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 the bulk 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 solely 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 Largest part 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 Reserve Management of employees rank honesty as the the bulk vital quality they seek in colleagues and supervisors The same examination revealed that employees in high-trust environments record less stress more vitality and higher productivity Honesty can take various forms Finance Financial analysts accountants and capital professionals handle sensitive information that impacts major decisions Honesty in reporting numbers disclosing promising conflicts of interest and maintaining accurate records isn t just ethical it s legally required A multitude of companies have established whistleblower protections precisely because financial honesty safeguards entire organizations Input When facts 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 reserve requirements and prospective obstacles create realistic expectations Collaboration In collaborative environments like marketing agencies research teams and application advance groups honesty about individual contributions helps each club 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 current era that kind of workplace dishonesty won t be kept a secret from expected new employers says March Construction and manufacturing Construction workers electricians and manufacturing technicians who honestly statement 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 crew members who promptly admit errors says March If someone is honest about what s happening the staff can right away correct those mistakes It s a much better strategy than hoping mistakes even small seemingly inconsequential ones wouldn t be discovered Tribune News Operation