Why People Lie at Work — and What to Do About It

Being faced with an employee who bends the truth or lies outright is a tough managerial situation to be in. It can stir up the expected reactions of hurt and anger and cause you to lose faith in your team. If an employee is being dishonest with you, start by trying to figure out why. Once you can see what the employee is trying to accomplish by lying, you can move to action. The author describes the three most typical motivations for employee lying based on decades of consulting — and tips for what to do about them. First, a dishonest employee might be afraid to upset someone or trigger conflict. Second, they may not want to expose their own inadequacies. Third, they may just be looking to serve themselves.