What Causes Workplace Dishonesty?

by Ronel Forbes

July 29, 2022

Employee theft, wrong time sheets, lying to bosses and coworkers, and unethical conduct such as harassment or drug usage are all examples of workplace dishonesty.

When a small firm faces workplace dishonesty, it can result in lost income, decreased productivity, and lowered morale. Employers can design policies to address workplace dishonesty by studying the causes.

Ineffective Company Enforcement

By not taking a strong stand against dishonesty, the company accepts and even encourages it. To deter workplace dishonesty, thorough policies detailing what constitutes dishonesty and the repercussions for employees who break those policies are required.

To foster a culture of honesty, firm management and ownership must be attentive to enforcing these standards.

Low Morale

Low morale can be caused by workplace dishonesty, but it can also be prompted by an existing climate of employee unhappiness. According to Justin A. Walsh, writing on the International Foundation for Protection Officer’s website, employees who are unsatisfied with their positions, corporate management, or working circumstances may engage in employee theft, misrepresentation of work hours on time sheets, and slowing down production.

Workplace dishonesty can be reduced by addressing moral issues.

Systems of Accountability

Dishonesty in the workplace might strike a company that lacks a checks and balances system on its account books or an accurate inventory system. If employees aren’t afraid of being caught, they can consider stealing money or goods from the company.

To monitor activities and prevent dishonesty, create a series of checks on all accounting entries, petty cash receipts, and inventory systems.

Disgruntled Workers

Employees who believe they are underpaid may feel compelled to steal from the company or add hours to their time sheets to supplement their pay. If your employees don’t believe your organization provides enough career growth or advancement opportunities, for example, the output may suffer and employee absenteeism may rise.

Dishonesty’s Consequences

Businesses must cope with the negative effects of dishonesty at some point or another. The most significant and immediate issue is that, because the entire concept of dishonesty is based on the creation of a false persona, which is then followed, businesses as a whole are not acting like their true selves, but rather like someone they WANT to be, making it difficult for businesses to determine where to draw a line between honesty and dishonesty.

It frequently causes psychological problems, as people get perplexed as individuals when they cannot perceive honesty in any of their activities.

A single falsehood, similarly, requires a slew of additional lies to cover it up. As a result, keeping track of the entire procedure becomes tedious.

Because of the complexities of the amount of dishonesty, it is common for people to forget what they lied about or what lie they told. This leads to a web of deceit, which, if it comes crashing down, might bring the entire firm down with it. So that the lies remain uncovered, there must be an explanation for everything, every lie, and every story.

Ultimately, falsehoods and dishonesty at any level begin to erode the entire organization and what it represents in the business community. The entire firm is built on falsehoods, dishonesty, and unjust business practices, so how is the business going to grow when the basis is so weak?

This is particularly harmful when the company’s reputation is harmed, and everyone labels the organization as dishonest; no one wants to cooperate with them. This eventually erodes the business of the establishment it once aided.

This can develop to the point where not just investors and consumers, but even staff don’t want to work for a company with such a negative image.

How to End Dishonesty

There are several methods that the company can take to lower the level of dishonesty in the workplace. To begin, companies must ensure that their employees are happy and content in their workplace.

This includes not just their working circumstances, but also the amount of money they are paid, the benefits they receive, and how much they are appreciated for the work they do for the company. Employees that are satisfied with their working environment are more dedicated to being truthful to the organization.

The next step is to establish a system and structure that penalizes dishonesty. Employees should be aware that every wrong decision has consequences, especially if the decision was made dishonestly.

As a result, the organization should instill a sense of accountability in its personnel, ensuring that they refrain from any dishonest behavior. They can also demonstrate this to other employees by terminating or demoting someone who has acted dishonestly in a critical matter.

Employees will feel more justified as a result of this.

Thoughts

The issue is always centered on the fact that so many businesses and businessmen have achieved success in the market by acting dishonestly. They were able to compete with some of the top corporations in the market by taking shortcuts to success.

What most people don’t perceive are the hidden costs that such enterprises must bear. Such businesses not only lack the trust of investors and consumers, but they are also branded as dishonest, and hence no one wants to do business with them.