Is it okay to tell small lies at work to keep my job?

dharma asks for truthfulness, but also tact — you need not say everything, but avoid deceiving.

“Speak the truth, practise dharma” is among the first teachings a student received in the Upaniṣadic tradition (Taittirīya 1.11), and India's national motto, satyam eva jayate, comes from the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad. Truthfulness is one of the pillars of dharma.

At work, pressure to stretch the truth is real — inflating results, covering a colleague's mistake, giving false reasons for a delay. Small lies tend to need more lies, and over time they wear down trust and your own peace. The tradition also values gentle speech: you may decline to share something, choose kind words, or say “I'll check and come back” rather than inventing an answer.

If a workplace requires real dishonesty — falsifying records or misleading customers — that is a serious dharma question. Speak to someone you trust, and remember Hariścandra: truth may cost something, but it gives a steadiness nothing else can.

Source: Taittirīya Upaniṣad 1.11; Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.1.6 · Satyam eva jayate: truth alone triumphs

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