Does your job require you to lie?

[undeterred]

Poll question: Does your job require you to lie?

[rucky]

1. Only by omission. n/t

[undeterred]

6. Are you the recruiter who told me I would be eligible for benefits in 30 days

but didn't tell me I would be paying for them 100% out of my own pocket?

[rucky]

9. same thing happened to me!

I'm covered, but it's a $600/mo buy-in for my wife and kid.

[undeterred]

11. They offered me 3 plans and the only decent one

is $95/week for a single person- that's me, the employee. The agency, which is one of the largest employers in the world, contributes nothing. That's like subtracting 5K out of the salary they offerred me.

There are cheaper plans but they cover so little and you pay so much out of pocket, that it makes no sense to buy them. I am better off shopping for a better plan on my own since they aren't contributing to it anyway. I think they have a lot of nerve even developing a brochure and telling you they offer benefits when they don't pay for any part of it.

[rucky]

14. but what about the tax-deferrment?

just kidding. that's what they tried to sell me on.

[undeterred]

16. Yeah, and I guess I could have set up a Health Savings Account.

:sarcasm: That would be the Republican way...

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. My job doesn't allow me to respond to polls, so you'll have to wait

until I move on to something else.

[Ravy]

3. I can sit, or even work standing up if I want to! (nt)

[JanMichael]

4. Not the current one but I did have some sales jobs years ago that...

...required quite a bit of BS. I sucked at being a commodities broker...

EDIT: Did you mean on my back? No.

[iamjoy]

5. One Finds Ways to Justify Mendacity

and claim it as not technically a lie.

"I cannot access your account with your valid password." and silently add, "without losing my job."

Let the person think it is technically impossible, in reality it can be done, but the risks are not worth it.

[tammywammy]

7. I guess, but it's not big lies

More like the sales manager is too lazy to answer his phone so he's "with a customer" or "working a deal." Don't know where someone is "they're with a customer." Stuff like that.

[connecticut yankee]

8. Only we call it

"bending the truth."

[XOKCowboy]

10. No

I'm not in Sales or Management. ;)

Actually since I became an independent contractor, I can't lie. I have to back up every claim with my skills or I won't be working much longer.

[patrice]

12. I have the great pleasure of working for Cultural Change in the workplace.

There could hardly be a more enthusiastic proponent than I.

[mitchum]

13. Yes

[InkAddict]

15. My job requires the regurgitation of others' euphemisms. n/t

[pink-o]

17. Listen I work for a major Airline at San Francisco Airport...

...I always tell the truth to passengers, I give them info the moment I know it myself, cuz if I lie to them, they'll come after me!

Initially, TSA and Homeland Security wanted the Airlines to lie about the No-Fly list, to tell people who were on it that the reason we couldn't check them in was due to a computer glitch that we had to correct. We refused to do it--it's obvious it was only a matter of time before people began to figure it out. Our government really does think we're stupid, don't they?

[onehandle]

18. In Marketing and Advertising?

All Signs Point To Yes.

Actually, I mostly get my staff to lie for me.

[undeterred]

20. My manager is training me to lie.

I have to document that things I haven't done yet were done last week. She actually came to my desk and documented it using my account on my machine. They do this kind of thing all the time to meet service level agreements. So I guess I pretty much have to do it or find something else.

[CoffeeCat]

19. I used to work in PR...

...and 95 percent of the time the press releases I wrote were totally true.

However, there were a few times that I was encouraged to write upcoming press
releases about the development of technologies that did not exist yet. The releases
announced "plans to develop". I touted those technologies. They were really cool.
They garnered a great deal of attention and interest in our stock.

However, as I wrote these press releases and sent them through the proper channels
for approval, people would comment on how hilarious is was that I could make nonexistent
technologies sound so fabulous. Back then, I was impressionable and the higher-ups
were happy with me, so I took that as a compliment. I was promoted and rewarded
for this behavior. Many times, I would write a release that made a technology
or a project sound as if was the second coming. In reality, we were only making 100k
off of the entire thing.

I'd see comments on the Yahoo message board, specifically dedicated to discussing
our company's stock, and people were making buying decisions based on my releases. I was astounded.
It never bothered me though.

I was naive and I guess pretty thoughtless. You can rationalize anything, if you want to.

I'm glad that I'm not like that anymore and I feel remorse about not thinking more about the
ramifications of my behavior.

I'm a stay-at-home mom now. Being away from the corporate world helped me to see the light.

