ARTICLE: Four Lies that Can Cost You Your Job
It so happens that I disagree with this article. I would never look at someone's hands and feet and assume that he or she'd gone out for mani/pedi... especially since I've no idea if that person had one on Tuesday and it is now Thursday. I don't know too many people who leave early just to cater to his or her looks. Most of us do this in our off time.
I wouldn't start eyeballing employees for using a sick day as a mental health day. As long as they aren't exceeding their allotted days and only getting sick in a pattern (Monday/Friday only, or better yet - and I've seen it - Monday/Friday only in the summer absences), when did I become the "are you really sick" police? Most people take a large number of their sick time in one block, if any - one good influenza or streptococculus virus will take you out of the game for over a week. Last year in February, a couple of months after getting my flu shot, I came down with one nasty flu in the "40% of flus this shot doesn't cover" arena.
The company I know for billable hours doesn't round. Things read .1 hours. If they did it in 15 minutes increments, that would be one thing. But I don't want to know people or companies that do slimy things like rounding up billable hours. And to suggest that it is okay as long as you are "flying safely under the radar" is not good advice. Make your hours honestly, please.
Who doesn't think that helping a vendor outside of your office with your professional knowledge isn't a grey area? I give my husband advice all the time about stuff he tells me but I know that 90% of it is ignored and the rest is just free advice, my responding to a conversation. I don't sell my services to his company. (Not that they'd want them anyway; as relaxed as I've became being outside the corporate America world, his company thinks I'm overboard.
Anyway, here it is:
Article: "When Mark N. was approached by one of his company’s vendors, the Information Technology professional had no idea that secretly taking on a client in his spare time would cost him his job. Sure seems obvious after the fact, but Mark is not alone.
Lisa F. shares his pain, but from a managerial perspective. “I know when a woman lies about being sick, just by looking at her hands and toes.” For the senior level new media executive, the giveaway is newly polished nails. “You cannot imagine how many women come in after a sick day with a fresh manicure or pedicure,” she observes.
Every day individuals fib, lie and embellish their way through the work day, not realizing that there are repercussions. The consequences may not always be as severe as termination, but it can be a reduction in bonus, a permanent mark on your record or a poor score on your yearly review, not to mention the damage done to your reputation among fellow colleagues. What follows are 4 frequent fibs that every single should avoid in the workplace.
Pulling the Healthy Sick Card
If you call in sick when you’re feeling perfectly fine you better be smart about it. Taking off one too many hangover Fridays, or regularly turning the day before calendared holiday 3 day weekends into your personal 4 day long weekends, will no doubt cause suspicious minds. So come clean to your supervisor and ask that these be reported as vacation days, or try to schedule your healthy sick days on less conspicuous days during the week.
The Faux Appointment/Emergency
Leaving work under false medical or other emergent pretenses is asking for trouble. Take it from Kristine who played hooky to get prepped for a date and was spotted getting her hair blown out at the salon by one of her co-workers. All it takes is one sighting or slip and you can lose your credibility, especially when medical or family issues are used as an excuse.
Pointing the Finger
When people’s jobs and egos are at stake, blaming others when you’re at fault can lead to war in the workplace. Remember, it’s a politics game and you’ll lose if you try to dodge the bullet by feigning innocence. Folks, the only way to keep allies and integrity intact is to play fair and take ownership of your conduct and work in good times and in bad.
Fudging Hours & Fudging Expenses
Working to make sure you get in those all those billable hours is seriously stressful. You may hit your targets by rounding up to the nearest hour but don’t press your luck. This is a serious offense, and companies’ billings are increasingly being examined by their clients and their clients’ audit units or accountants. If you’re a certified professional, lying here may not cost you just a client, but your license."
Article: "When Mark N. was approached by one of his company’s vendors, the Information Technology professional had no idea that secretly taking on a client in his spare time would cost him his job. Sure seems obvious after the fact, but Mark is not alone.
Lisa F. shares his pain, but from a managerial perspective. “I know when a woman lies about being sick, just by looking at her hands and toes.” For the senior level new media executive, the giveaway is newly polished nails. “You cannot imagine how many women come in after a sick day with a fresh manicure or pedicure,” she observes.
Every day individuals fib, lie and embellish their way through the work day, not realizing that there are repercussions. The consequences may not always be as severe as termination, but it can be a reduction in bonus, a permanent mark on your record or a poor score on your yearly review, not to mention the damage done to your reputation among fellow colleagues. What follows are 4 frequent fibs that every single should avoid in the workplace.
Pulling the Healthy Sick Card
If you call in sick when you’re feeling perfectly fine you better be smart about it. Taking off one too many hangover Fridays, or regularly turning the day before calendared holiday 3 day weekends into your personal 4 day long weekends, will no doubt cause suspicious minds. So come clean to your supervisor and ask that these be reported as vacation days, or try to schedule your healthy sick days on less conspicuous days during the week.
The Faux Appointment/Emergency
Leaving work under false medical or other emergent pretenses is asking for trouble. Take it from Kristine who played hooky to get prepped for a date and was spotted getting her hair blown out at the salon by one of her co-workers. All it takes is one sighting or slip and you can lose your credibility, especially when medical or family issues are used as an excuse.
Pointing the Finger
When people’s jobs and egos are at stake, blaming others when you’re at fault can lead to war in the workplace. Remember, it’s a politics game and you’ll lose if you try to dodge the bullet by feigning innocence. Folks, the only way to keep allies and integrity intact is to play fair and take ownership of your conduct and work in good times and in bad.
Fudging Hours & Fudging Expenses
Working to make sure you get in those all those billable hours is seriously stressful. You may hit your targets by rounding up to the nearest hour but don’t press your luck. This is a serious offense, and companies’ billings are increasingly being examined by their clients and their clients’ audit units or accountants. If you’re a certified professional, lying here may not cost you just a client, but your license."
Just a side note: It is now 1540 and the Sears guy still is not here to fix the dryer. And he called an hour ago to ask me if I really wanted him to come because my dryer probably just needs to have the lint thing cleaned (we do clean it) and I don't need to pay $75/hour for that. The door is broken, too. So he's supposed to be right here. Maybe he called from southern New Jersey...
...before you ask me what I'm doing home already!
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