How honesty builds careers, strengthens teams

Skills training and experience usually take center stage during the hiring process but workplace integrity particularly honesty remains one of the majority of valuable yet underestimated professional assets Research consistently shows that organizational trust directly impacts employee engagement retention and overall business performance Honesty in the workplace goes beyond absolutely not lying It s all about your capabilities transparency admitting when you screw up providing honest feedback to your coworkers says Travis March a career adviser in San Diego California Majority of all it s about having strong ethical standards and sticking to them whether you re working in a group or alone According to a Workplace Trust Survey by the Society for Human Reservoir Management of employees rank honesty as the the majority vital quality they seek in colleagues and supervisors The same analysis located that employees in high-trust environments statement less stress more potency and higher productivity Honesty can take various forms Finance Financial analysts accountants and funding professionals handle sensitive information that impacts major decisions Honesty in reporting numbers disclosing foreseen conflicts of interest and maintaining accurate records isn t just ethical it s legally required Numerous companies have established whistleblower protections precisely because financial honesty safeguards entire organizations Information When information scientists and analysts present information to leadership honesty about methodology limitations their margin of error and alternative interpretations helps prevent organizations from making potentially costly decisions based on misleading information Project management Project managers who honestly communicate timelines deposit requirements and anticipated obstacles create realistic expectations Collaboration In collaborative environments like marketing agencies research teams and program advancement groups honesty about individual contributions helps each organization member receive their share of recognition No one likes the person who takes all the credit and with so much information shared online in the present day that kind of workplace dishonesty won t be kept a secret from foreseen new employers says March Construction and manufacturing Construction workers electricians and manufacturing technicians who honestly account safety concerns material defects or procedure violations prevent accidents and ensure structural integrity While pressure to complete projects certainly exists experienced professionals recognize that cutting corners can have serious consequences I ve talked with a lot of supervisors who say how much they value club members who promptly admit errors says March If someone is honest about what s happening the staff can this instant correct those mistakes It s a much better strategy than hoping mistakes even small seemingly inconsequential ones wouldn t be discovered Tribune News Operation