[Ian David]

26. I once spoke to Edward Bernaise on the telephone.

He was a customer of the company I was working for.

We made some small talk, and he asked me what I was studying in school. I told him I was going to Graduate School to study Public Relations.

"You don't recognize my name?"

"No. Should I?"

"How long have you been studying Public Relations."

"Classes start next week."

He gave a little laugh.

"Do you have your textbook with you?"

"No, I'm buying it on Friday."

"Turn to Page one, Chapter one. Then you'll recognize my name."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."


Mr. Bernaise said to me, "Always remember these three things:
"Never tell a lie.
"Always tell the truth.
"Never have a hidden agenda."


In retrospect, this does not really fit well with what I now know of his writings, and of what he actually did with his life.

I suspect that Mr. Bernaise had a lot of second thoughts and regrets during his last years.

[CoffeeCat]

28. Wow, that's cool...

You spoke with the man himself--the "grandfather of public relations". Way cool.

So, are you in PR now? Do you enjoy it?

I do miss it. I miss pitching stories to the media. I miss the writing.

If I did do PR again, I would freelance--so I could pick and chose the companies
and projects. That would severely cut down on the lying!

I really do love the PR game though. I love reporters. I met so many amazing
reporters during my PR career. The writers from the Washington Post, NY Times
and the WSJ were the kindest. I mainly pitched science and technology stories,
so I was primarily dealing with science and/or technology journalists. They
were always very receptive and looking for great stories.

I miss it.

I'd love to hear about what you are doing, if you'd like to share.

[CoffeeCat]

29. duplicate (nt)

[Ian David]

42. Right now, I am a full-time dad, obsessive DUer, and spending way too much time...

... hiding in the fantasy land of Star Wars Galaxies while I wait for the world to end in a fiery, nuclear holocaust somewhere between March 2007 and January 20, 2009.

When I spoke to Edward Bernaise, I was working as a cable television customer service rep, hired through a temp agency.

But I have worked in marketing, PR, event planning... you name it.

And I have held various odd jobs along the way.

I just find myself giving up on more and more every day now.

[Coyote_Bandit]

21. At one point

I worked in the legal profession. All the lies were lies of omission.

At one point I worked in property and casualty insurance claims. We wrote non standard high risk coverage. Somebody at one of the reinsurers embezzled about 50 million bucks. There weren't too many lies until there wasn't money to pay claims. Then there was a lot of creative lying. At least partly out of an interest in self-protection. Just before the house of cards folded there were folks that would follow us when we left work and would call us at home and harass us. The guy in the mailroom carried a gun (and was licensed to do so). He was always nearby whenever somebody came into our offices.

At one point I worked in investment management. No outright lies or blatant omissions. Just a lot of emphasis on positive possibilities that recognized but minimized very real risks.

Yeah, I'm in the process of reinventing myself and starting another career. This one involves the production of a tangible architectural and decorative product that can be customized. Not the same need to lie....

[Turbineguy]

22. I was asked to break the law

and falsify a Logbook once. I said, "No". They did not push it. I thought it was a trap so they could fire me.

After my vessel was involved in a collision in Athens (not a serious one), the Captain was asked to falsify the Official Logbook. He did and then retired.

The company went bankrupt.

Leave the lying to the republicans.

[undeterred]

23. I think when you have a lying president

who gets away with it for years, it "normalizes" lying to some people. It changes the whole culture in a negative way, and people think "everyone does it".

[Ian David]

24. I have twice worked for companies that required me to lie.

That is why, after being improperly discharged, I had an armload of files and evidence at home that I turned over to the proper authorities.

Companies that require their employees to lie should, as a matter of self-preservation, go out of their way to treat those employees fairly.

For instance The Royal Canadian Mounted Police might raid the offices of your Canadian clients, in search of documenting the fact that your company violated customs regulations.

Oops.

Very embarrassing for you.

You're welcome, Richard B.

[unpossibles]

25. not at all

other than perhaps toning down the weird side of me. Then again, even toned down, I am still probably the weirdo in the office.

[Ian David]

27. When I had to remove asbestos tiles from my house...

I spoke to three different flooring conractors.

They all told me the same thing.

Just tear them up yourself, put them in trash bags, and leave them by the curb.

One guy even claimed to be able to tell what percentage of the tile was asbestos just by looking at them. "Oh, yeah. Those are 18% asbestos tiles. Just put on a mask, wet them down, tear them up, and double-bag 'em at the curb."

