Why We Fudge the Truth at Work
Posted March 12th, 2012
Human resources is a people business. You have to deal with employees in a number of different ways, from dealing with routine administrative activities to performance issues. As a result, knowing how to communicate effectively is important. And finding out what is really going on in a situation is critical.
Sometimes that becomes difficult, because no matter how much companies stress the value of employee integrity and ethical considerations, people can be less than truthful. So, having some understanding regarding why workers might want to shade the truth would certainly be helpful in more effective communication and problem resolution, says business consultant Ron Ashkenas.
We all have different criteria about what is truthful. And it is these differing perspectives that often lead to breakdowns. What might lead an employee to be less than truthful?
One instance that is easily understandable is when a person does not want to be seen in a negative way. So, if he has made a mistake, he might create excuses and rationalizations about it, rather than admitting the real cause. For example, Ashkenas relates the story of a manager who was behind schedule on a big project. The delay was due mostly to his lack of discipline, but his reason for the delay was a snowstorm.
Another reason for shading the truth is the unwillingness to subject others to criticism. This was the case with a manager who refused to criticize her workers during performance reviews. Her excuse was that it was better to offer support for good practices, rather than highlight weaknesses. Yet, without telling them their weaknesses, there was no way they could make improvements.
People also shade the truth when it might have a negative impact on the bottom line of the business. This might occur when a salesman doesn’t mention supply problems in making a sale to a customer, or when a CEO fudges on the problems of integrating an acquisition. Letting people know what is really going on could hurt reputations and obviously even cause the failure of the project or sale. So, many opt to give only a portion of the truth and then try to determine how to handle the problems later.
Ashkenas says it’s easy to make judgments about these behaviors and demand that people be utterly truthful always. But that is not in our nature, and it is not in the nature of businesses either. The best course, he says, is to try to become more alert as to why people might be less than honest.
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