I got in an interesting debate with a group of Buddhist-inspired friends, on the topic about upholding the 5 Precepts in doing business. Of course, being brainwashed by Theravada Buddhism since as a child, keeping the 5 Precepts its very much asimilated to my daily life.
Yet, even my holy parents would ridicule me for being naive for being too honest in work life or business. In all my 3 companies that I worked for, breaking the 4th precept is so prevalent that I thought that it is impossible to be honest (to the extend of not telling the truth) when dealing with client/customer.
Right infront of my eyes sitting infront of my current manager, he was bullshitting to the big bossy lady not technically inclined client on the rootcause of a certain problem, (in other words) TaiChi the blame on the client side instead of revealing the actual rootcause which is actually due to our own application fault. With that, manager saved our team from being screwed (again) by the top manager or bossy client.
The whole business world that I know off is the world of corporate taichi. Even with glamour American consulting firm, you can get axed not because of non-performance reason, but only for reason the firm deem fit. You can look up to a good manager, and at the end of the day, he gets headhunted to another company leaving you behind.
There is a guy that I've never met, but he got hired as a manager of 200++ staff in a competitor company, by faking his CV. He left before I joined the team.
When I was being sub-subcontracted out previously, I was to 'hush' about my employer, only telling everybody that I'm direct from main contractor. I'm being told to lie. I'm being told not to say this / that.
I'm being appraised as a girl who "work-hard but need to learn to work-smart". I know very well what that means. Yet it's not easy to be like the lotus flower that don't get stained growing out from the muddy water.
My direct teamlead has whispered to me many times on what to say, what not to say to certain people. She's a so-called Buddhist by the way. My wonderful fat manager who bullshit like a pro to the customer is a christian who wears the cross round his neck.
So in my new adventure in being part of a new Buddhist-inspired business, by having the 5 Precepts as guidelines, it'll be great to know that doing business and practising Buddhist teaching can get along!
There is really only a very fine thin line to seperate the good and the bad. How many companies out there are really truly honest in their business dealings?! I can go on and on... one now, is my cousin's small-time IT company. The boss run away with tax through the most unique way that I've never heard off -- paying >10k to all the staff as fake bonus, then staff have to cash out the $ and return to their boss. My cousin think it's not a problem, boss what!
*faint*
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