New World of Work Series: “Ethics in the World of Work” Event Recap

On Thursday 6 November 2025, the Arts & Science Program held the first New World of Work Series (NWWS) event of the 2025/2026 academic year. This event focused on Ethics in the World of Work. In the Arts & Science program, we spend time exploring our ethical values in several of our courses. When we, the Student Organizing Team (Jing Yi, Nicole and Rowan), surveyed our peers at the start of the school year, many of them expressed a desire to learn how to apply this valuable knowledge in their future professional lives. This inspired us to design an event that would provide attendees with a new set of strategies for living and honing their ethical values within diverse professional spaces.

To start the event, we invited attendees to join a large group discussion about what comes to mind when they think about ethics. Our peers highlighted several key facets of ethics in the discussion. One attendee explained that they see ethics as being about relationships – how different groups, individuals, and communities engage with each other responsibly and respectfully. Another attendee suggested that ethics involve preserving the environment and resources for generations to come.

We provided a framework for thinking about professional ethics that Bruce Miyashita shared with us while we were preparing for the event. This framework outlines three “lines of defense” – organizational, regulatory, and personal. When someone is confronted with an ethical dilemma at a workplace, they can first refer to their organization’s written policies and codes of conduct. If these do not adequately address the issue, they can then turn to external regulations, such as legislation, public policy, and administrative boards or committees. Finally, the last line of defense is an individual’s personal ethics; to what extent does what is happening come into conflict with their own core values? We encouraged attendees to try using this framework in the next part of the event: case study discussion.

We had the honour of hosting six Artsci alumni at the event, who each prepared an industry-specific case study related to a hypothetical ethical dilemma:

• Jamie Beverley (Artsci, 2017), Senior Data Engineer at the City of Toronto
• Stephanie McLarty (Artsci, 2003), Head of Sustainability at Quantum Lifecycle Partners LP
• Faris Mecklai (Artsci, 2022), Selections and Program Officer at the Loran Scholars Foundation
• Rhea Murti (Artsci, 2021), Associate at Olthuis, Kleer, Townsend LLP
• Meghan Provost (Artsci, 2002), Public Service Executive
• Anand Sergeant (Artsci, 2021), Medical Student at the Schulich School of Medicine at Western University

The case studies that alumni prepared for the event fostered engaging discussions about day-to-day ethical dilemmas that an individual could face in a variety of fields. Attendees had the opportunity to spend time discussing hypothetical case studies with both peers and alumni in small groups. The case studies explored a range of topics, from the validity of a hypothetical company’s claims to use “responsibly-sourced lithium” in the development of electric vehicles to navigating situations in which competing ethical considerations come into conflict as a physician or a public service worker.

In one case, alumna Stephanie McLarty invited students to consider whether an organization should strictly follow a policy of shredding thousands of old smartphones to avoid any risk of data leaks, or instead securely sanitize and refurbish them for resale or donation. Her scenario highlighted how concerns about privacy, organizational risk, and reputation can sometimes clash with commitments to environmental sustainability and circular-economy practices. In working through these scenarios, students were able to draw on familiar Artsci skills – considering multiple perspectives, engaging with complex and significant social issues, and weighing trade-offs between competing values under time pressure.

Following the small group discussion of these case studies, we concluded the event with a panel. We felt that ending with a panel would allow alumni to consolidate the main points from their small group discussions, while also ensuring that attendees left with some key takeaways fresh in their mind!

During the panel, alumni responded to the question “What are misconceptions about the ethics of your field or industry, and how did these perceptions influence your job selection?” Panelists’ answers highlighted the ways that ethics shape not only day-to-day decisions, but also the careers that people choose to pursue.

For example, Artsci alumna Rhea Murti shared her experience as a lawyer working in Indigenous law and challenged the stereotype that many lawyers are involved in unethical practices. She discussed how conversations about law often focus on fields like corporate or government work but in reality, there is a much wider array of areas to choose from when practicing as a lawyer, and it is possible to live one’s values in varying ways in a law career. For Rhea, supporting Indigenous clients as they make informed decisions about important legal matters allows her to draw on her legal skills in ways that align with her personal ethics.

Another alumnus, Jamie Beverley, provided insights about the pressure that those working in the tech industry can face to do things in just one way. There are often strong norms in the tech industry about the “right way” of using technology. There is no real right way, however; there are many ways to engage and interact with technology, and Jamie encouraged us to be creative and critical about how we do so.

Many Arts & Science students that we have spoken to expressed that they learned a lot from the discussions.

Aaron Mohanathas (Level II) said, “I always look forward to the New World of Work Series events as each one allows for authentic connection with inspirational alumni and other Arts & Science students. Discussing the ethical benefits and implications of various decision-making pathways in the context of Indigenous law supported my understanding of how my future may look and what I can do now as a student to better prepare myself. I learned so much about the possibilities for Arts & Science students.”

We hope that this event helped to equip Artsci students with practical ethical decision-making skills that will support them in navigating complex ethical scenarios in both their daily lives and future careers.

This event was part of the New World of Work Series, which is supported through a generous gift made by Arts & Science alumnus Bruce Miyashita (Artsci 1984). Unfortunately, Bruce could not join us for this event, but we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to him for making this wonderful evening possible and for providing valuable insights throughout the planning process.

We look forward to seeing you at our next NWWS event in the Winter semester!
Keep an eye out for more information coming soon.

The New World of Work Series connects current students, alumni, and industry professionals for meaningful conversations about the World of Work. The New World of Work Series is supported through a generous gift made by Bruce Miyashita (Artsci 1984) in honour of his late parents, Tom and Nancy Miyashita. The annual event series offers a unique opportunity for Arts & Science students to explore emerging themes in the rapidly changing world of work and to take up topics relevant to work in the contemporary moment from a variety of perspectives. It also allows a student organizing team to accrue experience in project management and event planning. Since its inception in 2018, the New World of Work Series (previously the New World of Work Forum) has become a signature initiative within the Arts & Science Program.