HR is 'the most dishonest profession', says shock survey

Half of professionals say they act deceitfully because such behaviour is ‘normal’

HR practitioners’ reputation as a bastion of trust and honesty has been thrown into doubt by a new survey which claims it is the most dishonest profession in the UK.

Four-fifths (80 per cent) of HR employees are reported to have admitted carrying out a dishonest deed at work in the research carried out by webexpenses.

Though the research will be taken with a pinch of salt by many, the detail is certainly salacious. Among the dishonest acts HR practitioners admitted to were over-claiming on expenses (27 per cent), stealing stationery (27 per cent), and lying about a medical appointment (32 per cent).

Surprisingly, half of those surveyed said the reason that they acted dishonestly at work was because they view such behaviour as ‘normal’. Another 13 per cent said their bosses acted dishonestly, so they felt they could bend the rules, too.

The survey suggested this could be because nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of UK office workers admitted to underhand behaviour at work. IT workers also ranked highly on the dishonesty scale, with 80 per cent of them admitting to lying at work, while the most trustworthy employees were to be found in sales, media and marketing jobs, where just 60 per cent of were deceitful.

While the validity of the survey data is open to question, Adam Reynolds, CEO of webexpenses, said it "shows that dishonesty is potentially a far bigger problem in the UK workplace than we may have realised.”

“More than half (55 per cent) of those surveyed who work in HR admitted to having over-claimed on expenses by £100 or more – double the UK average (27 per cent),” he added. “It’s even more worrying to see the reasons these people give, such as the fact it’s easy to do and it being a way of topping up their salary.

“Businesses should also look to tackle the ‘dishonesty culture’ by creating a more open environment; for example, allowing employees to give their feedback and shape the way their organisation operates as a whole,” said Reynolds.