Integrity in working life – dos and don‘ts

Working or interacting with colleagues with impeccable professional integrity, is pure joy. Those individuals are held in high regard and immensely respected. Be like them.

However, at times we do not act in accordance with our values and thus compromise our integrity. More often than not, this happens rater out of neglect than out of bad will. Professional integrity should be the norm. But it can’t hurt to recall a few guidelines:

Show integrity as a manager

As a line manager or supervisor, you are probably short on time. This can lead to cutting corners even if it goes against your moral compass. Stay true to yourself and be an admirable example of great integrity. It will pay off in the long-run.

• Help your employee to get another job even if you would like to keep him or her. This could mean that you have to provide an adequate reference. It could also mean that you have to observe deadlines in conjunction with their application process.

• That having said, make it transparent to your protégé what kind of reference you are able to provide. In writing or only over the phone. Just the bare job facts or a qualitative description of his or her contributions and achievements.

• When dealing with inexperienced applicants, advise them on a realistic starting salary. Don’t exploit their knowledge gap by paying a lot less. They will find out after a few months. Then both of you are in a difficult position.

• Give honest feedback if asked for it. Give feedback to interviewees after recruiting. Also, give feedback to colleagues. It helps them to improve, and they will be grateful for it.

• After filling an open position, remember to send a sorry letter to the unsuccessful candidates. It is just a one-sentence e-mail. But it makes a huge difference.

Act with integrity as an employee

Integrity as an employee is important when doing your job and performing your duties. But integrity as an employee is especially important when leaving a job or when you witch jobs.

• When you are about to leave your current job, ensure a smooths transition. Do this regardless of the circumstances of your leaving. Hand over important information and documentation to your colleagues or boss.

• Leave your contact details with one of your colleagues or your manager. The possibility to contact you if somethings pops up after you left will give them peace of mind.

By the way, changing career paths does not compromise your professional integrity. Especially switching from academia to an industry career does not mean you have no values. Read more about this topic here.