I mean the knee-jerk reaction is probably to say yes but here's an example that makes me wonder. A coworker told me that another coworker had been talking unkindly about me behind my back. It served no positive purpose and only hurt my feelings. Did I really need to know that?
shareThis is where tact and diplomacy come in.
share"It served no positive purpose..."
I disagree. It depends what the other coworker was saying, but the one who told you may have been trying to protect you. Could the gossip harm your job status with promotions, etc.? Was the gossip someone to whom you let your guard down or trusted and could betray you?
It's better to know if someone is stabbing you in the back. It's all a part of office politics, I guess.
Yes.
I can tell you why. It's easier to remember the truth.
If you're going to lie, make sure you have no intention of seeing (or talking) to the person you are lying to anytime soon.
People close to you - family, friends - you should never lie to them.
Some truths are too overwhelming for the unprepared mind.
If I were your coworker, I would offer you a choice: a blueberry candy or a cinnamon candy.
Thank you all for your responses! This is one of the many things I like about discussing things on message boards. So many different points of view and it really opens the mind to angles I hadn't considered before. In the specific example I gave it would have been helpful for you to have more information, but the particular person who shared the information with me is a notorious pot stirrer who has also been extremely competitive with me over the years and sadly I think really, she just wanted to see the hurt look on my face. The person who said the unkind thing is also very competitive.
I actually retired early from that company recently so I don't have to deal with either one of them anymore. 😁🎉💃
Who gives a shit what anyone at work says about you except for the person signing your cheques.
And if your feelings got hurt, we'll help toughen you up. But go the political board for that, we're nice and friendly here.
There's a time and place for everything. That includes when to be honest, and when not to be honest.
Unfortunately, no—honesty alone isn’t enough if you want to successfully navigate social interactions. I personally hate lying and try to be as truthful as possible as much as I can because it's not only the morally right thing to do but also honesty builds a reputation of trustworthiness, which is key to forming strong relationships. However, life isn’t always so straightforward. Some situations demand diplomacy, where the consequences of blunt truth-telling could be harmful. In these cases, it’s not about outright lying, but about bending the truth or framing it in a way that aligns with your goals. Sometimes, the ends do justify the means.
share