How to tell if your boss is lying (and what to do about it)

a toxic boss It can make your work life miserable and damage your mental health. If you work for someone who is not good at speaking up, or who lies openly about work-related issues big and small, you will always feel nervous or completely surprised when problems arise, such as: There is likely to be. unexpected mass layoffs.

There is no real science in reading body language or interpreting verbal cues that indicate someone is lying. behavior at work Management tactics that may indicate your boss is trying to withhold information or obscure the truth.

Here are some indicators that your relationship with your boss is questionable.

• Use vague or ambiguous words. If your manager doesn’t take responsibility (using “we” instead of “me”) or refuses to be specific about timelines or action items, he or she may be avoiding the truth. There is a nature. For example, if you ask them about the promotion process, they will say, “I will consider it.” Similarly, words and phrases such as “probably” and “as far as I know” can indicate avoidance.
• They never communicate in writing. Tough conversations are often best held face-to-face, but if your boss refuses to make promises or claims in email, Slack, or other written communication, especially when asked You may be trying to avoid accountability for your answer.

• They give conflicting information. A boss who tells you and your colleagues otherwise, or who provides conflicting information across teams, may be intentionally misleading or simply unable to correct the obfuscation.
• They give irrelevant feedback. Part of your boss’s job is to provide feedback to support your growth. Not all managers are good at this skill, and in most cases it does not indicate that they are lying. But if your boss refuses to ask you anything specific, or offers feedback that seems to apply to someone else, they may be avoiding difficult conversations.
• I am asked not to share things with my colleagues. There are probably a number of scenarios where difficult work news or confidential information needs to be kept secret, but if your boss is constantly asked to keep secrets from co-workers, they may be trying to hide something. There is a possibility
• They avoid meetings with their team. Bosses who refuse to meet with larger groups, even when requested or necessary, and instead hold numerous individual meetings may be trying to avoid difficult conversations and conflicts where numbers are power. I have.

how to deal with lies in the workplace

Please note that none of the above are 100% guaranteed. Maybe your boss is just a bad manager or bad communicator, or maybe everything they do is about them and not about you. Or maybe this behavior is just their norm.

If it’s clear that your boss is lying to you and the consequences could be: Due to the nature of criminals, you should get out as soon as possible and consult a lawyer. Otherwise, there are both passive and proactive approaches to dealing with fraud.of Harvard Business Review article, author and consultant Pamela Meyer, suggests starting with a cost-benefit analysis. Are lying to your boss, their boss, or HR worth the potential consequences?

If you want to reply, first think about why your boss lied to you, and then approach it with curiosity instead of accusation. Even if their tactics are not good, their intentions may have been good.

To prevent patterns of deception from the outset, Meyer recommends building strong work relationships that include attention to detail and follow-up. If so, please record it.