. M. (2020). Su ey on Enginee ing E hics. In P oceedings
o SEFI 2020 Annual Con e ence (pp. 1159-1169). Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing
Educa ion SEFI.
Vi a, U. T., & Jä inen, H. M. (2021). Wo king-li e e hical issues aced by enginee s.
In P oceedings o SEFI Annual Con e ence (pp. 610-618).
Tekniikan aka eemis en lii o. (2024) Fai and E hical Wo kli e. Tekniikan
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