Mini-Dilemma: Lying to the Boss
Submitted by barcode 2x on Sun, 01/25/2009 - 23:33.
MONDAY, JANUARY 26: Today's mini-dilemma is about lying to your employer.
The boss calls you into the office and wants to know if you know anything about a coworker who has been underperforming on the job. The boss asks you in confidence if you know anything about the situation, and if you know why the coworker has been slipping lately. You know the coworker; he/she has some personal problems lately, and the job performance is suffering as a result.
Do you:
- Share what you know. Tell the boss the truth, and hope that the reasons are a legitimate excuse for their performance.
- Refuse to get into someone else's personal business. It is between the boss and the coworker, you don't need to get involved.
- Claim to know nothing.
- Make up a phony reason.
You risk losing the boss's confidence in you. You risk betraying your coworker. You have been put in a situation and you have several ways out. But which way is the least harmful?
