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5 Lies You Should Tell Your Boss
Whoever said lying at work is never a good idea hasn't wanted something badly enough. There are indeed situations in the workplace where not telling the truth is just fine, but you have to know when it's appropriate. (Oh, and make sure to keep track of all your fibs or you could be out of a job in no time!) Here, 5 things I'm giving you permission to lie about:
1. Your worth. Almost everyone lies in an interview when they're asked to name their price. In fact, many employers expect it. Therefore, it's reasonable to exaggerate your preferred salary amount by 10 to 20 percent, given of course that you're actually worth it. By showing that you value yourself, people will be more likely to consider a price closer to what you've asked for, and there will be more room to negotiate down.
2. Your future plans. Planning on starting a family in a year or two? Trying to launch your own business in your free time? Keep it to yourself. Employers want to think that your world revolves around them, and they'll gladly remain stuck in this unrealistic fantasy forever if you let them. Any talk of further aspirations plants the seed that they'll eventually need to replace you... And why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?
3. Your experience. Sure, you're a public speaker. The toasts you've given at the past four weddings have brought tears to people's eyes -- and that counts for something, doesn't it? Well, yes, actually it does. If you're confident about a skill but haven't necessarily been paid for it, then go ahead and add it to your résumé. But the trick is that you have to be able to "make it real" if required. No, you're not exactly fluent in Spanish or adept at Photoshop, but you could take a crash course if need be. It's a tactic used in business all the time: Sell it whether you have it or not, and then find a way to deliver.
4. Your health. Maybe you took some time off a few years back to deal with an illness, or you struggle with an occasional bout of depression. Anything regarding your health is strictly your business, and you're not obligated to tell anyone if they ask. The only reasons to be forthright about health-related issues are if you need to take advantage of an employee health benefit, or you're looking for protection under the Americans With Disabilities Act or the Family and Medical Leave Act.
5. Your tardiness. You missed the most important meeting of the month because you forgot to set your alarm. Do you admit this to your boss? Absolutely not. In a situation like this, the truth can do way more harm than a little white lie. But beware, you can only use the "family emergency" and "flat tire" cards once or twice before people begin to call your bluff -- so play them wisely!
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Administrative Professional Alert is a great e-newsletter, and I look forward to reading it when I see it in my Inbox. I usually find something worthwhile, helpful or interesting.
It came as a surprise and a disappointment to find an article in this issue that encourages anyone to lie. The headline, "Of course lying isn't usually OK," implies that it's a reasonable ethical choice. In my Book (meaning the Holy Bible), it is NEVER ok to lie. I believe I speak for many others when I say that integrity is a value I strive for in my life, personally and professionally. I would rather apologize to my boss for being late without an explanation, and accept the consequences, than fabricate an excuse to get off the hook.
This article has the potential to influence the character and career of administrative professionals, especially impressionable young people, to take an unprofessional step. Please consider your responsibility to your readers before making a decision to publish an article like this one in the future. As Ann Landers put it, "The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie."
While health and family expanision plans are clearly no one's business but yours, job candidates and employees are doing themselves a terrific disservice by not carefully determining if the job is actually something they can do, given their personal situation. Why accept a position which requires long hours and extensive travel if the accompanying stress will tip them into unstable mental health? More on this at:
http://www.gilliangabriel.com/best-foot-forward/2009/5/13/dont-take-the-job-if-you-cant-do-it.html .
Regarding salary: I've found there are three different scenarios that tend to play out in salary negotiation during tough economic times: You're currently unemployed and would happily take anything reasonable, you're eager to make a change from your current job and would be satisfied with a lateral (or near lateral move), or you feel you're ready for a significant jump. My experience is that exaggerating one's salary is generally not a great idea. Suggestions for navigating these conversations can be found at:
http://www.gilliangabriel.com/best-foot-forward/2009/6/18/dealing-with-the-money-question-a-post-in-three-parts.html
Thank you, Nicole, for triggering these conversations! -- GG
I'm sure this was meant to be sort of amusing, but I think you're really flirting with disaster when you start down the path of lying with impunity. If you lie about something small, and employers find out, they'll wonder what "big" things you're being dishonest about.
Do I think you have a right to privacy? Sure. No need to share your health details. Do I think you have the right to try and get the best salary possible? Of course. But lie about speaking Spanish or knowing a software program and then trying to "cram" to learn it? That's not only dishonest, but unfair to an employer who needs someone to do the job they say they can. And what about co-workers who are counting on you to deliver?
Some of this advice is a real disservice to employees and employers.
I disagree with #5, i can think of several co-workers over the course of my career that had given the boss a fake excuse for tardiness or absence only to be found out later because they had told their co-worker friends the real reason, and it somehow made its way back to the boss. Will you be fired for missing a meeting and saying it was your alarm clock? No. Better to tell the unvarnished truth.
