Unauthorised debit orders, “concealed” contract terms, undisclosed essential information, misrepresentation of facts, flagrant lies among others, are common deception afflicting consumers and businesses alike. At the heart of the deception is the willingness to want to gain inequitably.

Just as lying in one’s curriculum vitae is a crime with a possible charge of fraud, perhaps it’s time examples are made of some common dishonest dealings not considered a crime, so as to put an end to this malaise. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 September 2019.

At the heart of every dishonesty is fear of loss of what is valued, be it freedom, opportunities or benefits. But if one has, from the beginning, been conducting one’s affairs diligently, generously, dependably and honestly for a long while, the fear of loss is somewhat irrational. The good that one has been doing all along carries weight and builds up much goodwill for one, that it’s easier for others to forgive one for one’s transgressions, especially when one discloses one’s wrongs proactively and in full and honestly.

Sometimes the dishonesty isn’t about one having done wrong, but one doing all to win a (sales) deal. Insurance Telesales are notorious for this kind of dishonesty, where pertinent details about the terms of the deal are not fully disclosed and the customer only learns about them later, though belatedly when they try to make a claim against the policy. Often such dishonesty is concealed by failure to provide agreement contract or policy documentation immediately upon conclusion of the deal, and doing so mainly when the parties are in dispute and “fighting”.

Businesses are not the only ones guilty of this “crime”, for they always “hide” behind small print written somewhere in the legalese of the voluminous agreement documentation. In no way is this an excuse, as buyers have a duty to review legally binding documentation, more so because many contracts have headings enabling one to spend more time on more germane issues of the deal than glossing them over.

Customers too, are guilty of “hiding” key information in a bid to score a good deal, as in securing lower insurance premiums. Understandably, insurance is among many grudge purchases consumers have to bear. Lying almost guarantees that one’s claim will be repudiated and it makes no financial sense paying for a service one almost knows one will not benefit from in the end when one needs it. It amounts to wasteful expenditure. Rather have no insurance at all (not recommended) than pay a cheaper premium based on a lie that will result in the repudiation of the future claim.

Some employers and managers too, are guilty of dishonest dealings. Knowing employees may not readily accept some terms or the assignment if the truth about consequences or implications was known up front, they lie by omission, which is failure to disclose all the details up front for the employee’s consideration. You’d see them making promises they have no real intention of keeping or hoping the issue will somehow resolve itself over time. But often such matters cannot be ignored or hidden. They build up distrust and resentment among employees, the basis of an unhealthy working environment and poor results.

Dishonesty by employees is also rife, be it professional staff or blue-collar workers. Professional staff do it subtly through “busyness”, stealing of time and misuse of resources on personal matters, yet by their status as professionals, it should be the results they produce that should count more for them than being too concerned about trivialities. Despite their role or status, company resources should never be abused.

Ultimately, dishonesty points to one’s values, convictions and conscience. The absence of good values and convictions destroy one’s conscience and can only mean one acting with impunity. There, the issue is more about abuse of trust and power, and the best way of resolving it being strict application and enforcement of the rules against wrongdoers. Timidity in enforcing the “law” would only worsen the situation.

It appears dishonesty is congenital, as it can be observed from early development stages of babies. Perhaps they have been conditioned to want to conceal their wrongdoing, having observed past consequences of “owning” up to their wrongdoing. Nevertheless, unless one unlearns the bad behaviour by learning new traits and good behaviour of being honest, there is no other way of overcoming dishonesty. Conscience can be rebuilt by actively maintaining awareness of the wrongness of dishonesty. Over time, honesty and confidence will occur naturally.

We can ensure others are honest with ourselves by insisting on written instructions or requests, and doing it in a manner that does not destroy relationships or cause further distrust between parties. For example, if an instruction is issued verbally, one can always revert through a written response, confirming one’s understanding of the requirements, implications and delivery dates, among others. That way, one has a record of the “transaction” and can still give the matter some professional outlook.

Fear is the enemy and a trap, and creates a thriving environment for dishonesty. We should learn and regularly practise to be bold and confident. Then fear, and ultimately dishonesty, will no longer rule us.