TEACH HONESTY AT BUSINESS SCHOOL

MISINFORMATION MARGINALIZES MINORITIES!

We all know the danger of telling lies, providing incorrect information, also called misinformation, falsehoods or providing misleading information.

While it may appear convenient for HR, hiring managers, management or organizational leadership to see only what they deem favourable, it becomes a matter of concern when whatever is provided and is deemed favourable is actually false, misleading or just bogus! Based on such misinformation, those concerned will make the decisions they want to in a particular way and such decisions actually cause damage even if such damage may not be seen for a long, long time. If HR, hiring managers, management and organizational leaders are actually meticulous enough and are comfortable with honesty and not just what appears good to them, they will go further and actually make correct decisions. ?What are we trying to say here?

Job-seekers everywhere are trained to hide any negative issues they may have faced in their previous employment. For instance, if their previous supervisors were actually biased and toxic, the job-seekers are told never to mention that anywhere on social media. That of course means that all the former employers will continue engaging in their evil or toxic acts against other people. Leaders, managers and supervisors everywhere will continue harassing employees and firing them wrongly, knowing that they are insulated and immune from exposure to the next employers, regulators, courts or law-enforcement agencies. Thus acts of impunity at the workplace will continue.

How about resumes? Of course job-seekers are always advised to copy what is in the advertised position and use it in their resume just for the purpose of getting such a particular job. Secondly, job-seekers are advised never to mention the real reason they left their previous employment in the job application since that will jeopardize the prospects of securing employment. We always ask, what happens to honesty, integrity and credibility? Why are job-seekers told actually to be dishonest, engage in plagiarism and misinformation? Teaching people to be dishonest is dangerous!

People everywhere are told to be inauthentic on social media so that they can secure jobs or not lose their jobs, if they have employment! What happens to honesty, integrity and credibility on social media? Why can’t people be told to be nice, honest and authentic on social media instead of them being told to hide what they actually do from the glare of society if whatever they do is actually of public interest? People need to be told that honesty is a virtue. Being honest, nice, authentic and careful on social media is what is prudent.

What is the way forward?

Since misinformation generally targets minorities, the same tends to marginalize minorities at the workplace.

We strongly recommend that the modern business school includes the danger of misinformation and marginalization in their syllabi. That will help instill discipline, honesty, integrity and professionalism in HR and at the workplace.