I do agree though that mentioning any health issues (i'm bipolar, i have ADD, my spouse and i have been trying hard to have a baby..) is a bad idea. In this day and age almost every boss dreams of replacing their older workers with a cheap guest worker to pad their bonuses. Don't give them any reason at all to fantasize that you might become a problem so its better to get rid of you now..
You can get halfway there just just limiting yourself to truth as it relates to the job/workplace.
I agree with you that in today's world it is impossible to tell the truth every single time, especially when your livelihood is on the line, especially if you have dependents. I do not recommend people cause themselves harm by being real about the way they see things when they must be obsequious to do their jobs right. I believe that once you have taken a job, you must be that which is required to do that job well. I take offense that people require experience and put people in a position where they have to lie in the first place. This cannot be a good start in getting people into an moral working world. Teaching is leading by example, and expecting people to lie is not an example. Economists in the thirties thought that we would be working 3 hours a day by now because of the help of technology. What has happened is that the wealth created has all gone into the hands of the very few whose only desire is to secure more. Their intention is to have a permanent underclass that is unable to get out of debt, distracted, denied education, and denied time to watch and protect our gov like every citizen should. We don’t even have time to raise our kids. I think we need to slow things down so that people have time to tell the truth again.
This was in response to LS. Somehow it posted here.
Well Said !!!
My 2 cents-
1=technology has made our lives easier, in the respet that it is now easier to work nights and weekends finishing projects, and crunching data at home, since employers have unlimited creativity in adding tasks without considering the hours required.
2= I have never been more offended in a job interview, than when the interviewer basically accused me of lying about my past accomplishments (awards, sales achievements). The lesson I took from that resulted in photocopying every plaque and certificate, as well as all my annual sales printouts. In every job interview that followed, I provided a folder with all the documentation of the numbers on my resume.
Liars expect others to lie. Dishonorable people expect others to be dishonorable.
If a person admits to a fact that could easily be covered up wth a lie, they can prove themselves to be honest and trustworthy, even when the truth does not reflect well upon them. This is taking the high road. but it wil only be appreciated by honorable people. Liars will consider this kind of honesty to be stupidity. So the key to this article is to understand whether or not your boss values honesty, or is the "do whatever it takes" type.
Also- advising people to take a crash course in order to cover up for an exagerrated claim is stupid. There is no substitute for experience, and cramming only works if you already know quite a bit to begin with.
Everything on my CV is absolutely true.
It's discouraging to think that potential employers are going to assume it's embellished....
(because everybody else lies)!?
There is something really wrong with this country that everybody is caught in a catch -22, having to lie to get a job, something I have never done and may be part of the reason for my poor results at times. Alito admitted to lying on his resume to get a job with Reagan and nobody made a big deal about it. This shocked me. What happened to integrity in America? This is a man who is supposed to be in charge of truth and justice in this country. How are people getting bonuses when their companies are in the tank? Giving a bonus for work that was not successful is another level of dishonesty. William Black, the guy who investigated the S&L scandal says that the meltdown of Wall St. could not have happened without mass corruption. We were lied to in order to go to war where thousands of Americans have died, Lancet says a million Iraqis have died, and there are millions of refugees. We allow personalities like Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilley, Beck, etc. to release misinformation, libel, defamation, and monolithic propagandistic talking points sent from above in order to influence the public. We allow media to not cover the things they should and not be punished. I'm sorry, but the advocacy of lying in order to get a job thoroughly disgusts me and it must be addressed to make America a better place.
I totally agree with westcoastsc. Way to go west....!! Keep up the good work. We need more people like you.
The reason nobody cared about the Alito thing is because he's a Republican- lying isn't just an option, it's mandatory at all times.
I'm gonna disagree with westcoastsc, who is making the false assumption that all lies are created equally and are inter-related. There are lies that can improve your relationship with your boss or your child or your spouse, and have very low level consequences. I don't believe we simply accept these lies, I believe we accept the conditions in our lives that compel us to occasionally be less than honest.
i think this title is catchy but inappropriate. The author is saying we should not discount ourselves in conversations with an employer, which many people do. We assume that a piece of paper is required to verify we have a skill, when none has been requested. She's not talking about faking your CV, she's talking about being proud of your talents and accomplishments. Women, in particular, often undervalue their worth - and to me, that's the real lie.
The same holds true for "overshare". Your future plans could change in six months - what do you do, go back and say to the boss, "Hey, it turns out I'm not getting married!"? And the author specifically said no one should withhold health information if it is required for good reason.
It's easy to jump on the "truthfulness" bandwagon these days, we're all tired of lying. But the "lies" this author mentions aren't really in the same universe as Dick Cheney telling the CIA to lie to Congress now, are they?
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