What is the importance of ethics in business?

The true path to happiness is a life filled with ethics and honesty. God is always present where humans live a life filled with ethics and honesty. If these three things are followed in human life, the entire practice of religion is encompassed in them:

• Ethics
• An obliging nature (a nature to help others)
• Not having even the desire to seek anything in return for helping others

The importance of ethics in business goes beyond profits. The modern world increasingly acknowledges the benefits of ethical business practices. Where honesty, morality, and an obliging nature exist, all other vices are bound to disappear. Where there is complete integrity in every interaction, there is happiness. And especially for those who live not for their own happiness but for the happiness of others, they experience happiness in abundance.

But nowadays, greed for money has replaced honesty and ethics in the workplace and business with dishonesty, adulteration, corruption, and black markets. If money is entering our house by using the concept of ‘Buy, Borrow or Steal,’ then that is equivalent to shooting oneself in the foot. After death, neither our name nor our wealth comes with us, all the money just stays behind. But the terrible sinful karmas that we bind, that come along with us; as a result of which one has to experience a lot of suffering and a lower life-form. Where one practices ethics and honesty in business or job, they get to experience the human life-form again. But those who enjoy ill-gotten wealth have to experience the animal life-form as a result of that karma, no matter how much devotion or charity they may have practiced.

Param Pujya Dadashri explains to us the foundation of religion, emphasizing the importance of ethics in business.

Dadashri : In your business, do not take anything that is not yours and on the day you end up doing so, there will be no substance in your business. God does not meddle in this. In your business the only two things that will help you are your skills and your honesty and ethics. If you are unethical, you will prosper for a year or two but after that you will incur a loss. If you happen to do something wrong, you will still become free of any liability as long as you repent for your actions. Ethics is the essence of worldly dealings. If you are ethical but do not have a lot of money, you will still have peace of mind and if you are unethical but have a lot of money, you will be miserable. Religion without honesty and ethics is no religion. Ethics is the foundation of religion.

People hold a belief that if one does business honestly then one happens to encounter a lot of obstacles. But they don’t know that the suffering that one will encounter due to the sinful karma that is bound by practicing dishonesty in business is far greater than the suffering brought on by the obstacles of being honest. Honesty is God’s licence, and it should never be torn apart.

“Honesty is the best policy.” But people have lost faith in honesty. That’s why Param Pujya Dadashri gave a new saying that fits best to today’s era, “Dishonesty is the best foolishness!”

How is the level of workplace ethics decided? The business that doesn’t cause harm to anyone and the one that doesn’t involve any himsa (violence) that business is good. Adulterating food or mixing impurities into food is considered adharma (unrighteousness). If adharma seeps into our business, we will have to go from a human life-form into an animal life-form. For example, if a grocery store owner orders one wagon of quality Indori wheat and then mixes one wagon of sand with it, fills it into the so called bags of wheat and sells them, then that is not ethical. The items that are used as food or medicine by people should never be meddled with. Oil, milk, vegetables, cereals, and medicines enter the body of a human being and if they are adulterated they cause diseases and suffering. Therefore, adulterating them is a crime. So, adhering to business ethics is important.

Similarly when a cloth dealer really stretches the cloth while measuring it, for example, if he sells 24 meters of cloth to someone, he’ll charge them for 24 meters but he will actually be giving them half a meter less. This is also called as being unethical in business, the penalty of which is a lower life-form. Instead of doing this one may charge more if they want, but they must supply the exact measure of cloth. But businessmen think that if I charge more, the customers will end up buying from competitors. But if the customer is cheated once, they will never come to your shop again. Rather, it is better to earn less profit, but the business must be done with honesty. Thus, the importance of business ethics cannot be ignored when it comes to retaining customers’ loyalty.

Nowadays, in order to earn money, while constructing houses, cement is being removed and instead it is replaced with more amounts of sand or gravel. Less quantity as well as cheaper quality of steel is used. Param Pujya Dadashri says that removing cement like this is equivalent to sucking out blood from a human being; similarly, removing steel is like removing the bones from a human’s body. Just like a body is nothing without blood and bones, likewise impure construction materials put the whole structure at risk. Addressing those who adulterate in business, Param Pujya Dadashri even goes so far as to say that, “Stealing  does not suit us – thieves are better compared to the people who come from a reputable family and steal – compared to the ones who steal, the ones who mix impurities are even bigger criminals. People don’t even realise that they are committing a crime and what will be the result of this crime, unknowingly and without a conscience they are committing such offences.” These examples explain why ethical business is important.

