Is Honesty Always The Best Policy?

A client recently shared with me how being honest in her work environment did not serve her best interest in the end. Being completely honest caused her to not receive her annual salary increase. She feels that had she used a lie about being ill, or even having a flat tire, as a reason for not making it to work on time, as opposed to going back to sleep after the alarm went off, she would not have had her employment record blemished. Despite meeting targets and good customer feedback during the previous twelve months, being honest had actually gone against her in this instance.

Our conversation reminded me of a similar incident I experienced myself many years ago.

My father and I had entered into business with partners on the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. Whilst my father was winding up the sale of the family home, after his divorce from my mother, I’d gone ahead and rented a small apartment close to the business, whilst learning the ins and outs from the family we were going into business with.

There was a lot of building going on, in and around that area. My apartment was owned by the construction company, whose office was on the ground floor of my apartment building. On a regular basis I passed the workmen, as I entered and left the building. Despite all the construction activity, my apartment was private, secure, and surrounded by a balcony with blinds, which reached halfway down the window. Nobody from below could actually see inside.

Honesty doesn’t always pay, but dishonesty always costs ~ Michael Josephson

I usually stayed home at night, but one afternoon, after meeting some tourists in town, and really enjoying their company, I accepted their invitation to go out to dinner. I went home to change and left some lights on. By the time I got back home, by taxi, it was past midnight. As I climbed the outside steps of the building to my fourth floor apartment, I saw some movement in my apartment. Looking more closely, I saw the naked legs and feet of a man below the blinds of my lounge window!

I let out a squeal and called out to a neighbor. I was petrified! He ran out and chased away the intruder. He was able to identify the intruder as one of the construction workers from downstairs. The intruder fled to some wasteland behind the building. I was later told that he was a heavy drinker and was known to go wandering about town, after leaving the bar late at night.

The most creepy part was that this man must have been watching me, and somehow accessed a key to my place, possibly via the construction office. Or it might have been his wife’s key, since she did the housekeeping for the furnished accommodation. Worst of all, he’d left some of my lingerie and sleepwear scattered all over the bedroom! It made me realize that those holidaymakers did not convince me to go out with them by accident – my angels sure had some influence in the matter!

The incident caused quite an uproar in that small community. The owner of the construction company actually flew in from abroad to investigate. When he arrived, I was asked to come to his office, where I felt like I was being interrogated.

“This is a very serious situation,” he said. “And, when you officially sign this accusation, the accused will be fired. He will also be deported, together with his wife and children, who will be removed from school with immediate effect.”

Honesty is the rarest wealth anyone can possess, and yet all the honesty in the world ain’t lawful tender for a loaf of bread ~ Josh Billings

I was only 21 years old at the time, but looking back I should have been brave enough to stand my ground and remain true to myself. But instead I refrained from signing. This resulted in me later being verbally attacked in public by the intruder’s wife, as well as others in their circle of friends and colleagues. She called me a ‘slut’ and shamed me for embarrassing her husband and family.

In hindsight, would I have done this differently had it happened today? I don’t know. I know it saved that family from being deported and destitute, but was I enabling him to possibly do this to another young woman? Every action, or lack thereof, has a consequence. Is honesty always the best policy? I don’t know. I simply did what I felt was the right thing to do at the time.