In “The Invention of Lying,” a man surrounded by truth tellers discovers that dishonesty has its benefits. And in the workplace, there may be many good reasons to lie. But not so fast, Pinocchio: Lying at work is not always the best way to communicate with colleagues.
“Lying only feels like a benefit because it reduces the immediate distress of the person doing the lying. However, for most people, the anxiety related to maintaining the lie ultimately outweighs the immediate emotional relief,” said Christopher Bauer of Bauer Ethics Seminars. “Besides, as our grandmothers told us, it takes far too much work to remember the lies we tell, which of course we need to do in order to maintain them. All of that distress can be avoided by simply being honest in the first place.”
Consequences of workplace lies
The effects of lies on businesses. Lying may have short-term benefits, such as getting new customers for your business, but the long-term effects may not be worth it. Bad news travels fast, and certain lies can ruin your company’s reputation.
“Integrity is highly valued in the workplace, especially when it comes to sales and service. When a single individual misrepresents a company, it reflects poorly on the company as a whole,” said Niki Payne, certified True Colors facilitator and Project Manager at True Colors International. “One negative experience is more likely to spread to others than a positive one, thereby tarnishing the image and reputation of a company in the eyes of the general public.”
In addition to loss of reputation, constant lying in the office can decrease morale by creating an environment of distrust. If employees get away with some white lies, said Bauer, they will easily be tempted to tell big lies.
“If lying in any form is condoned on the job, how can you rationally draw the line about which kinds of lies are okay? Is it okay to lie about what you've accomplished that day, but not to fudge on your timesheet or expense report? Is it okay to lie about how you feel about a coworker, but not about your supervisees' performance on their job review? These distinctions may seem easy in theory but, in the real world, they can get extremely blurry in a culture where it is known that lying in any form is okay,” he said.
Personal repercussions. Lies can giveth and the discovery of lies can taketh away. Oftentimes, employees will be stripped of the benefits they gained by lying—such as promotions and praise—if they are caught telling important lies about their work or about their coworkers.
Also, being fake all of the time can take its toll on people emotionally. Of course, we must all put on different faces in our professional and personal lives, but creating a total persona that is different from your true personality can be draining and lonely—especially if your focus has only been a corporate ladder climb.
“Lying to your coworkers in order to gain leverage in the workplace can often hinder any true friendships you might've forged along the way,” said Ward Anderson, author of The Ultimate Bachelor's Guide. “While you were busy getting ahead, you might've cut yourself off from the people who you would've truly been able to share your real thoughts and opinions with—simply because you lied to others in order to get ahead.”
Part One: 'The Invention of Lying': The importance of being dishonest at work
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