The business involving the most violence is that of a butcher. Next is the potter’s trade, where earthen pots are baked by burning fuel in the kiln. Countless insects are killed in that process. Using a pesticide or insecticide also results in the death of many living beings. Even in the grocery business, no matter how much care is taken, insects inevitably breed in the grains, and that too results in violence. Not just that, along with grains, a few ounces of insects also ended up being sold. The trade with the least violence is the jeweller’s, as in diamonds and gemstones there is little scope for adulteration. Though nowadays, even in that business, adulteration has increased.

Param Pujya Dadashri has also warned against the business of money lending with interest. If possible, don’t lend money to anyone, because when the other person will not be able to return the money, they will continue to incur interest and that will cause them immense suffering. Instead there is no harm in keeping the money in a bank. But it’s hard to say when someone who lends money in the greed of an extra 1.5 - 2- 2.5% interest, may become merciless. If someone is in dire need of money and you help them out by lending money, you should charge them the same interest that the bank provides. And if such a time comes that the lender is unable to pay even the interest or let alone the principal amount, we should remain silent. While lending money to some, give it without the expectation of getting it back in return. Consider money lent as if it has sunk into the sea, never to return.

Many people take undue advantage of government laws by declaring their income in the lower tax bracket to save money. In this way, evading the income tax that is due to the government is also a crime. Not only that, even in professions like law and medicine, the unethical dealings done in order to make money are seldom spoken of. But in all such cases, the responsibility lies solely with the doer, and there is no escape from facing its adverse consequences!

In business, whether we face profit or loss, we must always look after the people who work for us. If workers are exploited during a recession, workers will harass their employers during a boom. Workers toil all day just to earn that one day’s bread. If their wages are withheld, the poor fellows are left to go to bed hungry. That is why, no matter the circumstances, their pay must always be disbursed.

If through dishonesty or unethical behaviour we cause suffering to others, we cannot escape suffering ourselves. Therefore, if we seek happiness in this world, we must hold on to ethics and honesty.

Practical solutions in times of immorality

Many times we wish to act ethically, but circumstances force us into unethical practices, what should we do then? Suppose we follow the principle of never accepting bribes, but in business, if we refuse to give a bribe, it may happen that the work can come to a halt. At such times, Param Pujya Dadashri gives a practical solution that if our hand gets caught under a stone, it’s wiser to carefully pull it out than let it break. Just as roadside bandits may harm us if we refuse to hand over our money to them, in business too we sometimes face such ‘civilised bandits’. In such cases, one has no choice but to pay up and escape the situation. Recalling the importance of business ethics at that point and sticking to it can only create bigger problems. Even so, our inner intent should always be to uphold ethics one hundred percent. At the very least, we must ensure that no violence takes place, that no one is hurt, and that no life is lost because of us. When someone comes to manipulate us, we should try to quietly slip away, but we should not manipulate them in return.

Nevertheless, Param Pujya Dadashri provides a practical solution suited to the current times that if it is not possible to follow ethics completely, one must follow discipline in dishonesty . Suppose that an income tax officer has decided to follow one hundred percent ethical behaviour and never accepts a bribe; but those around him have accepted bribes to buy themselves cars and bungalows. As a result, he often faces daily bickering at home with his wife, like, ‘Why don’t you take bribes? Others are doing it!’ Many times, even the children’s school fees have to be borrowed from somewhere.

At such times, even the officer feels uneasy, thinking, money is short; if I could get a little for expenses, there would be peace at home. But I cannot take a bribe, what should I do? Also at times, while others in the office take bribes and we stick to our principles and refuse, this can upset the colleagues, and they may directly or indirectly pressure us to take bribes. What should we do then? Offering a solution, Param Pujya Dadashri says that in such cases, one should decide to take only enough bribe to cover our monthly expenses. Any amount beyond that should not be accepted.

In Param Pujya Dadashri’s own words, the meaning behind ‘lawful unethical practices’ is clearly explained here.

Dadashri : How can a person navigate all these difficulties in such times? And then what when he is unable to arrange for the money he is short of? Confusion arises for the money that he is short of, and where can it be obtained from? Now in this way, he arranged for the funds he is short of. Does that mean the problem is fully solved? Otherwise, a person will take the wrong path and then go astray and end up accepting bribes entirely. Instead, a temporary solution has been found, even though some unethical action is involved, it is still considered ethical, and it allows him to manage easily and keep his household running.

But a twisted interpretation of Param Pujya Dadashri’s words would be, ‘There is no harm in being dishonest.’ If it is misused in that way, the responsibility for the consequences falls entirely on oneself.

However, the wealth obtained through unethical means should be spent on righteous deeds. A portion of the income should be directed towards meritorious acts, such as building temples or providing food and medicine to the poor.