Honesty and fairness on the job can benefit you, your coworkers, and your employer.

Behaving honestly and ethically at work is the right thing to do. It’s also good business.

“When you help support good ethics in your workplace, you’re helping make your organization a better place for everyone to work at and do business with,” says Larry Johnson, a business consultant and coauthor of Absolute Honesty: Building a Corporate Culture That Values Straight Talk and Rewards Integrity. “We all want to be associated with something good. Moreover, a culture of integrity casts the business, its products, and its services in a positive light, which attracts customers.”

Which Would You Do?
It’s one thing to refrain from stealing from your employer; clearly stealing is wrong, besides being against the law. But often, the choices employees make in the course of day-to-day business come in shades of gray.

Johnson offers a couple of scenarios as examples:

Suppose you’re a salesperson about to close a big deal that will lead to a significant increase in your bonus. The customer wants a promise of two-week delivery or he or she will take the business elsewhere; however, you know the factory is backed up and the order can’t be filled in time. Do you tell the customer:
a. Sure, we can do it.
b. Maybe—I’ll have to check and get back to you.
c. No, I don’t think it can be done.

Imagine you’re at a team meeting and your boss inflates the production numbers for the quarter. You know they’re inaccurate. Do you:
a. Raise your hand and disagree with the boss in front of everyone.
b. Wait until later and bring it up privately with your boss.
c. Keep your mouth shut.

Neither of these situations has an easy answer. You have to juggle the potential impact—positive and negative—on your organization and the people around you, as well as on your own job and financial well-being.

An Aid to Deciding
“No CEO of any honest company would want his or her people to participate in illegal or immoral activities,” Johnson insists. “If you see something going on that’s not right, your first option is to go to your boss and say, ‘This is going on; I can’t participate because it’s against my values.’ If that doesn’t work, take it up the chain of command.”

“There will always be risk involved,” he warns. “Only you can make the decision where you draw the line on what’s right or wrong.”

Johnson suggests the following process to help you make the right decision: Remember the acronym PAL—Proactivity, Acceptance, or Leave.

Anytime you’re in a situation you don’t like, you have three options:

1. You can be proactive and do something about the situation.

2. You can accept it.

3. You can leave.

Any other response is unhealthy, Johnson claims, because by ignoring a situation you find unacceptable day after day, you’re sure to feel conflicted. You may lose motivation to do the best job you can, and it’s likely you’ll carry the stress home with you.

“When it comes to ethics at work, it’s always your choice,” Johnson says. “That choice can be very difficult to make, but by making a healthy one—and keeping the focus on what’s fair and honest—you’re likely to benefit both yourself and your organization.”

Polly Turner spoke with Larry Johnson, a speaker, business consultant, and coauthor with Bob Phillips of Absolute Honesty: Building a Corporate Culture That Values Straight Talk and Rewards Integrity, Amacom, 2003, $27.95.

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