Employees fear losing their jobs each day of the year, especially now because of the economy, which can cause employees to be dishonest with bosses. An employee must be able to hold firm on their code of ethics despite the chance at losing their job or being looked at differently by the bosses.

“My sense, in this economy, is that people are under pressure,” says Richard Brenner, of Chaco Canyon Consulting in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “And that may include a push to violate principles.”

An employee should never participate in an illegal activity that is occurring at work. Should an employee be urged to do so they should remind their superiors of the legal repercussions that can come from it. Concerns should be brought to human resources or to another superior figure in the office.

The major of activities in the office that can be problematic are easy to spot while others can be much more difficult. Some examples of this include moving expenses from one account to another or editing a report. Performing either of these activities could land you in serious trouble down the road and your boss will have quite a bit of information to hold over your head.

“Once you cross [an ethical] line, you open yourself to having those who know about it use it against you or threaten to use it against you,” Brenner says.

An employee has three choices available instead of refusing to take part in a questionable activity while at work. Those three options include stalling to see if the scenario changes, avoiding confrontation while also avoiding the activity, or working out another solution.

The methods outlined below will help you remain honest at the office and help you keep your job despite going against your boss’ wishes to participate in questionable activities.

Stay away from office gossip as much as possible. This includes doing no harm and preventing harm. You must be able to restrain yourself while in the office so you do not get involved in questionable activities.

When you treat yourself with care, you are practicing good ethics, while also living your life with a meaning. There are no clauses in contracts that force employees to make the workplace better but if you try to do a good thing each day then the office will be a better place to work.

A breach of ethics will occur when you perform rude or offensive behavior violating coworkers’ rights. Those who are ethically strong will protect confidential information, keep promises, and tell the truth in the office.

You can be fair to those in your office by rectifying injustices, punishing appropriately, and allocating scare resources.

The final method is to be as compassionate towards employees as possible. Showing those you work with or who work for you appreciation will go a long way.