By J. Mason
Online Career Tips Editor
Little white lies cover things that you haven’t had time yet to get to, or you don’t want to share in order to save someone’s feelings. In the workplace lying can get you in trouble, or it could potentially endanger others if lives are on the line. Is it ever appropriate to lie to a co-worker?
Think of some common scenarios you may encounter day-to-day in the office. When your boss asks about a task being done, you may say yes when the truth is you haven’t even started on it. Or, someone confronts you about an allegation or rumor being spread in the office. Whether you started it or even heard about it, do you admit to having knowledge of the incident? How you handle these types of situations can make or break trust in your department.
It actually takes more of an effort to lie than it does to just tell the truth. We go through a type of “cognitive flexibility” according to Dan Ariely in his book, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty. We create these lies to complete a goal, whether that’s for profit, personal gain, or to protect yourself. One of the most interesting points explored by Deborah Kotz, Staff Writer for Boston.com, is that people try to rationalize their reason for lying because others around them are doing it. After a while it is obvious when a colleague is fibbing about something, especially when it’s regarding work that you share. This shouldn’t give you a reason to lie along with them. Holding people accountable is a leadership trait, and one that you should adopt, instead of passing the buck onto someone else.
So, when is lying OK? For the most part it isn’t. With the way technology is now everything can be tracked and verified. If you said something was completed on X date, they can review the time stamp on the document. Your boss may never say anything about the error to you, but it isn’t something easily forgotten. For times when something needs to be fudged, think of an alternative solution before the letdown. Offer a new date because of X, Y, and Z. If there was an error, instead of finding a face to point blame to, step up and offer to resolve the mistake.
Try avoiding the white lies when you can. If they slip out more often that you’d like, be prepared to get called out on them. Trust yourself to make mistakes, but to also find solutions for the future. Don’t lean on lies to get you through your projects.
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