Cheating Overtime

CHEATING OVERTIME
By: Abdullah R. Sirad


We are living in this world of material deception where everyone seeks living in a simplest and easiest ways and means. Men, being too materialistic, intentionally distort truth to take advantage of what he desired. Cheating is a common ways and means exploited by most men to advance their living.

Wikipedia define Cheating' as an act of lying, deception, fraud, trickery, imposture, or imposition. Cheating characteristically is employed to create an unfair advantage, usually in one's own interest, and often at the expense of others. In Islam, cheating is a heinous sin, a source of shame to the one guilty of committing them, both in this world and the next.

Based on the given definitions, it is obvious that cheating is wrong. It implies that it is an intentional act of taking advantage of something. Why men are so selfish that they still do it while knowing that this does not accord to both man and divine law?

I am not an excuse to this. I, myself, had cheated in different ways and means. Everyone cheated in different ways and means. Perhaps, it is because men are fallible in nature thus committing mistakes are inevitable. However, should we tend to regard our distorted deeds as common mistake caused mainly by our being human when we are doing it intentionally to take advantage of something? We are rational enough to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. People are just too ambitious, they want to take instantly what they want in life.

Cheating is present in different field of works such as cheating in the election, in which candidate uses different tricks to manipulate votes just to be elected in a certain position. Cheating during exams among students to earn higher grades or remarks, cheating spouses, cheating time at work places, etc. to mention a few.

Let me elaborate further about cheating in the work place. It has been said that an employee should do the job for what he is paid for without any deception or cheating. In fact, every company oriented its manpower on its rules and regulations to let them know of the Do’s and Don’ts of the company and even imparted to them a “Code of Ethics” to morally guide and incline manpower to values worthy of emulation. In spite of these, many employees, especially those in the sub-offices, are taking undue advantage in the company. “Under-timing” and “over valuation of spent overtime” are some classic example of it. For example, employees are suppose to report at 6:00 AM but had reported at 7:00AM. Some are declaring false number of hours spent at overtime like equating lunch hour as overtime when he does not actually work or when someone declared he had worked until 7:00PM but the reality is he is somewhere else outside the office. Some also delayed their work so they can have reasons to spend overtime even if the work can be done in just one working day. This is very rampant in a segmented departments. It is very ironic but it happens in reality.

What compelled employees to cheat when they are rational enough to know that anything they can get out of cheating is a heinous sin?

I do not know why sinful deeds make people happier and satisfied. Everyone has reasons of his own doing but I have some ideas why people do such thing. Maybe some cheat because it is the easier way to take something rather than to exert much effort. Some cheats to acquire things they otherwise would not be able to have in order to advance their economic gain. This is (maybe) the reason why employees cheated reporting hour (at work place) or over valued overtime so that they can earn much amount in their pay slip. Some people cheat simply because they cannot resist the temptation to take what they want. In other word, cheating or stealing was been on their nerves. In addition, others cheat because they are earning minimal salary and because they want to please their family or to attain high income in order to satisfy the economic needs of their family thus they were tempted to do it. Worst of all, cheating happens because managers allowed cheating to exist in the company. Managers are so lax that they don’t spend some time to do ocular inspection or scrutinize work activities performed by their people.

Whatever reasons, everyone should remember that cheating is stealing. Everyone should consider that life is not about money. Earning minimal salary but earned through honesty, sincerity, straightforwardness and fairness is like earning vast blessings from Almighty GOD. We may not see its profits in this material world but we will definitely reap its essence in the hereafter.

(This case in point I had experienced in my almost two years of service in a multi level company in Saudi with large number of diversified colleagues.)

Noynoy Aquino's presidential plan

It has been a headline news that Noynoy Aquino is running for presidency in the upcoming election in Philippines. People may have deeper loyalty for his parents for the martyrdom they have done for democracy but Noynoy’s popularity out of people’s sympathy is different from being ready to get involve in the presidential race. Noynoy should humble himself by sticking to his present political status. He has to exert extra awareness…he is being used by some ambitious TRAPOs.

eye opener

there are things around us that are not seen, voices not heard, minds not spoken, emotions not felt and conflicts not resolved...unless we open our eyes to truth, so shall our senses understand these complexities in life..