Do You Know Why Employees Lie to Their Employers?
Feeling like you’re unable to be yourself at work? You’re not alone.
By Cami Toronto, Communications —
Forbes recently found that employees are having difficulty being honest with their managers about projects and feedback — and the possible source of this dishonesty is surprising. Research has found that employees have difficulty expressing honest feedback and reactions to the workplace if a manager has mistreated or misbehaved in the workplace in front of them.
Management is a position that requires 100% effort, patience with employees, and openness to new ideas or constructive criticism. If a manager demonstrates emotional inconsistencies when responding to feedback, managing decisions, or even slight hostility to employees speaking independently, employees will feel restricted and unable to speak their minds.
If managers allow their employees to share completely honest feedback during their conversations — with no threat of retribution — then that employee is more likely to act with integrity in the workplace, aiding the business in the long run. The best workplaces favor honesty and active employees over apathetic workers. Workplaces should prioritize and reward the employees that work with the purpose of making the company, and themselves, better.
Employers should be proactive in creating a nonthreatening work environment based on honesty. In addition, employers should always seek to repair relationships that might have been hurt by past frustrations and imperfect communication.
Looking to establish honesty in employee relationships before hiring? Converus has the solution: EyeDetect is an employee screening technology that assesses the trustworthiness and personal integrity of possible new hires before they’re hired. EyeDetect can assess a person’s integrity during a 30-minute true/false test.
(Note: The Employee Polygraph Protection Act prohibits using lie detectors like EyeDetect in private companies. However, federal, state and municipal government employees or contractors may be tested.)
Photo by / Tim Gouw
