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Lies and Lying

Here are the questions filed under this category. To read Ken's advice on any item, click on the link "Read Ken's Answer."


We have an applicant for an administrative position who has the right skills and training, and his references are very positive. He said he has a degree from a local state university, but we found that he is actually two classes shy of receiving the degree. When we him asked him about this, he immediately admitted he was wrong and said he did this because he really wants the job. The position does not require a college degree. I'm not inclined to eliminate him because of this issue. What do you think?
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I manage a medium-sized department and I overheard one employee telling several others some very negative things about me, none of which were true. If I confront him, it means that I was eavesdropping, but if I let this go, then the rest of the group is left with some incorrect information about me. What do you suggest?
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We have a growing problem of petty theft in many areas of the company. No major items have been stolen, but a lot of smaller items are going out the back door. What suggestions can you offer?
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During a job interview, I was promised all sorts of things that have never materialized. I have continued to ask for them since I accepted the job, but management just ignores my requests. Do you have ideas about why companies lie and what I should do?
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I was fired from my previous job as a medical assistant. A specimen was lost and I was told that it was my fault, but it wasn't. The office manager would not listen to my side, so I was dismissed. I have completed several applications that ask if you have been fired and why. What do I write? What will they do? Will they give me a chance to explain? What if I don't write it down?
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What do you do when an employee comes in and gives you a bunch of information about his co-worker that is just plain false? Some of his information could have been damaging to this co-worker, and I'm just glad I went out and learned the truth before taking any action. What should I say to this employee?
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A sales rep and I were making a presentation when our customer raised a pretty basic question. My associate said that I had just asked the same question and it was easy to answer. I never asked this question, since anyone who works here knows the answer. This made me look like a fool. It took all my power not to blurt something out on the spot, but I waited until we were in the car and then told him to never do that again. He told me that I'm overreacting and he was just building a bond with the customer. What do you say?
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My manager said that he fashions himself as a person who can tell if someone is lying. He says when people lie, they lose eye contact and fidget. I never thought much about his comments until he accused me of lying about starting a rumor. I had nothing to do with it. What should I do?
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We received a resume from what appeared to be a promising candidate, but as we talked with him, it became apparent that his resume contained some fairly substantial exaggerations and misstatements. Are there any pointers to look for in a resume that could be a tip-off to faking?
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My manager works at another site. When he asked if I wanted his ticket to a seminar he was unable to attend, I said yes. The next day I found out that he led my co-workers at the other site to think that he was not at work due to the seminar. Later, when discussing my merit, he said I deserve an "exceeds expectations," but having missed the deadline for submitting paperwork, he had to give me a "meets expectations." Seeing I was unhappy with this, he cited the seminar ticket as a perk he offered exclusively to me because I am a valued employee. How does this sound to you?
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Over a recent holiday weekend, according to my manager, I missed several pages. I assured him that my pager is always on and I would never ignore a page. He cursed at me and called me a liar. Meanwhile, he is notorious for ignoring pages, voicemail, and company e-mail. He has lied and threatened us with termination, and I've been told that his behavior is typical for this company. What should I do?
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An employee who reports to me does not lie, but he tends to withhold information that I need. When problems later develop and I ask him if he knew about what was happening, he tells me that he did, but felt that it was not important to mention it to me at the time. How do I get him to give me complete information?
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A fellow manager has made a "hobby" out of trashing my reputation. She makes treacherous and untrue remarks to anyone who will listen, and this is having a negative impact on my ability to manage. I have gone to our boss and his reply is simply, "Everyone knows her...just ignore her." What can you suggest?
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When I ask one particular employee about a project, she gives me an update, but often holds back important facts. I rely on her comments when I report to my manager, and I end up looking foolish because I am unaware of information that she suddenly possesses. I told her that willfully holding back facts is a form of lying. She said does not lie and is only trying to provide the information I want.
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Whenever my boss comes around to my department, I have one particular employee who typically makes a comment that puts herself in a positive light and makes me look bad, and sometimes she's not quite truthful or does not give the full story. Do I lower myself to say something to her, or should I just let it go?
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My boss stormed into my office and yelled and swore at me, saying that I did not give him the full story on a problem we had discussed the day before. He then misquoted what I had told him. When I said that to him, he told me I was lying. How do you deal with a boss like this?
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My manager did some unauthorized work on one of our computers and destroyed the hard drive. When he was reprimanded by our director, he changed his story and emailed her a distorted timeline of events and blamed me for what happened. Fortunately, our director was on my initial emails and is completely on my side. How do I deal with this manager?
