Honesty in Everyday Life

In a previous blog post, we discussed what it means to be honest. Now, we’ll discuss specifics of how to be honest at work, at school, and in the family. Your efforts to be truthful and trustworthy are bound to pay off!

Honesty at Work

“Employers value employees who maintain a sense of honesty and integrity above all else. Good relationships are built on trust. When working for an employer, they want to know that they can trust what you say and what you do,” says an article from The Balance Careers. As you gain a reputation for being honest, you may be one of the first people that your supervisors think of when a promotion is up for grabs.

Here are a few tips on how you can be honest in the workplace:

• Provide a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. Do not intentionally waste time so you can get paid for “doing nothing.”
• If you make a mistake, do not hesitate to let your supervisor know. They might be frustrated in the short-term, but they will be grateful that you cared enough to let them know about the problem so they can help you to fix it.
• Resist pressure to be dishonest. There might be some situations where being dishonest might make it seem like you are excelling at your job. However, if you get caught, you could face serious discipline or even get fired.
• Be honest with customers and clients. Lying or hiding certain facts might help you boost your business temporarily, but once you establish a reputation for dishonesty, your bottom line will suffer.

Honesty at School

When you cheat at school, you are cheating yourself. While that sentiment might seem trite, it is true. Resorting to dishonest means in order to get good grades means that the only thing you are learning is how to deprive yourself of the benefits of hard, honest work. 

To be honest at school, you should:

• Do all of your own assignments. If you are working on a group assignment, be sure to do your part. 
• Don’t let your eyes wander. It might be easy to glance at the desk next to you to see how your classmates are answering quiz questions, but that’s a form of dishonesty.
• Ask for help if you need it. There is no reason to be ashamed if you are struggling to grasp certain concepts. A good teacher will be glad that you worked up the courage to admit that you need help.

Honesty in the Family

Your family members are the people you love the most, so it can sometimes be tempting to be a little dishonest in order to spare their feelings (or spare your own feelings). However, a commitment to honesty will protect your relationships on a long-term basis. Remember that it only takes a second to destroy trust, but it can take years to rebuild it.

To be honest with your family members, you should:

• Make regular communication a habit. If you are accustomed to talking to one another regularly, it will be easier to be honest when you have to discuss important issues.
• Be kind. Try to pick the right time and place to discuss sensitive subjects. Approaching your family members when they are relaxed will help serious conversations to go as smoothly as possible.
• Be open to talking about anything. If you sense that you and your significant other are drifting apart, that one of your kids is hiding something, or that you need to make some adjustments in the way your family does certain things, speak up! Broaching the subject as soon as possible gives you the opportunity to address problems before they become too serious.

Honesty truly is the best policy in all aspects of life! How have your career and family life benefited from your efforts to be trustworthy? Let us know in the comments section!