Honesty Is Tested When It Matters Most

The University Code of Conduct describes honesty and integrity as fundamental principles of the University — not as ideals, but as behavioural obligations owed to every person within its community.

I believed that.

I believed honesty meant being told the truth about what was happening to me. I believed it meant transparency in processes, clarity in decisions, and genuine dialogue — especially when health, safety, dignity, and livelihood were at stake. I believed honesty would guide conduct when things became difficult, not disappear when it became inconvenient.

That belief was tested.

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When Transparency Is Promised but Not Practised

The Code defines honesty as being truthful and sincere, transparent in rules, policies, procedures and day-to-day dealings, and acting lawfully and with integrity.

In my experience, what I encountered instead was prolonged opacity.

Information relevant to my situation was withheld. Processes that directly affected my health, income, and professional standing were not explained clearly or consistently. Decisions were made without disclosure of critical facts, and silence replaced transparency at moments where honesty was most needed.

Honesty, as written in the Code, requires openness. What I experienced was confusion. It shifts power, erodes trust, and leaves people unprotected.

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Accountability Cannot Be Selective

The Code states that staff must be accountable in all work, act with authenticity, sincerity and truthfulness, and disclose all relevant information required to perform their role effectively.

Accountability is not a burden placed only on those with the least power. It applies most strongly to those with authority, discretion, and control over systems.

In my case, accountability often flowed in one direction only. I was expected to comply, respond, explain, document, and justify — while those making decisions about me were not required to do the same in a transparent or timely way. Questions went unanswered. Requests for clarification were deflected. Errors were not acknowledged.

Honesty requires reciprocity. Without it, accountability becomes performative rather than real.

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Honesty and the Use of Power

One of the clearest commitments in the Honesty section of the Code is the requirement to exercise positional and supervisory power properly, respecting the dignity, rights and entitlements of staff and students.

Power exercised without honesty is not neutral. It creates fear. It silences. It destabilises.

My experience taught me that when transparency is absent, power fills the gap. Decisions are made behind closed doors. Narratives are controlled. People affected by those decisions are left guessing — and guessing is exhausting when you are already unwell, vulnerable, or isolated.

Honesty would have meant clear communication, lawful process, and acknowledgment of impact.

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Silence Is Not Honest

The Code commits to a workplace where matters can be raised without fear of retribution, and where staff are supported to speak up.

In practice, silence became the dominant response.

Silence in response to evidence.

Silence in response to distress.

Silence where explanation, correction, or care should have occurred.

Silence is often framed as neutrality. It is not. Silence is a decision. And when silence replaces honesty, it compounds harm.

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What Honesty Would Have Looked Like

Honesty would have looked like:

• clear explanations of processes as they unfolded;

• timely disclosure of information that affected my rights and wellbeing;

• acknowledgment of mistakes rather than denial or deflection;

• genuine dialogue rather than managed communication;

• decisions grounded in law, policy, and human dignity — not convenience.

The Code of Conduct already articulates this standard. The failure was not the absence of guidance. It was the absence of practice.

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Why Honesty Still Matters

I am writing this not because honesty is abstract, but because its absence has real consequences.

Honesty protects people.

Honesty prevents harm.

Honesty sustains trust.

Honesty is what allows institutions to claim integrity without irony.

If a Code of Conduct is to mean anything, it must apply precisely when it is hardest to uphold — when power is imbalanced, when scrutiny is uncomfortable, and when telling the truth carries risk.

That is when honesty is no longer a value statement.

It becomes a moral obligation.