I ended up paying thousands of dollars out of my own pocket to do it correctly, rather than dump hundreds of pounds of asbestos into a landfill.

Now, let's just hope the environmental clean-up company I hired actually did what they were supposed to do.

[Evergreen Emerald]

30. In fact, my job demands complete honesty

[CoffeeCat]

31. This thread makes me wonder....

...how insurance adjusters live with themselves...or even sleep at night?

[undeterred]

32. I think if you do something long enough

and justify it over and over, it doesn't feel wrong any more. The first time is the hardest. After that its a snap.

[AnotherGreenWorld]

33. No. I'm not a doctor.

[BlooInBloo]

34. Nope. Quite the oppposite, in fact.

[otohara]

35. When I Worked in Radio

I had to lie and keep so many secrets - it was awful knowing way in advance someone you liked would be getting fired, and then one day they fired me.

[Ian David]

43. I once worked in the H.R. Department of a large computer firm as a temp.

I won't name the company, but names are a matter of relativity anyway (hint, hint).

My primary job was to support the biggest asshole in the entire world.

On my first day working for him, I gave my two week's notice.

It turns out, EVERY assistant he had ALWAYS quit... frequently, often, and usually early.

I asked one of my co-workers, "If the guy is so terrible, how does he keep his job?"

They explained to me (I was young, naive and new to the corporate world) that it doesn't matter how you treat the people under you-- you are evaluated on your RESULTS. And the guy always got good results.

"But how can he get results when his assistants keep quitting?"

The answer: The secretarial pool. When an assistant quits, the work is shunted off to the secretarial pool.

The guy looked EXACTLY like Donald Sutherland... so much so that he could pass for him on the street.

Anyway, one of my key duties was assembling what I called "surprise packages" for people about to be fired.

Certain documents had to be collected, certain people had to sign-off, the computer department had to cancel the passwords, etc.

The whole firing process was designed like a coordinated military strike, planned down to the second, culminating in the victim sitting down with two managers to give an exit interview.

It had to be conducted in secret, and sometimes with deception.

For example:

"I'm going to be in Tampa for a meeting with Mrs. X. I'll take the package with me and have her sign-off there. When she gets back to Dallas, she can bring it to Y, and have him sign it. Y will give it to Z, who is going to be in Los Angels at the same marketing seminar that Mr. Terminated and his manager are attending. They'll meet with him in his hotel room and give him his exit interview there."


Anyway, there was this one guy was going to be fired because he refused to report back to work, refused to answer the phone or return messages left on his answering machine.

You see, the man about to be fired had suffered a heart attack at work, and a week or two after his medical leave was up, he was still MIA.

The day that the heart-attack guy was about to be fired, my boss' mother died of Parkinson's Disease.

The man was heart-broken, of course.

I'd worked for him for about a week, and I hated him with the passion of a thousand suns.

But at this moment, he revealed himself to be human.

And over the objections of his superiors, he told me he was going to give the heart attack guy another week.

I don't know if heart attack guy ever reported back to work. I didn't stick around that long.

Like I said, I gave my two-week's notice on my first day.

But toward the end, I felt there was hope for the Donald Sutherland-looking guy to become a human being. It took his mother dying to do it, but there WAA a heart inside that huge, giant, asshole somewhere.

The other thing that bothered me was that on some level, I had stared to ENJOY it.

I actually started to LIKE the feeling of sneaking around in the dark corners of a company, doing secret things... dark things. Knowing things that most other people didn't know. And about 99% of the people we were firing were hundreds of miles away, and there was no chance I'd ever see them. Very clean. Very abstract. Like piloting a Predator drone. Pixels on a screen, or a name on a file.

On some level, it felt fun.

But on another level, it kept me awake at night.

I think it was best that I left.

[Lucinda]

36. I don't lie

I could never keep up with what I said if I did :)

[H2O Man]

37. Other.

Retired. (I do lay around.)

[undeterred]

38. No wonder you write such good posts!

[treestar]

39. I'm a lawyer

And contrary to popular belief, my job requires telling the truth to all clients.

it's the ones who don't want to hear the truth who call us liars.

[TahitiNut]

40. No... just sit.

:silly: Some people call it "retirement."

[AZBlue]

41. I wouldn't say lie - I won't do that - but I do have to phrase my answers in a certain way.

My job is a combination of sales/marketing/pr, so you can guess how horrible it could be.

(did I mention I'm looking for a new job? well, I am!!)