Jason Notte - 2h ago
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/career/30-sneaky-lies-that-bosses-tell-employees
(1) When the Boss Lies
Bad bosses are disruptive to a workplace even when they're being completely honest. When they lie, it's even worse — a bad manager can make employees 70 percent less engaged and have them spending 13 hours of the work week (and weekend 6.2 hours) worrying what they will say or do next. Lies are a big part of those worries, even if workers have their own set of lies to tell, and the following are some of the most common spread by bosses in a workplace.
(2) We Can't Pay You More
It isn't that your bosses can't pay you more: It's that they won't. According to Geoffrey James, author of "Business Without the Bullsh*t," a company with any cash flow whatsoever will direct it toward whatever it views as a priority. That usually isn't your salary. "Since your compensation always reflects the minimum your boss believes you'll accept, when you hear this lie, it's a signal that you need to renegotiate the compensation agreement you have with your boss," James told Business Insider. In fact, recent trends suggest that companies can — and will — pay more when they're in need.
(3) Your Job Is Safe
Carol Kinsey Gorman, author of "The Truth About Lies in the Workplace," shares a story from a worker who considers this one of the most egregious lies a boss can tell: "My boss assured me that my position was secure — then he accidentally copied me on an email about interviewing my replacement." If you feel your job's on shaky ground, or if you've heard a layoff is coming, expect to hear a lie from your boss, who is likely fighting for his or her own career, is being asked to do top management's dirty work, and may end up being the last person fired. "If you hear this one, you should immediately activate your escape plan," James says.
(4) My Hands Are Tied
A boss who makes promises he or she can't keep is difficult to trust. "You might have been promised a series of promotions, increased responsibility, or a raise, but all you get is silence," Lynn Taylor, of Lynn Taylor Consulting, noted to Business Insider. "It's often helpful to get to the truth through emails, if one-on-one discussions are getting you nowhere. If the responses aren't coming via email, or at all, be wary." Shifting blame can be easier than doing the work to make things happen, but a boss saying "my hands are tied," needn't end the discussion. "Rather than giving up when you hear this lie, push harder for what you want," James says.
(5) You'll Get an Annual Bonus
You'll hear it described as "gainsharing" or "profit sharing," but it should never be described as annual. Unless you get goals and criteria for your bonus in writing before you are hired, expect economic fluctuations to dictate if and when a bonus is coming. Jacob Shriar, a marketing manager, told Monster.com this isn't always an intentional lie: It's just a promise that turns into a lie when a company's earnings fall short.
(6) That's Fair Pay
Workplace "pay secrecy" policies are supposed to be illegal under the National Labor Relations Act. But half of workers say they're forbidden from talking about pay at work, up from a third a decade earlier. As James points out, companies that employ nonunion labor don't like workers sharing salary or raise information because inevitably somebody feel slighted. "Bosses therefore tell this lie because they're afraid that if you knew what your coworkers were being paid, you would quit in disgust," James says.
(7) I'm Not Wrong
If your boss refuses to admit he or she is wrong after a mistake, they're not only lying but bringing the morale of their entire workplace down with them. A Lynn Taylor Consulting study found that 91 percent of employees said owning up to mistakes as a manager was important to employee job satisfaction. "Admitting to mistakes sends a message to your employees that it's a safe environment to take smart risks — and without that, you're sapping innovation," Taylor says.
(8) You'll Have Work-Life Balance
This is far more clever than the "9-to-5" lie, because it never actually promises to decrease hours or increase vacation time — it just signals there will be time for dinner at home every night, weekends with the family, and maybe summer vacation. And if the economy takes a nosedive? "Most companies know that their employees will be working upward of 60 hours per week [when there's] uncertainty in the economy," Marc DeBoer, a former executive recruiter and current president of A Better Interview, told Monster.com.
(9) I Won't Call on Your Day Off
Mobile devices and online communication tethers many employees to the office well after quitting time. If you find this irksome, set boundaries and provide ample warning and backup detail when leaving the office. "Separation anxiety' can kick in if you have a power-hungry boss and you inadvertently chip away at that power," Taylor says. "You're best served to instill a sense of comfort with a terrible boss who's demanding."
(10) Your Response Is Confidential
There is a reason employees generally don't trust surveys asking for criticism of the company or management. You waive the right to privacy when signing an employee contract. "There is no such thing as anonymous," Rajeev Peshawaria, author of "Open Source Leadership," told the Society for Human Resource Management. "If management really wants to find out who said what, they easily can." Responses won't be shared publicly, but they're being shared with somebody. "If you're asked 'confidentially' if your boss is doing a good job, don't say something like, 'He's in over his head,' James says. "Say something innocuous like, 'My boss works too hard.'"
(11) Participation Is Voluntary
There is no such thing as "voluntary" in the corporate world. It's almost always code for "mandatory," so make sure you're the first to sign up for a "voluntary" activity and the last to be heard complaining about it. "Attendance at a 'brown-bag lunch' where top management will be giving a presentation is voluntary only if you plan to voluntarily get fired," James says.