Is it ok to lie at work, morally-speaking?

I got in a conversation with my mom and sister. Mom occasionally works in a furniture store. My sister has a job hosting in a restaurant inside of a hotel. During one of my sister's stories, she explained that she lied to a customer about how much room was left for the restaurant's capacity. The customer asked if they were booked for a saturday. My sister said she was so busy, that she didn't have time to look at the reservation list. So she lied, and told the customer they were completely booked on Saturday.

I told her that she is beginning to lie too much, and it's going to bite her in the butt.

She told me I'm naive, because I've never worked in retail/sales positions. She said people need to lie at work sometimes. It's impossible to tell the truth all the time, according to her.

My mom was hesitant, but kind of agreed with her. She said in certain situations, people want what they can't have. So sometimes you have to stretch the truth in order to get more sales.

I completely disagree with them both. I've had multiple jobs in the past, and I've never been in a position in life where I felt like lying was the only solution to a problem. I think that's a poor excuse, and it shows a lack of integrity/cowardice. Now they've got me curious, and I want to see what other people think.

What's your stance on the matter? And feel free to share any examples from your own life.

Its ok to lie if it doesnt cause negative consequences for anybody

Honesty is better whenever possible of course, but society really couldnt function without some level of lying

Your sister's lie cost the restaurant some business, so that's obviously no good. Your mom's example is more of a grey area.

Mead posted...

Its ok to lie if it doesnt cause negative consequences for anybody

This, people are too stupid to act sensibly with just the facts so need to be manipulated.

Sometimes it's necessary to lie to customers or clients for your own benefit.
While morally wrong, you aren't hurting anyone. Sometimes you gotta look out for number 1.
The customer/client doesn't give a shit about you in most cases, so your inconvenience is nothing to them even if it would be drastically affecting something in your realm. If you work in service or retail customers don't see you as a person. Just an avenue to whatever it is they're after.

Aren't entire industries based on lying? Advertising, for instance.

Yes it is, from my experience and continued experience in retail people are assholes.

Idk, but I have certainly learned that customers are a lot like children.... and sometimes, children need/want a lie.

Work for any large company in a customer (or idiot management) facing position, and lying will be the order of the day. But not necessarily in the way you may imagine. You will lie and blame system issues for what was clearly caused by another person's stupidity, especially when you can get fired for identifying a consistent -up who works for the company in a position that appears to be a company-sanctioned saboteur.

Customer: Excuse me, do you have toy xyz? This Black Friday catalogue says you guys have it.

Me: Sorry ma'am we sold out an hour ago.

Customer: Are you sure?

Me: Yes.

Customer: Did you check to see if there's more in the back?

Me: *lying* ...Yes.

I'd say it's a necessary evil.

You are required to lie at work. What, are you just going to be HONEST about race and political issues?

While I expected all the lying at work options to be popular, I did NOT think the lying everywhere option would be the highest!

Just can't trust people these days...tsk, tsk, tsk!

Work doesn't bother me, I can lie down next to it and sleep soundly.

Telling untruths at work, never. That's a good way to look foolish when reality turns around and bites you.

JCvgluvr posted...

She told me I'm naive, because I've never worked in retail/sales positions. She said people need to lie at work sometimes. It's impossible to tell the truth all the time, according to her.

I wouldn't say it's impossible to tell the truth all the time but it's not advisable in some situations. I'm generally a open book but that doesn't mean I won't tell the odd white lie now and then. Even more so when working in retail/sales. For example saying "we will get stock in tomorrow" to stop customers going elsewhere or saying "I don't know anywhere that sells this product at this price". It's all about bending the truth really. Another example is if you've ever tell your employer that you've been sick when you just wanted the day off.

All the liars on gamefaqs, DELICIOUS!

JCvgluvr posted...

While I expected all the lying at work options to be popular, I did NOT think the lying everywhere option would be the highest!

Just can't trust people these days...tsk, tsk, tsk!

It's not that simple. Like, if you're working as a cashier on a line and it's gotten really badly backed up and you get a customer insisting that X item is on sale despite no evidence at all that it is... Not only are you going to eventually need to tell them a lie to get them off your back (assuming calling management isn't an option which it isn't always) but you lose a little bit of your own free will. You might see it as you getting that extra ten cents off on that can of tuna. They might see it as the last little bit of patience, happiness, and fleeting tatter of their soul being ripped away by some cheapskate who couldn't grasp that they were buying salmon and not tuna. Eventually nothing is left and, when that happens, you just... stop caring. Every customer INSISTS that there's more in the back. No matter what is actually in the back. Sure, sometimes the product is in the back; but that's not going to be the case most of the time. So instead of wasting their time going to check for a product that isn't there, just tell them that it isn't there and get back to doing something that isn't dealing with a customer? Remember, to them you're not someone who is in a life or death scenario which will be decided if you have an extra bottle of apple juice in the back. You're an annoying brat who is demanding an obviously out-of-stock product who has an intelligence rivaled only by pineapples since you can't grasp the concept of 'we are out of stock' and is stopping them from doing real work or, infinitely worse, interrupting their break time with your inane questions.

It's not about honesty. It's about 'If I don't lie here I'm going to end up behind on my work load and/or lose my break because this idiot customer can't do basic things' and how most of them have had every last vestage of enthusiasm, happiness, and a soul crushed out of them slowly by uncaring customers and a company that considers them disposable.

SunWuKung420 posted...

All the liars on gamefaqs, DELICIOUS!

First of all, Unbridled, make more paragraphs, and less walls of text.

Second of all, what you sound just sounded like a bunch of excuses to me. People shouldn't be afraid to tell customers no, or that you don't have enough time. They should try not to do this, of course. In fact, do it as little as possible. Bend over backwards, if they have to. But if they truly can't...just say so.

I feel like TC's sister was in the wrong because she was avoiding doing part of her job.

I voted for option 3, but I'd also like to add in if those bad things affect other people. If I'm only lying to save my ass, that's morally incorrect.

JCvgluvr posted...

First of all, Unbridled, make more paragraphs, and less walls of text.

Second of all, what you sound just sounded like a bunch of excuses to me. People shouldn't be afraid to tell customers no, or that you don't have enough time. They should try not to do this, of course. In fact, do it as little as possible. Bend over backwards, if they have to. But if they truly can't...just say so.

Wanna know what happens when you tell a customer 'no'? You get chewed out by your manager. Possibly even fired. Do you not have the time? Too bad. You do. Or else your manager chews you out and you can get fired. I have BEEN in situations where someone has refused to provide an ID for cigarettes, called for management when I refused to sell, and the manager has ended up chewing me out for not just letting it through.

You have a completely naive and idealistic view of what it's like to work the floor or cash register at retail. The reality is a simple one. You need to learn to lie; not because you WANT to lie, but because, if you don't, you'll never get anything done and customers will walk all over you and management will side with them. This isn't 'I'm feeling lazy so I'll just say we don't have it'. This is 'I'm the only employee in the store with a line 10 people deep, no back-up, and now I have some putz calling up insisting I check the back for their favorite brand of cookies.'

Like I said, you aren't the first customer to pose a question where the choices are either 'get chewed out by your boss because you helped a customer and now you can't finish your assigned tasks' 'skip your break to get the assigned tasks done' or 'lie like a rug.' You're the 182,244,211'th customer.

If you want someone to help you and not lie to you, bring a pet with you. A puppy works best. You'll restore just a little bit of their soul and faith in humanity and they'll gladly help you out.