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This item is filed under these categories:
Honesty Lies and Lying Disciplining Shirking Responsibility Feedback Decision Making

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?



When your employee suggests that you lie to your manager, it is not a matter that you should take lying down.

You can learn a great deal about an employee by carefully observing the way he or she handles what are called “critical incidents.” These types of situations call for actions and decisions, and an employee’s behavior tells you about more than the situation at hand. Critical incidents give you insight into a broad range of an employee’s ethics, values, and standards, as well as into the way in which the he or she is likely to act and react in future situations.

At this point, you should let your employee know exactly how you feel about her suggestion, and you should be extra vigilant in monitoring her performance on all projects. Beyond this, you should let some time pass. If you find that this employee has truly learned from this experience, you can put the matter behind you. However, if you see even a hint of a repeat performance, then it is time to put this employee behind you.



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