Integrity refers to acting in accordance with strong moral and ethical principles even when not being observed publicly. It involves consistency between one's thoughts, words, and actions. Characteristics of integrity include honesty, responsibility, accountability, and respect. Maintaining integrity in the workplace involves working diligently during work hours, following company policies, and treating coworkers with respect to build trust. More broadly, integrity in life means being honest and fair, respecting others, keeping commitments, owning mistakes, and doing the right thing even without reward or recognition.

1. INTEGRITY

2. MEANING
 A person can be said to have integrity when they have
strong ethical and moral principles and adhere to these
even when they are not under public scrutiny.
 Integrity is defined as the unity of thought, word and
deed (honesty) and open mindedness. It includes the
capacity to communicate the factual information so that
others can make well informed decisions. It yields the
person’s ‘peace of mind’, and hence adds strength and
consistency in character, decisions, and actions. This
paves way to one’s success.

3.  It is one of the self-direction virtues. It enthuse people not
only to execute a job well but to achieve excellence in
performance. It helps them to own the responsibility and
earn self-respect and recognition by doing the job. Moral
integrity is defined as a virtue, which reflects a consistency
of one’s attitudes, emotions, and conduct in relation to
justified moral values.
 Integrity comes in many forms, but honesty and
dependability are two traits that are expected in most
workplace situations. Without responsible behavior,
distrust can make a work environment tense and
uncomfortable. A strong work ethic shows coworkers and
clients that you're reliable and take your responsibilities
seriously.

4. Characteristics of Integrity
Integrity involves abiding by a particular set of moral and ethical principles, which can be
classified as characteristics of integrity. The characteristics of integrity include respect,
honesty, grace, responsibility, patience, hard work and accountability.
 Honesty—Honesty is the practice of always telling the truth regardless of the circumstances. A
person with integrity owns up to their mistakes and tries to learn from them. Honesty and
integrity go hand in hand; there cannot be integrity without honesty.
 Responsibility— There are certain duties that people are tasked with or expected to discharge in
their professional lives. Responsible people know what is expected of them, and they execute
their duties without complaining.
 Accountability— Accountability is the practice of justifying and standing by one's decisions or
actions, and being prepared for whatever consequences they may bring. Accountability implies
a willingness for transparency, allowing others to observe and evaluate a person based on their
performance.
 Respect—People with integrity always know their place in every setting, respecting all those
involved regardless of their positions. With integrity, respect is exhibited in the actions and
words a person speaks.

5. Examples of integrity at workplace:
(i) Work When You're on the Clock
Working diligently when you're on the clock is a clear
example of workplace integrity. Socializing, surfing
the Internet, making personal phone calls, texting
and frequent snacking are activities that detract from
work time. Saving those activities for break time will
show your boss, co-workers and customers that you
work hard when you're on the clock.

6. (ii) Follow Company Policies
Abiding by company policies is a powerful way to
demonstrate integrity. Cutting corners and neglecting to
follow workplace regulations can lead to mistakes,
problems and even dangerous situations. Your
willingness to properly record financial transactions,
safely dispense of hazardous or toxic materials, follow
company protocol for dealing with clients, perform clean-
up or set-up procedures and properly maintain
equipment shows others that you're not just looking for
the easy way out. Establishing yourself as a trustworthy
worker who submits to company policies shows your
boss and co-workers that you'll faithfully carry out your
duties.

7. (iii)Respect Co-workers and Build Trust
Respecting those you work with reveals your desire
to create a healthy work environment. Polite
communication, appropriate interactions and
respect for co-workers' thoughts and ideas
demonstrate your ability to look beyond your own
interests to pursue team-centered work goals. As you
deal with co-workers honestly and respectfully, you
establish a level of trust with them. According to
Amy Rees Anderson, a contributor to Forbes
magazine, those who trust you will spread the word
of that trust to their associates, and word of your
character will spread like wildfire.

8. Tips For Maintaining Integrity In The
Workplace
You may find the following tips useful for
maintaining integrity in your workplace:
 Be mindful of your behaviour and try to lead by
example.
 Take responsibility for your actions.
 Exercise self-control and patience.
 Be polite and respectful with everyone.
 Be easy-going and available for open
communication.
 Speak out if you encounter unethical or
inappropriate behaviour.

9. Integrity In Everyday Life
 Be honest and fair in your interactions with your family members and other
people.
 Be respectful and considerate towards elderly people, whether they are
from your family, friends or strangers. Help them out when necessary.
 If someone shares confidential information with you, respect their trust in
you and do not share the information with anyone else.
 Do not gossip about people.
 If you commit to doing a task, make sure you follow through and complete
it.
 If you make a mistake, own up to it and offer to make appropriate amends.
 When you come across someone's lost or forgotten item, return it to them
without expecting a reward.
 If a cashier makes a mistake when you are out shopping, point out the error
and return the extra money they mistakenly gave you.