When Communicating at Work, Just Be Honest
Research shows that honesty is more pleasurable and socially connecting than you’d expect.
By Joshlin Sheridan, Marketing —
Avoiding Awkward Situations
Have you ever told a white lie at work to save face or to avoid a difficult situation? You’re not alone. According to recent research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, many people believe that telling the truth will create social harm and feel uncomfortable. Even though most hold honesty as a worthy virtue, they might still lie at work.
However, the research found in “You can handle the truth: Mispredicting the consequences of honest communication” proves that being perfectly honest might not be as bad as you might think.
Honesty is the Best Policy
In this study, researchers Levine and Cohen conducted a field experiment in which participants agreed to be completely honest with everyone in their lives for three days. Some of the study groups were additionally asked to share honest negative feedback with a relational partner.
In all versions of the study, the results were the same: People mispredicted the consequences of honesty. Most participants anticipated the honesty to be unpleasant and socially harmful. Instead, the results found that being honest was more pleasurable and socially connecting than they anticipated.
New Method of Integrity Testing
Honesty in the workplace can have other positive impacts as well. There is a greater chance that customers will be treated well, that employee theft will be low, and that the company can gain a good reputation.
Because of the important benefits of hiring honest workers, consider integrating IntegrityDetect™ when you are hiring new employees. IntegrityDetect is an integrity assessment test that uses reaction time and machine-learning to help identify those candidates that have honest tendencies. The test takes only about 5 minutes and has an accuracy of more than 80%, which is 30% higher than a traditional integrity test! It’s easy to administer; all you need is an internet connection and a web browser. To find out how you can create a culture of integrity at work, learn more about IntegrityDetect here.
