How can integrity be used in the workplace

When someone has integrity, they help those in need. This may be in the form of lending their time for a project without being asked or offering to cover for an employee in an emergency. A person with integrity is able to tolerate challenges, delays and unexpected obstacles while maintaining a calm, even demeanor.

They wait their turn to speak in meetings and one-on-one conversations. Related: Valuable Examples of Integrity at Work. You can display integrity every day by choosing to do the right thing in all circumstances. Here are some examples of how to display integrity in daily life:. In a workplace setting, acting with integrity often means demonstrating your core values in all efforts. Here are a few behaviors that show integrity:.

Integrity is critical, however, in leadership positions where people have the opportunity to set examples for others. By incorporating strong values into your behavior, you can help encourage other employees to do the same. Acting with integrity not only helps show employers you are capable of handling responsibilities that can advance your career, it also helps foster a positive company culture.

Arrive at your workplace on time and ready to complete tasks. If you have a conflict or a personal emergency, be sure to let a manager know immediately rather than arriving late or being absent from work without notice.

If you demonstrate positive behavior, others will be more encouraged to do the same. Having integrity means you stand up for your ideas opinions, but it also means you avoid speaking negatively of others or using unprofessional language. When you disagree with someone, take time to consider their point of view and respond respectfully.

For example, if you fail to meet a goal, you should explain the situation to your supervisor and explore ways to avoid the same outcome in the future. Company policies are developed to keep employees safe, foster professionalism and promote efficiency. Take time to understand these rules and follow them. Take the time to ensure your work is done well and completed on or before the due date. Strive to be productive during working hours and meet each task or assignment with enthusiasm and motivation.

Avoid taking business supplies for personal use and be sure to return items to their owners. For additional context about how to exercise integrity, here are a few scenarios involving integrity in the workplace:. After ensuring he understood their concerns, Jonah suggested his colleagues discuss their concerns directly with the employee and manager.

Keiana was a developer assigned to develop code for a new product. Although she had been working on the code for several months, she kept running into dead ends. Instead of patching together a temporary solution that would allow her to use the code she worked so hard to create, she decided to discuss the issue with her team to crowdsource a solution.

Rather than provide potential misinformation just to make the sale, Amira checked with the development team first. After determining the product could perform the requested function, she let her customer know. Not only did Amira earn the sale, but she earned trust and respect from her client, too. Marco had been working for more than six months on a project and was near completion. He was stuck on the last step of the project and was having difficulty.

His coworker, Yvonne, stopped by and noticed the project Marco was working on. A simple tip here would be to use examples with actions that define integrity in a much more transparent way. It further puts your organization's work culture under threat. Also, it gives rise to hostility among the employees who receive variable remuneration despite being in the same position. Moreover, any sort of discrimination within the organization clearly displays a lack of integrity.

So, in a much simple term, integrity is not only about showing virtuosity. It also means treating everyone with equal importance. When you treat employees equally, the level of integrity in the workplace rises without any doubt. The most important piece in the puzzle of fostering integrity is transparency. Many businesses fail to prosper or go out of order due to the lack of transparency.

Employees deserve to know which way is the business heading towards. It helps them take the necessary measures to keep things on track. Here, the task of maintaining transparency is mainly on the shoulders of the higher up running the show. Employers sharing important business matters with the workforce display integrity upfront. Also, it elevates their trust in their higher-ups.

Thus, paving the way towards continuous growth and healthy work culture. Encouraging integrity becomes easier when every employee feels motivated and stays engaged. And for it, nothing works much better than an employee engagement program.

An employee engagement program is much more than just keeping your employees engaged. Engaged employees are more aligned with the core values of a company. Rewards and recognition which are an integral part of this program is another way to encourage integrity in the workplace. It encourages them to give their best every time they do something. Therefore, bringing up the integrity within them and delivering a productive workforce.

Having good communication practices is an inevitable requirement for establishing integrity. A person's integrity is often known in the way he or she communicates. Employees with good communication skills stand apart from the crowd. Also, they earn the trust of their team members and superiors, which they leverage in their day-to-day work. Hence, encouraging healthy communication practices within the workplace is one of the best ways to nurture integrity in the workplace.

When one sets a goal, it implies the level of dedication they are ready to put in it. An individual derives the commitment for any work from the level of integrity that they adhere. Setting goals is a perfect way to foster integrity in the workplace. John, a software developer, is attempting to optimize a certain software process but keeps running into problems because of his code.

He could push forward with his suboptimal code in order to try to save his work and save face, but instead, he chose to go to his team. He described the dead ends he had run into and explained that he thought that pushing forward could create problems down the line for the product, preventing the development of advanced features for the software.

The team discussed the problem and worked through a solution. Ellen missed a deadline for an important deliverable her team was supposed to have developed. She addressed the problems with her team and put in place safeguards that would keep them from underperforming again. Team members recognized their contribution to the failure, but because Ellen took responsibility as the team leader , her team was able to learn from their mistakes.

Marsha was responsible for producing a report once a week that was used on Friday by two other departments to plan their workflow for the next week. Knowing that she planned to take vacation time soon, Marsha ensured that the report would be produced as needed in her absence.

She taught another employee how to create the report. Additionally, she wrote out the appropriate procedures so that the coworker had a guide in her absence. Marsha supervised the trainee for two weeks so that her replacement had a chance to do the actual task. Finally, she touched base with the other two departments to let them know that a new person would be creating their report while she was gone, in case the coworker needed help.

Employees have the opportunity to demonstrate their integrity—or lack thereof—every day, through their actions with each other, with management, and with customers or clients. If you haven't hired the right people , a lack of integrity will be evident in their behavior. A workforce comprised of people with integrity is one where you can trust the staff to perform to the best of their ability.

They don't compromise on their ideals, cut corners, cheat, or lie. They behave according to an internally consistent code of values. Integrity in business can strengthen relationships with vendors and customers because they can trust you'll keep your promises and act honorably if something goes wrong. Corruption, which can cause scandals and shake a corporation's reputation, is incompatible with integrity.

Regularly discussing dilemmas of integrity with your employees gives them a chance to learn your expectations and also helps develop a culture of integrity in the workplace.