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One of our best hourly employees has been cheating on her timecard. This is a violation of our company policy, and we have terminated employees for this. It would be difficult to replace this person, and since she is a good employee, I would like to give her a warning, but other managers say I should terminate her. Whose side would you take?
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I work for an aerospace company, and my manager is supposed to set goals in January, give a progress review in July, and a final review in the next January. My 2004 appraisal was not completed until January 2005, and the goals and ratings were all made up. My boss wanted me to sign it and backdate it, and he is doing the same thing for this year's appraisal. I explained this to the HR manager, and he told me to find another job. What should I do next?
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On two separate occasions, one of the administrative assistants I work with lied to our boss and said I never gave her some information for a certain project, but I know I did. Her second lie was similar to this. I did not accuse her, but I did defend my actions. She disagreed and my boss seems to believe her. Is there anything I should do now?
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What do you do about a co-worker who is constantly reporting to the boss about the poor performance or behavior of the other employees? These "reports" range from exaggerations to outright lies. This person is the boss's buddy, and that makes it very hard for the employees to defend themselves.
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I have heard about successful people who embellished their resumes to get a job. I added office computer skills onto my resume in order to qualify for a certain job, and I got it. When my lack of computer knowledge came out, I was fired. I think this was unfair of the company. When they saw I was a good employee except for this, they could have given me some training. Do their actions seem fair to you?
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When my manager asked me about the status of a project that I assigned to one of my employees, I found that my employee had not followed the procedures and left out a critical step. I thought this step was included when I checked up on the project last week. She suggested that I lie about the matter to my manager. I am shocked by her suggestion, and I’m uncertain about how to deal with her from this point. What do you suggest?
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I told another manager a piece of confidential information that required his input. I said the information cannot go any further, and he agreed. Later that day, another employee approached me and asked about this very matter. She said she heard about it from someone who is friends with the manager that I originally told. Should I go back to him and express my concern, or should I never tell him anything confidential again?
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Our company is introducing several changes in assignments and responsibilities, along with a revised overall structure. As planned, I discussed the changes with another manager. He then met with my manager and totally misquoted me. My manager then tore into me. What should I do?
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I am 55 years old and having problems finding a job. I believe I am qualified for advertised jobs, but when I submit my resume, I hear nothing. One of my friends suggested I leave earlier jobs off of my resume, and then explain things if I get an interview. What do you think?
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I have had a difficult time filling a sales position, and I finally interviewed an applicant that looked good and spoke well. I was ready to hire him on the spot, but a background check showed he left a few jobs off his resume. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but several of my co-workers are saying to pass. What do you suggest?
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How do you deal with an employee who lies? He has worked for me for almost five years, and although I am not sure how long the lying has been going on, there’s no doubt that he is not being upfront with me now. Sometimes he withholds important information, and other times he just comes up with a story. When I go back to him and discuss the facts, he always has an excuse or explanation, and he cannot admit that he is wrong or lied. How should I deal with him?
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I have an new coworker. Since she has been working with us she has done the following:Threw keys at another coworker because she had to work 30 minutes more than she was scheduled. Left her keys out where other people had access to confidential information and cash.Force balanced, left items out unlocked overnight.Lied about several things. Every time she is approached by management she turns the tables saying we don't like her, we act like we don't want to help her and we talk to her in a mean way.She has been treated the same as everyone else and doesn't complain unless she is approached by management about something she has done.Our local management seems to not be addressing the fact that she is doing this but questions us on how we speak to her.
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A very rude and scheming co-worker was recently promoted over me by our senseless boss. She is switching to a more subtle rudeness after the boss kind of told her to "cut it out" (but without any firmness). What she now does is make statements to me that just cross the line between normal instructions and condescending, harsh reprimands. Her speech and emails carry a tone that implies that I do not pull my weight which is far from the truth. She enlists the help of other employees in mobbing me in this way. Management does not understand the subtleties of communication and I fear that if I cannot assert myself properly against this continuous onslaught, my anger will build to explosiveness (the bullies' goal). I am afraid that she will get huffy and take a complaint to management that I am unable to take instructions or criticism and that they will review the facts and side with her. They might say that I am "taking it the wrong way" or "reading into things incorrectly" and blame me. This is something that is happening after the bully has made a pattern of treating me with great rudeness and disrespect. She is a jealous, insecure baby but has been with the company for 7 years where I have only been there 2-1/2 years. They love the little ass-kissing fool. Any advise on how to handle this?
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