INTEGRITY AT ALL COSTS: A REAL STORY OF WORKPLACE ETHICS

This is a real story.

Note: While every event described here did happen, the exact order in which they occurred is not fully recalled.

Scene: Dunkin’ Donuts - A Morning Shift of Truth

Kadija stands at the coffee station, her sharp eyes tracking orders. A woman steps forward.

Customer: “Can I get a medium decaf coffee, please?”

Kadija moves to check the decaf station, but it’s empty. Before she can inform the customer, Jamie steps in with a shrug.

Jamie: “Just use regular coffee and dilute it with water. She’ll never know.”

Kadija (pausing, turning slowly): “Excuse me? You want me to lie to her? Absolutely not.”

Jamie mumbles something about “how it’s always done,” but Kadija waves him off and addresses the customer directly.

Kadija: “I’m so sorry, ma’am. We’re actually out of decaf right now. Would you like something else instead?”

The customer smiles, appreciative of the honesty. Jamie glares but says nothing.

Scene Break: The Skim Milk Problem

Later that day, Kadija watches another coworker preparing coffee.

Coworker: “We’re out of skim milk again. Just dilute whole milk and call it skim.”

Kadija freezes. Across the street, CVS beckons, less than 50 feet away.

Kadija (in disbelief): “You’re kidding, right? CVS is right there. Take money from the register, buy some skim milk, and move on with your life.”

The coworker shrugs, continuing with their “solution.”

Kadija (raising her voice slightly): “No. Absolutely not. This isn’t just wrong—it’s disgusting. People have dietary restrictions, health reasons—how dare you lie to them?”

Scene Break: The Manager Steps In

The manager, clearly avoiding eye contact, steps out of the office, addressing the rising tension.

Manager: “What’s going on here?”

Kadija points to the decaf and skim milk situations, explaining the deceit and the potential harm it could cause. The manager sighs heavily.

Manager (addressing the team): “Alright, everyone. You know the routine. Just keep doing what you’re doing.” He then glances at Kadija. “Obviously, Kadija isn’t going to follow along, so let her do what she wants.”

Kadija (calmly but firmly, addressing the room): “You’re putting the whole business at risk. If someone like me, who has gastritis, gets caffeine when they explicitly ask for decaf, it could lead to a medical issue.”

As the team fidgets uncomfortably, another customer steps forward.

Customer: “I’ll take a medium decaf.”

Kadija doesn’t hesitate.

Kadija: “I’m sorry, ma’am. We’re actually out of decaf right now.”

The customer, surprised but grateful, nods.

Customer: “Thank you for telling me. I can’t have caffeine for medical reasons, so this really matters.”

The manager’s face hardens, but he says nothing. He disappears back into his office at the back of the store.

Scene Break: Holding the Line

As the shift winds down, Jamie approaches Kadija, exasperated.

Jamie: “You’re relentless. Can’t you just let it go?”

Kadija (shaking her head): “Let it go? No. This isn’t just about coffee or milk. It’s about integrity and wrongdoing. People are paying for what they ask for, and they have the right to get it. If you’re willing to lie and harm people over something this small, where does it stop?”

Jamie sighs, walking away. But Kadija remains firm, standing by the principle that honesty and integrity aren’t negotiable.

Employee Takeaways

• Deliver What You Promise: When customers pay for a product or service, they trust you to deliver exactly what you said you would. Breaking that trust isn’t just bad for business—it impacts your personal integrity. Life itself is built on trust and transactions, and people will avoid working with anyone they believe or know to be dishonest or unreliable.

• Put Yourself in Their Shoes: Consider your actions as if you were on the receiving end. What if you had a medical or dietary restriction and unknowingly consumed something harmful because someone lied to you? How would you feel if that lie caused you health problems or other issues? Always ask yourself: Would I want this done to me?

Don’t Let Fear Excuse You: You might say, “But if I speak up, I could lose my job.” That’s a possibility—but so is the potential of not losing your job. If you stay silent, however, there’s no debate: you’ve already lost something far more valuable—your integrity. And that loss ripples outward. If that business ever shuts down or faces scrutiny, and it comes to light that you were complicit, your reputation takes a hit. People—whether consciously or subconsciously—will hesitate to trust you, even if they don’t say it outright.

Justice has a way of catching up, and if the issue is big enough, you could still be held accountable, no matter how much time has passed. Fear is not an excuse to betray your values. Stand on integrity, and it will protect you. If you still have no shame, remember this: even if you lose your job, imagine explaining to your next employer: “I left because I refused to compromise my ethics.” That’s the kind of person many companies want—a person willing to lose their position to do the right thing.

• Think Like an Owner: If all else fails and you still have no shred of integrity, consider the bottom line. Imagine you owned the business. Would you risk a lawsuit, a tarnished reputation, and potential closure over a small amount of money? The justice system exists for a reason, and customers have every right to hold you accountable for dishonest actions. Don’t jeopardize the entire operation for short-term gains. It’s not worth it.

And here’s why it matters to you as an employee: when the company suffers, so do you. Problems caused by dishonest actions trickle down to layoffs, pay cuts, or worse—closure. You might think, I don’t care, it’s not my problem. But trust me, when the consequences land on your paycheck or your job security, it’ll suddenly become very much your problem.