Lying in the Workplace

What is ethics? We all know that everyone has their own perception about ethics.

Some people might say:

"Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or wrong."

"Ethics has to do with my religious beliefs."

"Being ethical is doing what the law requires."

"Ethics consists of the standards of behavior our society accepts."

According to BCC, ethics doesn't always show the right answer to moral problems. Indeed more and more people think that for many ethical issues there isn't a single right answer. Ethics just like a set of principles that can be applied to particular cases to give those involved some clear choices. Some philosophers go further and say that all ethics can do is eliminate confusion and clarify the issues. After that it's up to each individual to come to their own conclusions.

Ethics can be in many types. Supernaturalism makes ethics inseparable from religion. It teaches that the only source of moral rules is God. So, something is good because God says it is, and the way to lead a good life is to do what God wants. Another type of ethics is consequentialism. This is the ethical theory that most non-religious people think they use every day. It bases morality on the consequences of human actions and not on the actions themselves. There also an ethics called situation ethics. Situation ethics rejects prescriptive rules and argues that individual ethical decisions should be made according to the unique situation. Rather than following rules the decision maker should follow a desire to seek the best for the people involved. There are no moral rules or rights because each case is unique and deserves a unique solution.

For my personally, I never think that ethics can be so deep to think until I taking Contemporary Ethics and Corporate Citizenship in BERJAYA UCH. Before I study ethics, I will use my religious beliefs to define my ethical behavior. When I studying this subject, I found it is more than that. We need to think a lot of areas. For example, I’m a Christian and according to my religious beliefs, I can’t lie at all. No matter whether it is a white lie or not, I still can’t lie. I must tell the truth. Then many people would say that I’m stupid or how can I survive in future when I come to work as the world is full of unfairness and so on.

Tell lies never be easy unless used to it. Telling the truth is not always easy. It can be uncomfortable and scary when it comes to certain situations at work. In fact, lying on the job is pretty common these days. Why people would like to tell lies in the workplace? They’ll think how if I say the truth and get fired without giving me second chance? Or even I say the truth but no one believes in me? Or do colleagues still accept who I am after I revealed the truth? People lie for many reasons. They lie because they’re trying to please customers or because they don’t want to get punished for making a mistake. They lie because they’re ashamed, or because they’re trying to manipulate a situation to their favor.

I work as a part-timer in Purple Cane Company. Purple Cane is a company selling all sorts of Chinese tea from Yunnan, China. Purple Cane located at Shaw Parade which is behind Berjaya Times Square. There are two Purple Cane shops in Shaw Parade, one located at Ground Floor, and another one located at First Floor. One day, the officer of ground floor asks me to take some expensive green tea sample from 1^st floor. I asked the officer, how if the officer of 1^st floor asks me why I need to take the sample? The officer told me to say it is for customer tea tasting. Actually the sample is us, the staffs to drink the tea. I struggling that time because I don’t want to tell lie due to my religious belief and if I tell the truth, I will get scold by the officer and maybe get fired. When I went up to the 1^st floor and took the sample, the officer of 1^st floor asked why I took the expensive green tea sample. She also asked me whether it is for staffs to drink or customer to taste. I didn’t answer the question and she just let me to take the sample. I’m not sure whether I telling lie or not but at that moment, I feel very guilty. As like what I mentioned, I’m a religious person, even human may not know but God knows what I’m doing.

From this experience, I really need to think what I need to do for my future career. Will I tell lie because I need to keep my job or I just tell the truth and has the possibility to get fired. I believe if I do my best in career, with honesty and integrity, I can build my reputation in the eyes of people.

“Honesty is the first chapter of the book wisdom.” ― Thomas Jefferson

“Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life - all areas of life. The really good news is that anyone can develop both honesty and integrity.” ― Zig Ziglar